Fated to be Mine (31 page)

“Your dad needs us to leave right away. We’re heading to his house. Can you stand?” His voice sounds pained, scared. Why is he scared? I don’t understand.

He sets me down on the couch, making sure a pillow is under my head before he moves around the apartment, darting in and out of rooms and stuffing things into a bag. He then grabs his keys and my purse before putting my tennis shoes on my feet. I’m lifted back into his arms, where I nuzzle my nose into his neck, pulling in deep breaths to calm me down. His strength amazes me as he covers me with a jacket and locks the door behind us, never once putting me down.

Cold leather meets my back as he places me in the front seat of the car. He guides my face to meet his, bringing us nose to nose. “Love, you’re frightening me. I need you to stay with me. Can you do that?”

I blink several times as I try to focus on his face. Blue eyes stare at me.

My mom’s eyes were blue.

Were blue.

My mom is dead.

Mommy.

I start crying again as Andrew buckles the seatbelt for me. My head falls back against the headrest, suddenly feeling very tired. The scenery around me moves fast beyond the window I’m staring out of. Blurs of barren trees and tall buildings fly by without fully coming into recognition.

Andrew’s hand squeezes mine, but I can’t squeeze it back. It hurts too much. Everything hurts. My eyes hurt, my head hurts, my heart hurts.

I never even got to say goodbye. She never heard me say that I loved her one last time. Yes, she was neglectful for most of my life, showing me more emotional pain than love, but she was my mom and I needed her. And now she’s gone, forever.

The car slows to a stop outside my dad’s house. I stare out the window, blinking repeatedly but not crying anymore. Somewhere along the way I stopped crying, as I listened to Andrew's voice constantly telling me that everything will be all right while never letting go of my hand. But it’s his face that pops into view as my car door opens. He’s crouching down next to me, releasing me from the confines of the car.

I look over his shoulder and see the house.
Daddy. I need my daddy. Daddy will help me.
The overwhelming urge to see my dad has tears flowing again, but not out of sadness. Warm lips brush against mine, contrasting against the cold wind beating against my face. I turn my head slightly and finally see him, my Andrew, kneeling in front of me, helping me deal with everything I’m going through.

“Andrew?”

My voice sounds hoarse, almost distant, and my throat feels like sandpaper due to all the tears I have cried already.

“I’m here, love. I’m going to take care of you, I promise. And so is your dad. We’re both here for you.”

He helps me out of the car and I wobble on my feet as they hit the ground. With his arm wrapped around me as support, we climb the stairs to the front of the house. A gust of wind wakes me up further and I focus on the person standing in the doorway with outstretched arms, looking at me with sad eyes.

Daddy.

“Tessa, honey.” He pulls me into his arms, swallowing me into a loving embrace. He kisses the top of my head and releases one hand to shake Andrew’s, who is standing behind me now. “How long has she been like this?”

“Since your call. She comes in and out of it, but she hasn’t said much. I think she’s still in shock.”

My dad nods and walks us into the house. He stops us near his study and releases me, allowing Andrew to pull me back into the safety of his body.

“I just need to grab a few more things and then we can head up north. Feel free to have a seat in the living room. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Robert.”

Andrew leads me down the hall while my dad disappears behind his study door. We walk to the small loveseat, where Andrew pulls me into his lap. I can feel his lips press against my head and I finally snap out of my trance, noticing everything around me.

Andrew, my Andrew, is here, holding me, comforting me, loving me. And my dad is here. He’s coming with us. Both of them are here with me so I’m not alone.

I turn my head and half smile at the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen. “Andrew?”

His hand continues to smooth over my hair, gently threading his fingers through the strands. “Yes, love, I’m here. I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“We’re at my dad’s house?”

He nods and kisses the tip of my nose. “Yes, your dad is coming to help us out.”

Realization finally sinks in as the haze clears from my brain. We need to go up north, to the institution, to finalize things and see my mom. And it gives me great relief that Andrew and my dad are coming with me, so I don’t have to do this alone.

I’ll never be alone again.

