46. Getting My Girl Back
Getting My Girl Back
Cara
‘Thank you for bringing this to me.’
I fold the letter back up, standing as I shove it back into the envelope, and I feel Doug’s eyes on me, but can’t look at him.
‘Cara,’ he says softly, and I inhale a shaky breath.
‘Do you know what this letter says?’
He stands and draws my eyes up to meet his like they just can’t help themselves.
‘No. I only know what Jessie told me—who you are to her.’ I blink and stare at him, trying to understand, and he swallows. ‘Um, that you’re her sister.’
My lips part, and I step back. Jessie… it was her father that did this.
‘Thanks again, Doug. I um, you can go now.’
‘Cara, please…’
‘I need to call my dad.’ The last word is a whisper as I realize for the first time that he’s not that. He’s not my dad. Hot tears sting my eyes as I rush for the door, leaving him standing on the porch. I can’t believe this is happening.
As I rush upstairs, I hear Missy telling Doug to leave, and to his credit, I don’t hear him argue.
I pick up my phone, not caring what time it is back home, as I press call.
‘Cara. Oh, sweetheart. I’ve been so worried.’
‘Is it true, dad?’ The tears escape before I can stop them. ‘You’re not my father?’
I hear him exhale, and I know he’s been waiting for this day ever since I told him I was heading to the States.
‘I’m your dad, Cara. I always have been.’
‘But, not…’ emotion steals my words as my throat tightens.
‘I wasn’t the one to make you, no, but I was the one there when you were born, when you walked for the first time, started school, and every day since.’
‘How could you hide this from me?’
‘What purpose does the truth serve, Cara?’
‘I can’t,’ I gasp for breath as the heartbreak on top of heartbreak presses down on me.
‘Sweetheart. I’m sorry, I…’ I end the call. I’ve never even truly had cross words with my dad, and now I’m hanging up on him, but I feel like my whole world is crashing down around me, and I just need to get away.
‘You will come back, right?’ Zoe says as she sits on my bed and watches me pack a bag. Missy called her and Bree to tell them that I’m leaving for a bit, and they both headed up here.
‘I’ll have to, I guess.’ Honestly, I just want to run away to the middle of nowhere and never see another soul again, but I know that’ll pass.
I get up to grab my toiletries and toothbrush, chucking them in the bag before I zip it up.
‘You really can’t stay? We can work through this with you,’ Bree offers, and I shake my head.
‘No, I can’t stay here right now.’
‘Where will you go?’
‘I’m going to stay with a friend of mine in Charleston for a bit and take it from there.’
As we all head downstairs for the door, my friends lead me out onto the porch. I lock up the house and head for my car, hug them all and climb in. I need to get away. I need the surrogate grandmother who promised me her door was always open.
‘Oh, my sweet, Cara.’
Doris’s comforting smile and open arms are exactly what I need, and as I climb out of my car, I can’t stop the tears that fall.
‘Come on, honey. Let’s get you inside.’
Doug
This sucks.
I hate summer in Forest Falls as it is, with tourists every-goddam-where. The townspeople smiling and fawning like they’re in a fucking Hallmark movie, and every year, I’m the grumpy asshole they all love to hate, except this year, I’m the asshole who broke the Reynolds girl’s heart, and now the word has spread that I had her and I fucked it up, Forest Falls is hell.
I’m not sure how people know, but that’s small towns for you, I guess. The small mercy is that they don’t know all the details. They don’t know about the letters or what I accused her of. They don’t know about Bevan fucking Lavell raping Charlotte and being Cara’s real father. I swear to God, if I could dig up that son of a bitch and bring him back to life, I would, just so I could kill him all over again.
When I watched Cara read that letter two weeks ago, I felt the pain pouring out of her. I saw tears fall from her eyes, the tremble of her chin and bottom lip, the shake of her shoulders, and it hurt so fucking much. I wanted to hold her, wrap her up in my arms, and promise her that everything was going to be okay, but she didn’t want me anywhere near her. That she let me stay while she read the letter was a miracle.
Once Mama told me everything, I went up to see her but found the house locked up. I called Bree, and she told me Cara had gone away. I have no idea where, and it’s driving me crazy.
I thought I loved Jessie once upon a time. I thought she was it for me, but what I feel for Cara eclipses anything I’ve ever felt before. I know that’s why I fucked up as badly as I did. I couldn’t believe that the woman I was in love with could do something like that. I was hurt, embarrassed, and so fucking angry, and it caused me to act without thinking. I’ve never hated myself more.
Bowie being home helps. Jessie has gone out of town with a parting promise to do whatever she needs to do to make it legal to keep Bowie with me. That’s the silver lining of the black cloud hanging over me—that I have my baby girl with me, and she’s there to stay.
