But I no longer needed his confession to understand what he had done.
“I want to be part of Grace’s life,” he finally said.
I looked toward the sitting room, where my daughter was making her toys talk to one another.
“Being her father is not something you can switch on when your circumstances change.”
“I know I have a lot to make up for.”
“You do.”
“Can I come and see her?”
I thought carefully before answering.
I did not want Grace to grow up believing that she had been rejected because there was something wrong with her. I also did not want to let Daniel enter her life, make promises, and disappear again.
“If you genuinely want a relationship with your daughter, we can discuss it,” I said. “But it will be about her needs, not your loneliness. We will take things slowly. You will have to show consistency. And you will not come into her life making promises you cannot keep.”
