Page 57 of Baked

“I came here to get answers,Dad... or should I call you Leo? That seems more appropriate at this point, considering I can’t even remember the last time you acted like a goddamn parent to me.”

Leo puffed out his cheeks, like he was bored. The freaking nerve. It was a minute before he spoke again. And when he did speak, she found herself wishing he’d kept quiet.

“Your mother and I had no business having a kid.” Direct shot to the heart. “She damn well knew it too. You know that’s why she left, right? Oh, and the bitch had the nerve to blame me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She blamed me for wanting to keep you,” he went on, totally oblivious to the fact her heart was currently shattering. “She knew we’d make lousy parents, and I guess she was right. She was dead set on adoption, but I thought ...” Leo paused and shook his head. “I thought we should at least give it a go. So we did. And every day after that, I was to blame. For everything.”

Rachel flinched. Had he really just said that? They never wanted her. No. Correction, her mother had never wanted her. Her father thought they could “give it a go.”

What the actual fuck?

She had to ask, even though she knew she shouldn’t. “Do you regret it ... giving it a go?”

She saw his face soften, and for a moment, she witnessed a glimpse of the old Leo. The Leo who would dance around the living room with her.

“I’m not gonna pretend I wasn’t a shit dad. I don’t know.” He blew out a breath. “You probably would’ve been better off in the system. I guess it was selfish of me to wanna keep you, but that’s the decision I made ... and that’s the one I stick by. So no. I don’t regret it.”

She shouldn’t feel relieved. But she did. Why it mattered would be a question for her future therapist. But it did.

She nodded, letting Leo’s stare burn into her. She knew what she had to do next. It took her a few minutes to work up the courage, but when she did, she knew deep down to her soul she was doing the right thing.

“We’re done. We need to be done. For good this time. When you get out, don’t look me up. Don’t come knocking. And don’t ever ask me for money. You’re no longer my dad, and I’m no longer your daughter. Do you understand?”

His reply came immediately. A little too quick. “I understand.”

Just like that. He didn’t even fight for her. Which reminded her exactly why she needed to do this.

“Goodbye, Leo.” She hung up the phone before he had a chance to reply. There was nothing else to say.

Rising from the wooden chair, she looked to the guard, who was already on his way over. It was time to move on. For real this time.

***

Rachel stared downat her phone before eventually hitting decline again. Cat and Libby had been taking turns calling her for a week now, but she wasn’t ready to face them yet.

She’d had one missed call from Hunter. Three days ago. He didn’t leave a message or send her a text, and he hadn’t tried calling again since. She was trying her best not to think about that though.

Yeah. That’s really working.

Okay. So she wasn’t doing the best job of not thinking about it. Every time her phone rang, her heart pounded harder than a jackhammer, and every time she didn’t see Hunter’s name, she felt like she’d lost another piece of herself.

You could call him?

Right. And that conversation would go so well. After she apologized for running out on him, she knew he’d demand an explanation as to why. And she didn’t have any good answers.

The truth was, she felt lost. Ever since that awful day when Hunter had been shot, her head and her heart had been in a constant battle. She loved him. So much. But the guilt she was carrying over what happened was immense. She couldn’t help but feel like Hunter was better off without her. And him not calling was a harsh reminder that he probably thought so too.

No one wants you. Not your mom or your dad or Hunter. You might as well start hoarding cats.

Just as she was about to start contemplating cat names, a knock on her crappy motel room door stiffened her spine.

Who the hell is that?

No one knew where she was. And the motel she’d chosen definitely didn’t do room service.

Serial killer!

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