that. “He left. I-I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what happens next.”
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow, okay? Right now, I think it’s best if you just…go to bed. Give him time to process.” I nod, though I know my chances of actually getting any sleep tonight are slim. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes tonight. It was a painful mix of betrayal and anger.
“What’s going on?” I freeze at the sound of my dad’s voice. He sounds groggy and tired, and I’m sure this is the very last thing he needs to hear right now. I squeeze my eyes shut, mentally preparing myself for how I’m going to break the news to him.
“I-I…there’s something I haven’t told you. Something I haven’t been honest about with anyone.” Dad darts his gaze back and forth between my mother and me, a slow frown making itself at home on his face.
“What is it?”
“Luna’s…” I choke, looking at the ground. Pressure builds in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I can’t even look him in the eye and say it. “Endymion is Luna’s dad. I never told anyone. It’s a…a long story. And it’s one he doesn’t remember.”
When I look up, my dad is staring at me with shock. Something passes over his features, but it’s too brief to dissect it. “Did he…did he hurt you?”
The lines around his mouth are deep, and I realize then what my explanation probably sounded like to a father’s ears.
“No! God, no. It wasn’t like that. He was…drunk. He didn’t remember any of it the next day, and I never told anyone. Then when I was in Pasadena, I found out I was pregnant. I made the wrong decision back then. I decided to keep a father from his child, and I know that was wrong.” I sniff, trying to keep the pressure in my nose and eyes at bay. “We can talk more tomorrow, but right now, I think I just want to lie down with Luna and stop thinking just for a little while.”
Without waiting for a response, I head down the hall and fall into bed next to my sweet girl. Silent tears trek down my face well into the morning. Regret is heavy and unbearable when I do eventually fall asleep.
I wake to the normal sound of End’s crew working in the backyard. My heart does a sudden, traitorous jolt, and my stomach churns when my brain processes what happened last night. I spring up from the bed and run to the window, looking out toward the street, trying to see if I spot his truck.
Part of me wonders if he’ll show up today at all.
Will he demand to take Luna?
What will happen next?
Padding into the bathroom, I brush my teeth and wash my face, taking in my swollen eyes and everything else I hate about myself. I’m having a hard time looking at myself in the mirror today, more so than usual. The weight of my past decisions is suffocating. Coming face-to-face with my poor choices is a slap in the face. I thought I was doing the right thing all those years ago. Hell, that’s a lie. I always knew it was wrong, but I wasn’t strong enough to face my faults head-on.
Heading back into the bedroom, I notice Luna stirring, and I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. She’s the one good thing in all of this. The only good thing I’ve ever done in my life. As I stare at my sweet girl, her little cherubic face soft with sleep, my heart aches, worry burning in my gut.
I don’t want to hurt her.
The sound of something slamming shut outside has me edging toward the window. Ice floods my veins, and I freeze, watching as Endymion makes his way toward the house, gait stiff with barely restrained anger. Lurching into action, I snatch my cotton robe off the hanger and run out of the bedroom with my heart in my throat. In the narrow hallway, I pass my mom, who is eyeing me as if I’m insane.
“Stay with Luna. Keep her inside. Endymion just got here, and I’m not exactly sure what to expect.”
I’m already running toward the door when she shouts after me.
“But you’re still in your pajamas!”
I have bigger things to worry about.
I throw the front door open just in time, because Endymion is there, his hand raised like he was about to ring the doorbell. There’s a moment when