(A/n)
Got halfway through writing this chapter and decided to add a little disclaimer, reader deals with her father having walked out on her at a young age, if missing/absent parent(s) is a difficult subject for you, the first half of this chapter may be rough to read. If you'd like to skip over that part, you can pick up where I have my usual chapter break ----

"Where'd you go?" Cracker whined over the phone. "You're always home, who am I supposed to vent to?"

"I'm just out for a bit." You answered quietly, moving away from the main walkway and into the grass.

"Out? Why didn't you invite me?"

"I already have company."

"What? You don't hang out with anyone else!"

"Look." You sighed. "I'll be home in about an hour and a half, maybe two hours, can we talk about this then?"

"Is it a date?"

"Cracker....."

"Okay, fine, fine. Give me all the details when you come home. I'm eating those cookies in the fridge in the mean time."

"You will not." You hissed. "Save some for your brothers, Peros has been wanting me to make those all week."

"Jeez, you're harsh today."

"I'll show you harsh if you eat them all."

"Now I'm tempted."

You blushed at the suggestive tone to his voice, your mind immediately going straight to the gutter. If only he knew what he did to you sometimes.

"Be nice, I'll see you later." You hung up before he could reply.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. For once in a long time, Cracker was actually not the first person to plague your mind today. He wasn't on your mind at all in fact, not until he had called at least. It was strange.

The person that had held your attention so far today, scuffed his shoes along the sidewalk a short distance away and called out to you.

"You didn't have to cut that short for me. If it's important you can call them back."

"It's fine dad." You smiled at him reassuringly and walked back up to him. "It was just a....friend. He's got a key to my place and had invited himself in, wanted to know where I was at."

"A guy friend?" He continued on the paved path, keeping an easy pace for you to walk alongside him.

"Yeah, I know what it sounds like but we aren't dating."

"So you're all by your lonesome?" He prodded at you with an elbow, grinning like you were best buds.

You weren't.

When your dad came to your doorstep the other day, he'd come apologising and asking if he could reconnect with you. You hesitated at his request but accepted it in the end. It was by no means you forgiving him but you were willing to give him a chance. He'd said he'd changed for the better and here you were hoping it was true. Having family in your life again sounded nice, too nice to pass up trying to work past what he did when you were little.

And that was the whole reason you were out now. Both of you were bundled up in coats and walking down a part of the city that was well liked by pedestrians. On your left was a park, full of dog walkers and folks brave enough to bike in the chilly weather. To the right was a "historical" strip of buildings. They were among the oldest in the city and had that weathered charm that attracted people to walk nearby to get a good view. The sidewalks, on your side and along the buildings, matched the historical look quite well. They were a pretty cobbled stone, each piece making them up was unique with different arrays of colors and designs.

You liked this spot but your father's presence made it a little more difficult to enjoy. You shirked away from his touch and played it off as you getting a better look at the many businesses across the street. But the tense silence that followed made your discomfort obvious.

"Look." Your dad sighed. "I get it, I fucked up."

"That's one way to put it." You mumbled.

"I was going through some stuff of my own and instead of facing my problems head on like I should've, I left you and your mom." He steamrolled through your comment, either ignoring it or just not hearing it. "At the time, I thought we'd all be better off that way, course I learned I couldn't have been more wrong."

"If you weren't happy, why didn't you divorce mom instead? We would've had closure that way at least."

"I was young and stupid, divorce was a scary word."

"Mom didn't ever date after you, she was afraid of some future guy pulling a fast one on us too." You watched the ground, taking note of the different colors in the stones without actually enjoying them.

"I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Do you know what it's like to be a little kid and realize that it's weird for you dad to just go missing? Father's day came around every year and I wondered why mom and I weren't good enough for you to stick around. I don't know why, but mom always felt guilty about it. She didn't do anything wrong but she felt like she did."

"(Y/n)...." Your father lowered his voice as a small group of people walked past. They could definitely sense the tension and moved quickly, not wanting to get caught up in your issues. "Choices were made and none of them were good, I know that. If I could go back and change things, I would. I would have never left, I would have found real solutions."

"You say that but it doesn't make me any less angry. You show up out of the blue and....." You stopped as an all too familiar ache filled your chest. "and I wish you would've decided to make amends before mom passed, she would've wanted to see you. Even after everything that happened, she never spited you."

"I wish I did too." He offered you a sad, understanding smile. "Not a day goes by that I don't miss her and when I heard she'd died, I wanted nothing more than to find you."

