Two different men, one cherished title: Dad.

Would he have liked me?

It's a question my husband has asked me about my dad. The two never got a chance to meet each other. My dad died about six years before I met my husband.

I remember when he first asked the question I paused. I wanted to immediately give him the reassuring yes he sought even if outwardly he acted like he didn't care that much. But it was tough because, you see, I did not "marry my father." I married a man who is very different.

My dad was a contemplative, cynical, dry-sense-of-humor guy. He seemed to add syllables to words just so they were drawn out longer for him to think through his every thought before they were shared with others. Perhaps he was also conjuring up a rebuttal in case someone delivered one. The man liked to debate.

My husband, on the other hand, wears his heart on his sleeve most of the time. He's definitely an intelligent thinker, but he's more of a doer. He's the man who says what he thinks and feels sometimes before he's thought through the consequences. He often questions my need to question everything.

You see I'm not the girl who married the man like her father because I am a lot like my father.

Years ago I may have pondered my husband's question. Don't get me wrong, my dad would have liked my husband, there's not much to not like. But I wanted to give a deeper answer. Would he have enjoyed spending time with him? Would they have been friends?

But as time passes I realize I can never fully answer those questions because we'll never really know what their relationship would have been like.

I can say this though. My dad would have loved my husband in the most unconditional way. And here's why I know that. He would have seen how much my husband loves me. And he would have seen how much my husband adores his son, my father's grandchild. How much our son believes his daddy is the center of the universe. And these two men who valued their titles as father above any other roles in their life would have had the utmost love and respect for each other.

Happy Father's Day to all men who are proud to be called: Dad.