“Thank you. For everything. For sticking it out with me, for helping me, and for being here so I’m not alone.”

“You will never be alone. I promised that you would never be alone again and I meant it. I’m here and so is your father.”

His beautiful blue eyes are still filled with pain as they move back and forth over my face. I trace his lips with the tip of my finger, running it along the curves before trailing it down his chin, letting my hand fall limply into my lap.

“My mom is dead.”

He nods, holding me tighter in his arms. “Yes.”

A tear slips down my cheek though it doesn’t hurt this time. “Okay.”

Andrew holds me, knowing that I don’t need anything more than to feel his arms around me.

The fog has lifted and I’m finally coming back into myself, putting together bits and pieces of the last hour of my life. “And Daddy? Where did he go?”

Just then he enters the room, placing his suitcase on the floor before walking toward me. “I’m here, honey.”

Remembering that he held me at the entrance to the house, I stand upright and close the distance to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I bury my head in his chest while he holds me.

“It’s okay, Tessa. Daddy’s here.”

I step away and look into his sad eyes, the same eyes as mine. Andrew approaches behind me and presses a kiss to my temple.

“I think the shock has worn off,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I cling to his waist and press my head against his body, thankful to have his support.

My dad looks at me and gives a genuine smile. “You haven’t called me Daddy since you were little. I just realized now how much I’ve missed that.”

I release Andrew to give my dad another hug, noticing that he is hurting from this as well. He was married to my mom after all. He had to have cared about her at some point.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone else enter the room. “What in the hell is going on here?” Sharon sharply states. I jerk back, startled by her outburst and Andrew wraps his arms protectively around my waist, pulling me back into him.

“Sharon, stop your yelling. Tessa’s mom has passed away and understandably she’s upset.”

She walks over to the three of us, putting her hands on her hips and scowls. “So what does that have to do with you? You divorced the woman years ago. Why do you care about what happened to her?” she asks, tapping her foot impatiently. Andrew’s grip tightens around my waist as she glares at me, her mouth firmly locked into a sneer.

“The hospital called me because they were unable to reach Tessa due to a mix-up in updated contact information. And since I was the next person on the list they called me. So I’m taking Tessa and Andrew up north to help them take care of everything.”

“Like hell you are!” she bellows. “She’s your EX wife! You don’t owe her shit anymore.” Her voice echoes throughout the house, swirling around me and creating those feelings of inadequacy again.

My dad straightens up to his full height and turns an angry eye to Sharon. “Yes, I am Sharon. Tessa needs me right now and I’m going to help her. She won’t have to do this alone.”

Sharon swings her icy gaze to me and I shrink back. “She has her current fuck buddy to help her out. She doesn’t need her dad running to help her with every little problem that life throws at her. You’ve helped her with too much as it is. She’s an
adult
. Let her fucking figure it out on her own.”

Andrew moves me to the side protectively, trying to stand as a shield between me and my cruel stepmother.

“I would advise you to change your tone, Sharon. You are out of line. Tessa needs the both of us right now,” Andrew says. My eyes bounce between the three of them, watching each expression morph into something else. Sharon’s morphs to disgust, Andrew’s changes from disdain to anger, and my dad stays eerily calm, except for the red slowly creeping up his neck.

“Sharon, this is not up for discussion. And I sure as hell do not need your permission to do anything. I’m leaving tonight with Andrew and Tessa to help them with her mother’s estate. It’s the least I could do after what happened all those years ago. Show some respect for God’s sake. She lost her mother and you’re acting like it doesn't matter.”

Sharon scoffs and stabs her pointed finger into the middle of his chest. “The least you could do? If you owe anyone anything, it’s me. I’m the one who saved your life from that little brat over there. I’m the one you should be thanking and showing gratitude to.”

Confusion takes over the anger in my dad as he tilts his head to the side. “What are you talking about? What did you save me from?”