"Why didn't you then?" You moved forward once again, encouraged by the glares of passerbys as they walked around you.

"Running a business isn't easy. It's time consuming in a way nothing else is. I started my company from the ground up and it took off faster than I thought it would. Long story short, too many things required my attention and no matter what I did, I couldn't find a way to take a break and get to you. It's a shitty excuse, I know, but it's the truth."

"You're right." You chuckled. "It is a shitty excuse." When you picked up the pace, caught up in your swirling mix of emotions, he snagged you by the elbow and trotted to keep up.

"I would've left it in a heartbeat but the problem was I built it up for the sake of the life I want. And right now, that life is supposed to include my daughter."

You slowed down slightly but didn't look at him. You'd hear him out, but if you didn't like what he said next, you'd end things with him for good. He wasn't around before, he didn't have to be around now.

"We always struggled with money and since starting my business, all those financial problems went away. I wanted to provide that same level of security for you and your mother. What I'm trying to say is, I want to make up for lost time and do what I can to help you now. I want to be a dad, your dad."

"....You're not just saying it?"

"Of course not." He slowly relaxed his grip on your arm until his hand slipped away. "I meant it, I really do."

Would he be worth your time? Even now you were uncertain about that but you were willing to try. There was a small flame of hope nestled in your chest that you could have something here, a real father daughter relationship.

"Okay." You nodded quickly, glancing at his beaming smile before looking across the street. "Then for a start, I want to catch up. I want to hear what you'd been up to and I'll tell you the same."

"Sure!" He now walked with a bounce in his step as he took a hold of your arm once again, this time leading you to a cross walk. "I hear there's a great little café nearby from the locals, we can talk there over coffee, or do you prefer tea?"

You felt your lips tug upwards ever so slightly against your will as he rambled on. While you still wanted to be angry at him, seeing how happy he was prevented you from doing so.

"I know it's close by....it's something Hen. Maybe the Tuxedo Hen? No, that doesn't sound right."

"It's the Calico Hen."

"That's it!" He exclaimed. "We're going to the Calico Hen Café!"

Maybe it was time to forgive and forget. You'd decide that soon enough.

----

"I thought you said you'd only be a couple hours max!" Cracker immediately yelled as he scrambled over the couch to stand in front of you, arms crossed and a heavy scowl on his face.

The talk with your dad ended up taking much longer than you thought but that wasn't your fault. There was years of events that needed catching up on your end and his.

"I got caught up." You blushed as you shrugged off your coat and placed your half empty cup of coffee on the kitchen counter.

"With what? A date?"

As you tried to walk past him, he sidestepped, blocking your path.

"No." You grumbled. "It wasn't a date."

"How does coffee hold one up then?"

"Why are you so bent out of shape about it?"

"You said you'd be home before now!" He raised his voice slightly but it was enough to really irk you. You'd had a long day and didn't feel like coming home to this was necessary.

"I agreed to a deal saying you could come by here once a week, not one where I had to be here whenever you were and not one with you here almost every single damn day. I'm not obligated to tell you what I'm up to, where I go, or for how long. We aren't actually a couple so don't try to act like we are when no one else is around!"

You weren't angry with your dad today, but you were angry with Cracker. None of what was going on was right. You never had any privacy anymore and you had feelings for him you couldn't divulge. While you daydreamed about him seeing you as a potential partner, he went around taking other women on dates. He wasn't exactly at fault for that but the frustration had been building and it wasn't something you were accustomed to. That meant all that confusion and anger got directed at him, the source of your heartache.

Cracker stared back at you with wide eyes, looking at your balled fists, to your face, and back to your fists. Then it was like a blank slate. He'd relaxed and became unreadable fast enough that you were caught off guard and a little worried about what he'd do next.

"You know what? You're right. Sorry for being a pain, I'll see you around."

For a second there, you did want him to leave. But when he picked up his jacket and headed for the door, you were positive you'd changed your mind.

"Cracker, wait."

"No." He frowned. "Seems you have a lot on your plate right now that you need to deal with. Text me or something when you have a better hold of yourself."

You were at a loss for words when he left, the door closing softly behind him. All the good progress you'd made with your dad today suddenly didn't feel like such a feat anymore. One step forward with him and two steps back with Cracker. It probably sounded like you hated him, like you were tired of seeing him. That was never the case but he didn't know that.

Tears quickly formed in your eyes and you wiped them away unsuccessfully. More took their place entirely too fast as you continued to stare at the door. He wasn't going to come back, not today.

You still hoped he would though, if only so you could apologize.