Page 91 of Wandering Souls

Millie closed her eyes. Tears leaked down her cheeks. “Was he a monster?”

Ray slid down to the cushion and laid an arm around her shoulders. “Your dad? No, he wasn’t a bad person.” Just an A-grade asshole. “When your mother told him the news, he insisted she get an abortion. She refused. They still went to the same school but he acted like he’d never known her. Before she gave birth, he told her to leave his name off the birth certificate. It broke her heart.”

Millie sniffed. “Not a monster, just a deadbeat dad.”

She had him there.

“Why didn’t she just tell me all this? Maybe then I wouldn’t have...” her voice died away.

“Millie?”

She shook her head.

“What did you do?”

More tears fell. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“Hey,” he gently shook her shoulders. “It’s okay. You can tell me.”

With a deep breath, her eyes popped open. Bloodshot and wet, they pleaded with him for forgiveness. “I contacted him.”

Oh, hell.Ray could only imagine how that conversation went. “Does your mum know?”

“Not yet.”

It was only a matter of time. “How did you even find out about him?”

She rolled her eyes. “She’s kept every single one of her diaries. I swear, it’s like the longest romance novel in history, only there’s no happily ever after. Just a guy who screwed her and left her.”

Out of the mouths of babes...but she had the gist of it. “I take it you know where he is, now?”

“Like you don’t, Detective.”

Yeah, he had that coming. Arresting Millie’s father for fraud and embezzlement hadn’t exactly been a highlight of his career. “I should have told you.”

She nodded. “You both should have. I suppose you’ll have to tell her.”

Ray was not looking forward to that conversation at all. Grace was likely to have a heart attack. Watching her baby’s father walk out of her life had been tough, but it had also been the best thing for her. Ray had no doubts he would’ve taken her down with him if they’d stayed together. What a mess.

“You hungry?”

She nodded.

“How does pizza sound?” Because he had no energy or brain power to come up with a better alternative.

“Awesome.”

He waved toward the kitchen. “There’s a flyer in one of the drawers. Order whatever you like while I call your mum.”

She pushed up to her feet and grinned down at him. “And Abi. Don’t forget to call Abi.”

Like he’d ever.

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