“If I hadn’t intercepted that fucking phone call from Child Protective Services, you would have been held back in your career, putting all your focus into poor little Tessa instead of the law firm. I
saved
you when I told them you were not interested in taking her in when her mom was committed. Don’t you see? She would have held you back. She would have dragged you down like the little leech she is. You wouldn’t be in the position you’re in today without my intervention. So I’m the one who needs you. You’re my husband, not her fucking dead mommy’s!” Sharon explodes, releasing years of resentment and anger all at once.

I move to Andrew’s side, still clinging to him but now I’m morbidly curious what Sharon’s involvement in my adolescence was. But my curiosity is nothing compared to the fire that shines in my dad’s eyes as he stalks slowly toward his wife. Sharon straightens her posture, but there’s a slight tremble in her arms, letting us know that she’s not quite as put together as she appears.

He leans in close, leaving only a foot of space between them. “Am I to understand this correctly? Child Protective Services called me and
you
decided to send her to live in foster care, with some strangers instead of her own family? You sent her to live in filth, made to believe that I didn’t want her and let those people treat her the exact same way? She’s my daughter, my flesh and blood. You turned her away when she needed me most and you think I should be grateful for that?”

Anger radiates from his body towards Sharon, who has taken a defensive pose, but is not backing down. She actually believes she didn’t do anything wrong, that she saved him from a life of burden to a teenage daughter who would do nothing but bring him down.

Sharon straightens her shoulders again, matching his glare. “Yes, I did. And I paid a lot of money to make sure the case moved along quickly and quietly. You didn’t need some bratty seventeen-year-old girl hanging around, especially one who opened her legs to whoever came knocking and then didn’t even know how to properly satisfy him.”

Shane. Holy shit, she’s bringing up Shane. My lungs feel deflated as I try to breathe, except it feels like I’m suffocating. How could she be so cruel?

Andrew takes a step toward Sharon. “If I were you I would watch your mouth. You are talking about my girlfriend who has had countless assaults and other indecencies done to her that should never be wished upon anyone. Abuse takes on many forms and so far both of her maternal role models have done the opposite of what she’s needed. It would be in your best interest to not speak ill of her again.”

Sharon swings her icy gaze to Andrew, letting a slow, creepy smile play upon her lips. “She has you snowballed, just like everyone else. Let’s face it. She’s not some innocent little girl who needs rescuing. She’s a manipulator, a whore, and a spoiled brat who doesn’t want to deal with anything. And why should she when daddy dearest will come clean up the mess for her.”

My dad moves to stand between Sharon and Andrew, looking down upon his wife with unrepressed hatred. “I don’t owe you anything, you gold digging snake. You didn’t do me a favor by keeping her from me. You destroyed my life.” He reaches down, grabs her left hand and takes off her wedding rings. “Get the fuck out of my house right now. I will send your things to you. You are nothing to me and no longer welcome here. And, believe me, I will destroy your life if you step foot in this house again. Leave, now!” he bellows, letting his voice echo around the completely still room.

Sharon’s face pales. “You’re throwing me out? How dare you! You’re choosing her over me? She’s a nobody!”

“No, I’m choosing my daughter. You, Sharon, are the nobody. And if you want any sort of decent settlement in the divorce, I suggest you leave right now and never look back. My lawyer will contact yours,” he says, effectively dismissing her with an eerie calm.

Sharon’s shoulders scrunch up as she clenches her fists at her sides. “Fuck you!” she screams and turns on her heels, stomping out of the room. Moments later we hear the front door slam and her car tires squealing out of the driveway.

I can feel Andrew’s whole body relax in my arms before he pulls me around to the front of him, framing my face in his hands.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I whisper. I turn to look at my dad, who appears absolutely heartbroken. Shame and regret play across his face as he takes a cautious step toward me.

“Tessa, I’m so sorry. I never knew. I swear to you that I never knew what Sharon did. If I had received that call all those years ago, I would have come for you. You must believe me.”

He opens his arms and I instantly gravitate to him, wrapping my arms around his middle. He holds me close, kissing the top of my head and I feel the first tear slip down my cheek. It’s not a sad tear, but one filled with relief.
He does love me
.