I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 232

Gavin flashed his mother an exaggerated 'OK' sign.

When the holidays wrapped up, Sophie and Gavin flew back to Seattle. Sarah stayed behind in the Bahamas to keep Rosemary company, only returning the day before Sophie's birthday.

Harold Harper had also flown into town the day before. He knew Sophie would spend her actual birthday with Gavin and Sarah, so he wanted to take her out early.

He had tried to convince Sarah to join them, but she had shot him down immediately.

"Your mother still refuses to see me," Harold said over the phone, letting out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

Sophie didn't know what to say.

She had asked her mother in the past if she had ever considered forgiving Harold and giving their marriage a second chance.

Sarah had looked at her calmly and said, "He wants to chase the ghost of a thirty-year-old romance. I am not the woman I was thirty years ago. If we got back together, he'd realize instantly that the past is dead. And when the illusion shatters, he'd just run off to find comfort somewhere else."

Sophie couldn't argue with that. Her mother's logic was bulletproof.

After a moment of hesitation, Sophie agreed to the early birthday dinner.

"Thank you for letting me do this. I know... I owe you thirty-one birthdays."

Hearing the raw regret in his voice made Sophie's chest ache.

It had only been a few months, but the gray in Harold's hair had spread significantly.

She understood his guilt.

But the gaping wound left by a father's absence couldn't be stitched together with a single dinner and a few apologies.

She was giving him a chance to make amends, but it was born out of pity for an aging man.

Forcing herself to play the role of a doting daughter was simply beyond her. Harold had missed thirty-one years of her life, and nothing could change that.

On the night of her thirty-second birthday, Gwen and Jason came over to celebrate.

Seeing only two candles on the cake, Mia looked up, confused. "Aunt Sophie, how old are you turning?"

"Your Aunt Sophie is eternally eighteen. And so am I," Gwen declared, throwing an arm over Sophie's shoulders.

Surrounded by laughter and love, Sophie closed her eyes and blew out the candles.

"Happy birthday, babe." Before Gavin could even blink, Gwen leaned in and planted a loud kiss on Sophie's cheek.

Catching Gavin's murderous glare, Gwen intentionally leaned over and kissed Sophie's other cheek, just to spite him. She pulled away and stuck her tongue out.

"What are you staring at? If you hadn't rudely intervened, she would have been mine," Gwen provoked, wiggling her eyebrows.

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