Meant for Me | ✔️

31) let me try

"I've just been dealing with a few things, dad," I said, toying the keys in my hand as I stared at the floor with guilt.

"What happened with that sweet girl?"

Shame washed over me. It was hard enough admitting to myself that I'd acted like an asshole, but admitting it to dad was digging the knife in deeper and delivering the final blow, was knowing how disappointed he was with a single glance. I might have been an adult, but his approval would always be important. 

"I uh-- I dropped the ball. Messed up. She's pregnant and I didn't take it well," I looked up at him and realized how that would have sounded. "It's not mine. We never--"

"I know it's not yours," he said and I noted how un-surprised he looked. "You better go and see Raine."

"Why?" I asked, hopeful that he knew something, something like the fact that Addie was still in town. I bet she was staying at Raine's. 

"Just go and see her," he waved me off and although I could tell he was pissed off with me, I was too excited at the thought of finding Addie at Raine's. "One more thing, I'm moving into that retirement village."

"What?"

"In about a month. The house is yours son. We'll sell the horses, get something sorted out for the cars. It's time you started living for yourself before you've wasted a whole lot of time on something that you don't love." 

"You're so damn casual, pops," I said, palming my eyes. "Are you really sure about this?"

"I'm an old man," he folded his arms. "I can't be anything but sure. Now quit bothering me about it and go see Raine."

If there was anything I knew about dad, it was the finality in his tone. The conversation was over and that was that. Outside, the sun was hot and so was the cab of the truck, the windows were down but the seats were scalding, the scent of warm leather enveloped me. 

As soon as I pulled up at Raine's, I ran inside without knocking. There was no solid plan, no speech that I had prepared, but I knew that I'd come up with the words when I saw her, as much as she left me speechless, she made me reel with thoughts and feelings. Telling her how I felt was never an issue. Which is exactly why I was in this mess in the first place.

"You," Raine said when I walked into the living room and found her and Willa on the sofa. Will was still in her uniform, an iPad on her lap, her focus honed in on whatever she was doing. Homework, I assumed. 

"You're not at work?"

She scowled and I knew she'd talked to Addie. "I took the night off. We need to talk, now."

Willa glanced up as Raine gestured that I follow her, her gaze was curious but she gave an uncertain smile when I waved. Great, did she know too? Will gave me attitude from time to time, but she was always excited to see me.

In the kitchen, Raine gave me a solid and unexpected thump in the shoulder. Alright, it wasn't that unexpected. 

"You talked to Addie then?" I rubbed the spot she'd punched and it tingled. "Is she here?"

"Is she here?" Raine scoffed and smacked me in the forehead. "No. She went home, idiot."

Well, that shattered any hope I was holding onto.

"Willa doesn't know. She thinks Milo is waiting until the weekend before he lets her see Addie again. I was hoping that she'd get in touch before then. It's only Thursday, so there's still hope."

My stomach dropped and I leaned a palm on the counter top. 

"It's not hers," Raine said and I looked at her, not having a clue what the hell she was talking about. "The baby. It's not hers. It's her sister's baby. The father was a donor. Addie is just the oven. The surrogate. She was carrying the baby for her sister, who died."