Page 105 of Unsure in Love

“More like scolded,” Ruby chimed in. “But the authoritative way he did it was so hot. He’s got a firm hand, that one, and I bet you enjoy being handled by him, you lucky broad.”

A collective “Ruby,” chorused in reprimand.

“No way are you drooling over my boyfriend when we're in the middle of a family crisis,” I snapped. Although, I wanted to laugh because Ruby was a hoot. She emerged from the womb a loquacious, hilarious, and incorrigible soul.

“Relax.” She rolled her eyes. “That man only has eyes for you.” She sighed and clutched her chest. “The way he swooped in and took charge to find his missing love was so romantic.”

“No one can tell me they aren’t slipping crazy pills into your food on campus,” I deadpanned.

“And there’s the Cassandra we know and love,” Ruby said. “She’s going to be alright after all, folks.”

Tessa, the peacekeeper, sighed and demanded, “Hush you two.” She turned to me. “Damian was angry when he confronted us, but we have no hard feelings because we knew he was on the verge of panic. We all were. He blamed us for driving you away, and he was right.”

“He also said you had every right to want to find Dad and speak with him,” April added. “He was right about that too. You tried to tell us that but we were all so worked up that…”

“We didn’t listen,” Lucy finished.

Tessa held up the phone, and we all waited expectantly for Ruby to say her piece. Her eyes darted from side to side. “Hey, don’t look at me, I didn’t even know Henry.”

Shaking her head, Tessa slapped her forehead.

I smirked. And they called me the snarky one.

Ruby shrugged. “Seriously, I have nothing to say regarding our father. I was barely one when he left. I’ve had to rely on pictures to even know what he looks like and all of those are captured memories with you guys. There was none with me.” Her sudden despondent air made me dislike Henry a little more. “I don’t care that you reached out to him, Cass, and I forgive you for not mentioning it.”

“Thank you, brat,” I said.

Her lips lifted into a slight smile.

“I forgive you too,” April said. Holding up a finger, she declared, “But I’m still pissed you told Tessa about your pregnancy before me.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

“You, me, lunch tomorrow. Give me all the dirty deets about you and Latin Lover.”

I gave an exaggerated eye-roll. “Done.”

Four sisters meant no privacy but I was accustomed to it, and… two sisters down, two to go. I anxiously turned to Tessa.

She didn’t say anything, and I launched into a petition. “Tess, I should have said something about Dad the moment I realized I wanted to find him. I’m so sorry—”

“Stop.” She shook her head. “You were right. If you’d said anything, we would have been up in arms and tried to talk you out of it. You do have every right to want to connect with him, Cass. He’s still your father.”

“I didn’t look him up, hoping to bond with him.” I lifted a shoulder. “I just wanted to know why he left. I wondered if it was because of me. These things go through a child’s mind, you know? When I found him, he had a whole second family. I just wanted to understand his actions.”

Silence echoed in the room, and the weight of my words hung heavily in the air. “I… I didn’t mean to share that detail.”

Tessa’s eyes filled with tears, and I wanted to kick myself in the ass.

“What else did you learn?” she asked, her voice a thready whisper.

I glanced at Lucy because she was who we tend to look to for answers. She nodded in response to my unasked question—should I share the hurtful details?

“It’s okay, Cass. We want to hear,” April said.

Tessa sniffed. “I’ll get the pie.”

When we were gathered around the island, feeling like the tight-knit clan again, I launched into details about my search, leading up to my confrontation with Henry. It was hard, but I told the girls about his reactions, his words, and his poor excuse for abandoning his five children. I even shared how heartbreaking it was to discover he’d changed his surname, which I later realized was his mother’s maiden name, and started another family as if we didn’t exist.

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