Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 317

CHAPTER 177-2

“I failed you, Paige.” He added as his voice was steady, but his eyes weren’t.

“I believed Charlotte when should have listened to you, and I allowed myself to become the father who was there for one daughter while ignoring the other.” He continued as I swallowed.

“That hurt.” I said.

“I know.” He said.

“No, Dad, I don’t think you knew how much it hurt.” I said and he nodded.

“You’re right.” He said as I looked down at my plate.

“I spent years wondering what was wrong with me.” I said as Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.

“There was never anything wrong with you.” She said and I looked at her.

“You didn’t make me feel that way.” I said.

“I know.” She said as she took a breath.

“I failed both of you.” She added and Charlotte looked toward her mother but Victoria continued.

“I enabled Charlotte because I thought she needed more from me, and I convinced myself that you were strong enough to survive without the same attention.” She continued as her voice broke slightly.

“I was wrong.” She finished and I stared at her.

“You were.” I said as Victoria nodded.

“I should have protected both of you from the beginning, and instead, I helped create the distance between you.” She said.

Charlotte remained silent, and I noticed she wasn’t defending herself.

That was different.

A year ago, she would have found a way to redirect the conversation.

Tonight, she simply listened and I looked at her.

“Do you have anything to say?” I asked but Charlotte shook her head.

“No.” Charlotte said as I raised an eyebrow.

“No?” I asked.

“I think tonight should be about listening to you.” She said and her answer surprised me so I looked down again.

For once, nobody was asking me to make them feel better.

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Nobody was telling me to forgive. Nobody was pretending the past could be erased.

That made the room feel strangely safer.

Dinner continued slowly, and the conversation moved between uncomfortable truths and ordinary

memories.

Charles told me about some of the things he remembered from when I was younger, and I realized he actually remembered more than I thought he did.

Victoria admitted she had noticed how close Uncle Will and I were, but instead of being happy about it, she had sometimes felt threatened because Will openly challenged the way she handled Charlotte.

“He used to tell me I was making things worse.” She said and I smiled sadly.

“That sounds like him.” I said.

“He was usually right.” She said.

“That definitely sounds like him.” I said.

For the first time that evening, everyone laughed.

It was small, but it mattered.

“I am sorry.” Charlotte quietly said.

I looked at her but she did not continue.

She didn’t ask me to forgive her. She simply looked down at her hands.

“I know.” I said and she nodded.

“That is enough for tonight.” She said as I looked around the table.

“This doesn’t fix everything.” I said and Charles nodded.

“We know.” Charles said.

“It doesn’t mean I suddenly trust everyone.” I said and Victoria nodded.

“We understand.” Victoria said.

“It doesn’t mean I’m ready to pretend the past didn’t happen.” I said and Charlotte looked at me.

“I would never ask you to do that.” She said.

I believed her. That was the strangest part. I actually believed her.

When dinner ended, Victoria walked me toward the front door.

“Thank you for coming.” She said.

“I’m glad I did.” I said and she smiled.

“So am I.” She said as Charles stood behind her.

2.4

CHAPTER 12-

“Can we do this again sometime?” Charles asked and I hesitated before answering.

“Maybe.” I said and he smiled.

“I’ll take maybe.” He said.

I stepped outside, and the cool evening air felt different against my skin.

I walked toward my car and looked back at the house. Nothing had magically changed. My childhood had not been rewritten.

The hurt was still there. The memories were still there.

However, something had shifted.

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