" dad, would you still love me if i was a worm?" love from vera
oh dear christ, she'd been hanging around with cole's son again hadn't she? only that genetically inherited stupidity could have come up with something like this. if this was how his morning was to start, then so be it. glancing across at gloria, who was doing her very best to not meet his eyes or offer him any kind of support in this matter, nate dropped down the reports from the castle and gave his daughter his full attention. and there he found himself halted.
vera was gloria through and through. every bit as beautiful as her mama, she might as well have been cloned directly from her, not that he minded one little bit. in fact it's why he loved her so. in a small secret way, nate truly hadn't fully gotten over the loss of shaun. what parent could? there were times where he'd catch himself wondering about the path his son took, and how his actions shaped the world. nate was apart of shaun just as much as nora was― and nate often believed that it was his part in shaun that made him the way he was.
so when gloria told him she was pregnant, he became scared. truly scared that whatever darkness had seeped into his son would settle into the heart of his daughter. he'd never been so wrong about anything in his whole entire life― vera was everything pure, everything he'd ever done right. she was her mother's grace and determination. her stubbornness and infectious joy. the only thing nate ever recognized of himself in her was her choice of company.
vera always befriended the outsiders. the outcasts. she accepted anyone and everyone into her family. if any part of him had to live on in her, he was glad it was that little piece. watching her grow had been his life's greatest privilege, being a husband and a father were gifts given to him by the two most wonderful beings on this earth. all those hardships, all that the pain he had to endure, all the weight― all of it was worth it.
a hand waves before his face, and suddenly he's pulled back― the little girl before him was now a young adult, her brow furrowed just like gloria's did, and nate could only apologize for staring. but god; she grew up too fast. much much too fast. long gone were the days where he'd have to read her to sleep, or run her around on his shoulders while her mama tried to catch them both. she was almost all grown up. he couldn't help but selfishly ponder just how much longer she'd need him like he needed her.
“ i would love you if you were an plague carrying, boil covered, disgusting mass of worms. now i'd be all screamish about touching you, so i won't be hugging you no more, but i'd still love you― ” her palms smack into his shoulders, and nate has to forcibly stop himself from laughing. watching her leave, he almost calls out to her as she runs out their home with his hat on her head, but stops himself short― it finally fit her now anyway.
