"Dad, I know it's getting late, but we need to talk," I said, walking into the living room with Dakota by my side.
Dad sighed. "It's okay. It's only eleven o'clock, but you have school in the morning." Today was Thursday, the last day before the weekend. "Can it wait?"
I shook my head. "No. Not really."
Dad narrowed his eyes, studying us both. "Okay. Sit down and we'll talk."
I sat on the love seat and Dakota sat beside me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze for encouragement.
Dad sat on the couch and waited patiently.
The best way to get this over with was to just say it, to rip off the Band-Aid all at once. "Well, here goes nothing," I said, letting out a deep breath. "Dad, we'd like to get pledged while Julien is here."
Dad let out a deep breath as his eyebrows shot up. "Is that all?"
I looked at him as if he'd just lost his mind. "What? Isn't that enough?"
"I thought that maybe you were... never mind what I thought."
