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of Rosie in his arms—his daughter—his real daughter.
“Holly.” He catches my arm. “Holly, please, come
back inside.”
pull away.
“Holly.” He blocks my path. “Holly, please.”
“Tell her to go,” say, biting my lip against the tears.
“Tell her to go, and I’ll come back.”
He looks at me for long moment, his eyes pained.
My throat swells and pull away.
“Holly—where are you going?”
“I’m moving in with Josh,” call over my shoulder.
“He’s going back to college, and I’m going with him!”
“Holly, wait—you’re not moving in with your
boyfriend—”
“He’s my fiancé!” round on him. “If you’d bothered
to listen to me for
second, you’d know that. Josh
proposed in New York— that’s why we came home early.
We’re getting married.”
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He stares at me. “You’re what Holly—you can’t—
you’re eighteen!”
“I can do whatever the hell like—and you can’t
stop me!” yell at him, tears swimming in my eyes. “After
all, you’re not my father!”
He freezes, trapped in the cage of light from the
window, pain blasted across his features.
turn away, my cheeks blazing and run, just run, as
fast as can. fling open Josh’s car door and throw myself
inside.
“Let’s go.”
“Holly …” Josh pulls me close. “Baby, you should’ve
let me go with you. Was she still there?”
“Oh, yeah!” laugh, blinking fiercely, trying to stop
the stupid tears streaking down my face. “Oh, she was still
there, all right.” The image of the two of them burns my
eyes.
Josh strokes my knee. “Babe, I’m sure your dad—”
“Can we just go?” interrupt. “Please?”
He looks at me, then starts the car. “Sure.” He pulls
into the road. “Where would you like to go?”
turn, surprised. “With you. Back to Harvard.”
“You want to stay with me? In my dorm room?” he
laughs. “Trust me, that dorm ain’t no place for lady.”
“Please,” beg. “I don’t seem to have any place right
now.”
Josh sighs. “Baby, there is nothing I’d like more than
to take you with me—but at college? Holly, you’d be on
your own all day while I’m at class
Besides, ru
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away isn’t the answer—you have to stay here, work things
out with your dad.”
“He’s not my—”
“Yes, he is.” Josh pulls over, looks me straight in the
eye. “He’ll always be your dad. He brought you up—and
all on his own before Megan came along. Now, that can’t
have been easy—you’re
little spitfire when you get
going—”
“I am n—!” protest, but Josh places his finger on
my lips.
“But he’s done pretty fine job, if you ask me.” He
moves his hand to my cheek. “Now, Holly, Mi
or Donald Duck—whoever you are: you’re still you.” He
leans closer. “And love you.”
He kisses me and feel myself begi
“And so does your dad.”
bite my lip.
“So, Donald, where would you like me to escort you
to? If you’re not quite ready to go home, I’m sure Melissa
would love to have an impromptu slumber party and
chance to show off what is now,
believe, the state’s
largest collection of Joh
“Who needs Joh
he wraps his arm around me, strong and warm and safe.
“Well, that’s true,” he agrees, kissing the top of my
head. “But she also got nauseating amount of chocolate
for Christmas, and it would be an act of pure human
kindness to help her eat it. I’ve done my best, of course,
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but there’s only so much mere man can do. Time to call
in an expert.”
grin and slap him playfully.
“And then of course there’s the pièce de
résistance—Dumbledore, the farting cat who’s guaranteed
to drool on your face …”
“Sold!” laugh, nuzzling closer.
“Everything’s go
smoothing my hair.
“Okay,” sigh, ignoring the insistent buzz of my cell
phone in my pocket.
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Rosie
“I should have gone after her.” Jack slams the phone
down and paces the kitchen. “I should’ve—”
“No,” Megan soothes. “No, she just needs some
space, that’s all. It’s lot to deal with.”
“But she’s my daughter—and she’s out there on her
own—”
“She’s with Josh,” Megan corrects him. “He’ll look
after her. He’s good kid, Jack.”
“A good husband?” Jack challenges. “A good
husband for my teenage daughter?”
“She’s eighteen, Jack—”
“I know that!” Jack snaps. “Don’t tell me about my
own daughter!”
Megan looks away.
He sighs and leans against the counter. “I’m sorry,”
he mumbles. “It’s just—she’s only eighteen. She’s my
baby—my little girl.”
“I know,” Megan smooths his hair gently. “And she
knows too. She knows you’re her dad and she loves you.”
She kisses him.
glance at Andy, who nods and clears his throat.
“Um, we should—we should really be getting back
to the and B,” say, moving toward the door.
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“Do you need ride, honey?” Megan offers. “I need
to go pick up Ben from my mom’s anyway.”
“Thanks.” smile. “That would be—”
“No.” Jack looks up. “No, you can’t go—not you too.”
His gaze locks on mine. “You should stay here.”
hesitate. don’t want to leave, not now I’ve found
him—but part of me wants to run as far and as fast as
can.
“Jack—” Megan begins.
“I’m not sure that’s
good idea,” say, my cheeks
burning. “You and Holly need some time alone, you need
to talk …”
“It’s just to
and B, Jack—she’ll still be in town,”
Megan reasons.
“No,” Jack says, his voice firm. “I’ve gone eighteen
years without knowing my daughter.” He swallows hard.
“Don’t you think that’s long enough?”
Megan looks at him, then at me, then closes her
mouth and looks away.
My heart thumps loudly in the stillness.
“Rosie,” he says gently, his green eyes so wide, so
nervous, so vulnerable. “Will you stay?”
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Holly
“That is so cool!” Melissa exclaims, squealing and
hugging
her
pillow,
startling
Dumbledore
who
immediately leaps off the bed and scurries downstairs.
scowl at her. “Weren’t you listening Exactly which
part of my life falling to pieces is cool?”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so melodramatic—this
is unreal! Holly don’t you get it? You have mom!”
Despite myself, my heart flutters. My mom
“Holly!” Melissa squeals, grabbing my hands and
squeezing them. “You probably have whole other family
in England—land of Shakespeare and castles and kings
and—”
“I don’t want another family—I want my family!”
snap, pulling my hands away and hugging my knees. “I
want my dad back.”
“Holls.” Melissa places her hand on my knee. “He’s
always go
get rid of him at the prom, remember? How he wouldn’t
go home? How he offered to chaperone? To DJ?”
smile tugs at my lips.
“He’s not going anywhere believe me—look how
many times he’s called you just tonight.” glance guiltily at
my muted cell phone. “But you’re telling me you don’t
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wa