Lines Drawn (Drawn to You #2) - Ker Dukey Page 0,16
fact, are just a man and a woman. They’re not just your mum and dad, but people. And we all make mistakes and have flaws.
Disappointment and disbelief hit me like a dump truck when they just casually explained they used to do that with each other and didn’t know whether my dad fathered Gaby.
Where do we all go from here? They don’t understand the damage this caused her. She feels let down, abandoned and unwanted, like she wasn’t worth finding out who fathered her.
She will need healing time, and hopefully, this won’t ruin the bond we already have but strengthen it.
The information overload is going to cause me to stroke out. I need to call Dan again and see if he’s heard from James, because until I hear from him, I won’t be able to rest.
“Hey, it’s me again.”
“Twice in one day? You must be missing him.”
“No, not at all, but I do need to speak with him. I was just wondering if you’d had any luck contacting him.”
“Nothing yet, babe. As soon as I do, I’ll drop you a line.”
“Thank you.”
“You should come down and see us play. We love you too, you know?”
“I miss you too. You know I love you. When I can, I’ll slip away and come and see you… Okay, tell the boys good luck.”
Sleep evades me, and being here is driving me crazy. I don’t feel like myself. There’s this anger inside me, hardening and changing me. Finlay looks at me like I’m the air he breathes, but that air is polluted.
I’m destroying me, him, us, and I can’t stop it. I can’t shake this dark, tangible sorrow and rage. I need to get out of here.
My car keys look appealing, but the doctor has me on some pills that suggest I don’t drive while taking them. Mum and Dad’s hotel isn’t that far to walk, and the fresh air might help clear my thoughts. My eyes zone in to the cast still on my foot, but if I take it slow, I should be fine.
The sun is bright, but there’s still a cold breeze sending shivers through my body. The walk takes me longer than I thought it would, but when I arrive, they’re in the lobby, and look surprised to see me coming towards them.
“Antonia,” Dad says, like he’s seeing me for the first time in ages.
“I’m mad at you both.” The words tumble from my lips, and it’s true. The idea of parenting a child and just leaving it to chance that she wasn’t theirs is deplorable.”
“We’re just going to sit down to eat. Why don’t you join us instead of airing our business in the hotel lobby?” Mum scolds me.
I don’t want to sit through an entire meal with them. They came here to offer comfort and their support through the miscarriage, and instead they dropped a bomb on top of it and made me feel confused and angrier. Every single person I trust turns out not to be the person I think they are, and it’s a hard lesson to learn. I just want to close myself off to keep my heart safe. It’s splintering right now, and I’m clinging onto the pieces with a fraying string.
“I don’t want to eat. I need to get back home.”
“Well, we want to discuss something with you and you just got here.”
I shouldn’t have come.
“What is it?”
“Mary. We want her to come and stay with you.”
“Mary? Why?”
“She wants to come and look at schools. You’ll be doing her a favour,” Dad says, trying to convince me.
“We think it will be good for you to have someone from back home with you,” Mum adds.
Mary is my cousin, and always welcome, but only if it’s for her and not to babysit me or spy for my parents.
“Sure.”
“Perfect!” Mum says.
THE DRIVE TO WORK sucks. I hate rush hour and the fact the lights don’t stay green for long enough.
Clearing the air with Finlay has settled something inside me that was unnerved. We’ve been friends for a long time, and this shit with Gaby put a strain on that. The wound of him thinking I’m not good enough for her still stings because I think, for the right woman, any man can change his ways. Fuck, Fin himself did. I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to women, but I don’t treat women badly. They know who I am and what I offer. No woman goes in blind and gets her heart broken with