"She's sleeping but she's good" Patrick said to her when she came over to his place.

She was upset with what Tomiwa told her and didn't want to go home yet. Facing her sisters or mum with her being upset wasn't a good idea so, she decided to pay Patrick a visit and see his mum like she wanted to.

"Oh, it will be great to actually see her before we leave for school in two days" she said when she sat on one of the chairs in the dining area.

"You can come by when we are leaving and see her then" Patrick suggested with a shrugged.

"Sounds like a good idea" she grinned.

"How have you been? It's be quite a while since we saw" he said to her then excused himself so that he can get them both, something to snack on.

Ife watch him come back with some chips and ice cream bowl which be placed on the table for them.

"Thank you," she took the ice cream bowl, opened it and began eating from it. "It's been a while truly and I have been good, just feeling a bit tired from some things but I'm good" she smiles then picked up a chip to eat.

"Hope you're good? What's stressing you out?" he asked seeming concerned for her.

"Nothing... it's just" she paused for a while then shook her head and sighed. "It's nothing really, I am good and things are good" she offered a smile and he was about  to say something but she beats him to it. " How about you? How have you been?"

She looked around then frowned a bit.

"How about Deborah? Where is she?" she asked.

Patrick could see that she didn't want to press further on what was bothering her but he was assured that if she wanted to share with anyone, she'll come to him so he decides not to ask any more questions and just let it go.

"I have been good as you can see" she laughed "Things are good, been checking on mum till she was finally discharged and been taking Deborah out now that I am around" he said then sighs "She sees less of me when and I want to make sure that I am there for her whenever I can" he told her.

Ife looks up from eating her ice cream to look at Patrick then smiles at him.

"You know she was quite young when my dad passed on and I want to be the father she needs all the time, I don't want her to feel left behind or whatsoever"

"That's sweet Patrick, she's one lucky girl" she rubs his hand.

"I know right? I am just thankful for the women in my life" he sighs. "The mean a lot to me" he said.

"I know, all will be good... for us all" Ife assured and he placed his hand on top of hers then looked into her smiling eyes.

They kept looking into each other eyes and could feel the warmth flowing through them. Their eye contact was broken when Deborah came in through the front door, with her bag slug over her shoulders.

Her eyes brightened when she saw Ife and she quickly rushed over to give her a hug.

"Ife!" she squealed whilst jumping before they leaned back "I missed you so much, thought you wouldn't come" she said, putting her bag on the floor beside Ife and sitting down on the chair close to her.

"Why wouldn't I? I missed you too, you're all grown now and looking beautiful" Ife admired her and she blushed.

"Thank you, you look good too. Patrick, hi" she waved at her brother then blew him a kiss which he dodged.

"I cover myself with the blood of JESUS" he said and they all laughed.

They kept gisting and catching up on the times they weren't together, told their individual stories and laughed at the relatable ones. The ones they shared together and so on.

Ife felt happy and didn't even remember how upset she was earlier, she just enjoyed the talk they were having and when it was getting late, Patrick took her home and they bid goodbyes when he was leaving.

...

Ife was glad that when she came earlier, her mum or sisters weren't there to make her feel sad or defeated. She went to her room where she stayed to think and ignored all calls she got from Tomiwa.

She heard a knock from the door and was hoping it wasn't her mum or sisters coming to talk to her probably to tell her to answer Tomiwa's calls.

She was going to ignore it but she heard her dad's voice she she immediately we to open the door for him and greeted him when he entered her room.

Ife went to sit on her bed and her dad followed along but he didn't sit down, she waited for what he wanted to say to her.

"So, Tomiwa is improving?" her dad asked when he sat on her bed.

Ife smiles, she tried not to think about what happened earlier so she nod her head then moved closer to her dad.

"Yes sir, he is and we are enjoying this relationship" she confirms, her dad sighs then look down at his hand.

Giving her dad a negative response to how things were going will prompt him to ask her to leave the relationship, because he had tried to get her off when Tomiwa's behavior was affecting her negatively but she begged that things will change which he accepted but with a condition that if such repeat itself, he will ask her to leave.