‘Morning, Lynnie,’ Mrs. Abernathy says with a smile as we pass her. ‘Doug.’ She practically snarls, and I shake my head.
‘It’ll get better, honey,’ Mama soothes, and I hold the grocery bags a little closer to my chest.
‘Not unless she comes back,’ I admit and keep walking.
As we reach my truck and put the bags in the back, Mama’s attention is focused off in the distance. When she pushes up her sunglasses to get a better look, I can’t help turning to look in the same direction. I don’t know the man walking toward us, but as she steps forward and gasps, I know she does.
‘ Andy? ’ Mama calls and the man smiles widely, opening his arms to her.
‘Hiya, Lynnie.’ Oh, fuck, that accent. I inhale deeply as my mom hugs the man I’m sure wants to kick my ass… he’s a hell of a lot smaller than me, but if he tries, I’m sure as fuck going to let him.
‘Oh, my god. It’s so good to see you.’
She releases him from her hug but holds onto his arms.
‘Thirty years, and you haven’t changed.’ He has a genuine smile, but he looks tired. That might be how he always looks, but I can’t help thinking that me dropping a bomb on his family is the cause.
‘Oh, flatterer.’ She laughs, then turns to me. Here we go. ‘This is my boy. You remember little Doug, right.’
He turns to me and smiles, holding out a hand, and I swallow hard as I take it.
‘I do. He certainly grew up a bit.’ He laughs lightly, and I feel awkward as fuck.
My mom turns to me, smiling. ‘Doug, this is Andy. Cara’s,’ her smile falls. Oh, now she remembers, ‘Um, Cara’s Dad.’
‘Hi, um…’
‘It’s okay, son.’ He smiles. ‘It’s not just you that she’s upset with. We’ll get her back somehow.’
I offer a small nod and try not to crumple with relief that the man I hope will be in my life for a long time doesn’t seem to hate me.
‘Where are you staying?’ Mama asks him as a change of subject.
‘Well, I was hoping to stay with my daughter, but apparently, she’s not home and not answering my calls or messages right now.’
‘She’s gone out of town,’ I admit, feeling like shit that I made her run.
‘Ah, well then. I’m hoping there’ll be a room somewhere I can rent. Does the bar still have cabins?’
‘It does, but it’s summer, so you might be out of luck.’ Mama holds out her arm to him. ‘My daughter owns the bar now. Let’s go see what she can do. Doug, you get the groceries home and put away, would you?’
And taking my escape from this fucked up situation, I do exactly that.
When I walk into the bar the next day, ready to help Zoe take in the beer delivery, I’m surprised to see Andy sitting at the bar talking with my sister.
‘Oh, hey,’ Zoe smiles as I head over, ‘have you met Andy? He’s staying upstairs.’
‘Yeah, hey.’ I nod to him. It’s gotten no less awkward since yesterday. ‘How you doin’?’
‘Oh yeah, good, thanks to a good night of sleep. Jetlag is a nightmare.’
I remember Cara being so tired when she first arrived and offer a small smile of acknowledgment.
‘Want me to get a start on that delivery?’ I say to Zoe, and she grins. I fuckin’ know that grin. She’s up to something.
‘Sure, you can. I was just saying to Andy, though, how he shouldn’t go on a long drive if he’s still feeling jetlagged. What do you think?’
I meet her eyes, and the small lift of her eyebrow tells me I need to be a part of this conversation.
‘Right. It’s not a good idea.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine.’
‘Charleston is a few hours from here, Andy,’
Charleston… why would he be heading up there? I glance at Zoe, and she widens her eyes, nodding toward him slightly.
‘I could drive you?’ I offer, not knowing what the fuck I’m doing, and Andy turns to look at me.
‘You two are as scheming as your mother.’ He has a turn-up at the corner of his mouth that tells me he likes that about her. ‘I know where Cara is. She finally got back to me, and I’m heading up there to see her.’
‘Andy, let me drive you.’
‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea.’
‘Let me just safely deliver you to her. If I let you drive tired and something happens, I’d never forgive myself, and she sure as hell won’t.’
Jesus, I’m one step away from getting on my knees and begging the guy.
‘Zo,’ I turn to her, and she smiles widely.
‘Me and Bree can take Bowie, and don’t worry about the delivery.’
‘Let me just go home and change, and I’ll be back, okay?’
I look into Andy’s eyes, pleading with him not to take this chance to see her away from me, and I spot the moment he gets the message. With a small laugh and a shake of his head, he stands, pulls out his wallet to pay Zoe, and turns to head up to the apartment.
I launch myself across the bar to grab my sister and kiss her cheek.
‘You owe me,’ she calls out as I turn and leave the bar, and I don’t care. She can have whatever she wants. I’m getting my girl back.