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“Because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go,” he said bluntly. “We had a plan, and she ruined it.”
“R-ruined it?”
“We were going to go to college, find a house in Orlando, get married,” he explained. “The kid thing wasn’t supposed to happen until after that.”
Tears now streaked her cheeks. “But she ruined it.”
He kept going, completely oblivious to the girl standing in front of him with tears in her eyes. No sadness or guilt. Just anger. “I begged her to choose me instead, to go with our plan. But she refused.”
Her ears were ringing now at the truth that was finally being revealed. Fred Barry wanted her mother to terminate the pregnancy. She didn’t.
“So you broke up with her.”
“I told her I wouldn’t let anything ruin my life. I left town.”
Rory was shaking. Hurt, abandonment, loneliness…she couldn’t pinpoint the emotions she felt with so many roiling inside of her. Anger felt too mild of a word to describe the burning rage in her belly. She was downright irate. That this man not only decided he didn’t want her, but he’d tried forcing Gabi to do something she didn’t want to do with her body. All for the sake of their “happily ever after.”
Right then, she was mighty proud of her mother for standing up for herself, and for choosing a different end to her story. A different kind of happily ever after.
Instead of throwing a fit, Rory calmly stood up straight, looking this horrific man up and down. “By the looks of it, you didn’t need me around for your life to be ruined.”
She got in her car and left, not bothering to look at the man who was fuming on the other side of the gates he’d refused to let her through. She sped through the streets to the highway, flying back to Haverport.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Her first thought was to stop at the diner. She wanted to confront Gabi, tell her what she knew: that her father lived less than an hour away, that she’d met him, and that she finally knew the extent of the sacrifices she’d made for her. Even if that meant Gabi would be pissed she wasn’t in school, even if Rory had applied to Baybrook against her wishes, this moment felt bigger than all of that. She just needed to see her. If she was about to be grounded for eternity, well, so be it.
Her conversation with Fred Barry had her thoughts swirling. She refused to refer to him as her father anymore—that man didn’t deserve the honor. Despite how mad she was though, Rory was shocked by how much relief she felt following the interaction. She no longer had to wonder about who her father was, or what it would be like to have him in her life. Fred Barry was a deadbeat, a man so bitter and hateful she was glad he hadn’t stuck around.
Her phone pinged with a text. It was from Vanessa.
U ok? Didn’t see u in English.
Rory stopped at a red light two blocks from the diner. She snatched her phone and typed back.
Yep, doc appt
Vanessa responded straightaway.
So ur coming to the review?
Rory groaned, resting her head back on her seat. She’d forgotten about the yearbook review. It was their last big push after Penelope’s final copy edit. It was supposed to be a long one—Penelope even promised dinner would be provided for the entire staff. Typically their editor-in-chief was stingy with the club budget, given their funds were far from stellar to begin with.
A horn honked behind Rory’s car, making her jump. She quickly sped off, driving right past the diner before turning on Boston Ave.
She would have to deal with the wrath of Gabi later.
* * *
“This page has it, too,” Rory said firmly, pointing to the spread.
Penelope growled. “Seriously, Michaels, you’re killing me.”
“She’s only doing her job,” Vanessa said softly.
“Yes, but this is just being nitpicky,” Penelope snipped, tossing her leftover crust on a paper plate. “I had to edit the copy, remember? The text is fine.”
“But you don’t think it looks weird?” Rory said, pointing to the way the blurb on the page looked uneven. “Especially with an orphan here at the end.”