She wasn't ready to nurse a heartbreak yet.

"I heard you, how about Patrick? He is a nice young man, you know?" he comments.

"Dad" she dragged as if telling him not to start with what she thinks he was going to say.

"What? I am just stating the fact, he is a good man, level-headed, kind, caring, takes to corrections... things your boyfriend isn't"

"Daddy" she shook her head disapprovingly "Daddy, I don't want to hear this, please" she begged.

"Ife, I am not trying to put pressure on you, I am just looking out for you. I want you to have the best and not deal with someone because your mum likes him. It's not your mum that will marry him if you decide to take things to the next level" he told her and she sighs.

Her dad has always been in support of her dating Patrick instead of Tomiwa but he didn't want to puch her to do what she didn't want to do and would sometimes just tease her based on how close she and Patrick were.

She had also reconsidered that but her mum would bring hell on her and she didn't want that kind of drama at all and the fact that she grew to love Tomiwa gives her an assurance that things would be better for them both.

"Daddy, I don't want to talk about this" she said again.

"Ife, it's fine if you don't want to leave Tomiwa but know that I want the best for you and would never force you to do what you don't want to do" he said to her and she nods her head.

"Thank you sir" she looks at him with appreciative eyes and he smiles.

"You know, I and your mum were arranged to be married when I was done with university and your mum had a trade she was into then. She was pretty good at makeup but she stopped when we got married and ventured into selling clothes and shoes instead"

A furrow creased her brows at the new information. She wanted to ask why her mum stopped but she saw that he had some other things to say so she let him continue talking.

"I wanted to marry someone I was seeing in my school but when I graduated, I was introduced to your mum who was some years younger than me and we had no choice than to get married since our parents already planned it" he explains.

"You... you didn't love mum at first?" she asked and he nods his head.

"I didn't, I wanted to create a scene that would stop the wedding but I was a matured twenty-six-year-old man and had to behave myself.  Your mum was around twenty-one, twenty-two then" he sighs.

"Did you ever love mum? Do you love mum?" Ife asked him with a frown.

Her dad smiles and nods his head "I grew to love her since that was what my parents wanted for us and we were already married so there was little I could do than learn to love her and be peaceful" he said then laughs "Your mum is certainly a lot to handle but who's a human being without flaws?" he asked.

They stayed quiet for some time before he spoke up.

"I told you this not to encourage or discourage you from your relationship with Tomiwa but I wanted to bring out a point or some points rather. There are times our parents think they know what's best for us and they tend to push us to do what pleases them even though it makes us uncomfortable" he said.

Ife just looked at him as he explained what he meant by that.

"Most times, it end up well, just like I and your mum's relationship and the other times it turns out to be a disaster that takes both children lives or just one of them or rather leaves them broken and lonely with no hope for someone or something better coming their way" he tells her.

"We need to listen to our parents, most have our best interest in their heart but there are some times you need to listen to what your heart is telling you, go with what your heart says and pray to GOD to guide you in the right path"

Ife nods.

"With your mum, my heart didn't want me to rebel against the decision, I was just angry that they made the decision without consulting me, that was why I wanted to cause chaos but with time, things got better for us and I learned to love her like never before, and we are living with each other so in love" he grinned.

She couldn't deny that, although her mum doesn't look like the affectionate type but her dad always looks at her mum like she was the only woman in the room.

"I don't want you to choose a partner your mum or dad will choose for you when you know that deep inside, you don't approve but because you want them to feel proud of you or want them to go easy on you, you put yourself in dangerous or compromising situations"

He took her hand in his.

"Ife my dear, it's you and your spouse not your parents, friends or whoever. Choose wisely and GOD help you" he told her.

"Thank you dad" Ife said as she tries to digest all that he said to her.

"You are welcome my dear, please take care and have a blissful night, you leave in two days, right?" she nods and he smiles then kissed her forehead and stood to his feet "Goodnight my love" he said then walked to her door so that be can leave her room.

"Goodnight daddy, thank you" she thanked and watched him leave her room.

Ife lean her head back on the headboard and sigh "Tomiwa, are you my right choice?"