“Then come back when she’s here.”
An evil gleam filled his eyes. “You said she’d be back in a few minutes.”
She squared her shoulders. “You need to go.”
He paused, then laughed. “You’re just like her.”
She knew who her was and his words hurt more than if he’d slapped her in the face. She never wanted to be like her mother. He laughed when he saw he’d gotten to her. “You know, since I am your father, I suppose I owe you a legacy. Am I right?” He grinned wide, showing her a mouth full of broken and rotting teeth. “I’m fresh out of ponies, but I’ve got something better.”
Whatever he had, she didn’t want. Not anymore. “Leave.”
“You don’t want my gift?”
“If you don’t go, I’ll call 911.”
“You won’t because you want to know what I have to say. Well, here’s my legacy to you: words of wisdom. Isn’t that a father’s job? To prepare his kid for life?”
No. A father’s job was to make his daughter feel protected. To dry her tears and hug her when she was hurt. His job was to love her no matter what and always, always be there for her, but that was a mother’s job too, and Gabriella had never done any of those things for Libby. So why had she expected any different from her low-life father?
“I don’t care what you have to say!” she shouted through her tears. “Go!”
He laughed, a harsh bitter sound that sent a shiver down her spine. “Men will only be interested in one thing, Elizabeth. Your body.” He touched her cheek and slid it down her neck.
She slapped his hand away with enough force to push it off her.
He released a peal of laughter. “Ah, you got some fight in you, girl. That comes from me. That’ll serve you well. But you got things from both of us.”
“Get the hell out of my house!”
He ignored her, leaning so close she could smell his rotten breath. “Your mother and I, we’re both fucking messes, and guess what, girlie? You got our genes. So let me give you a heads-up no one ever gave Gabby: No man will ever really love you. They’ll want your body and your looks and they’ll lie through their teeth to get you. But when they’ve used you up, they’ll move on. That’s what I did with your mother and every woman ever since. And your mother, she’s the same.”
Libby shook her head. “No.”
“She ain’t been with one man longer than a few months, am I right?”
She gripped the beer bottle so tight it was slippery in her hand.
“And don’t be thinking you can escape it. You’re just like her, from your face to your fiery temper. The sooner you accept that you’ll never keep a man, the less heartache you’ll have.” He stood up straight. “So there you go, Elizabeth. My legacy for you. Get used to a lonely fucking life.” He backed up into the living room and kicked a chair, making it fall over backward. “Get used to being alone, because no one fucking wants you. Not me. Not your mother who planned to abort you. No one.”
Without a second thought, Libby swung the bottle into the side of his head, beer and glass spraying everywhere. “You’re lying! Someone will love me! Someone who deserves me, and that sure as hell isn’t you. Now get out of my house, you fucking loser!”
He stumbled backward, looking dazed. She pushed his chest as hard as she could and he lurched toward the door, blood streaming down the side of his face.
She opened the front door and shoved him onto the front porch. “If you ever come back here, I’ll kill you.”
She slammed the door shut and locked it, pressing her back against the wood and fighting the sob lodged in her throat. When she heard his car start and pull away, she slid to the floor, her tears bursting loose. After she’d cried herself hoarse, she decided she had a choice. She could let the asshole who’d contributed half her DNA steal her dreams, or she could give him a big fuck-you and believe in them more.
She chose her dreams.
She ran to her room and dug out his photo, which she set fire to in the kitchen sink. As his image burned, she burned any hope of a relationship with him with it. As far as she was concerned, he was dead.
Already a firm believer in magic and destiny and fairytale endings, she latched on to them even more. She was determined that every boy and then man she met was the one—the exception who would prove her father wrong. In high school, she wrote off the broken relationships to immaturity and youth, but it was the cross-country road trip with Barry, the surfer, that made her question her real destiny. By the time they hit New Mexico, it was clear that she was a short-term relationship for him. He would never take her home to meet his mother.
Had her father been right? Was she so screwed up no one could love her?
And until she met Mitch, a long string of one-night stands and month-long relationships seemed to support that idea. But then Megan’s wedding reminded her of the curse, and she was sure that was her destiny. That was why her soul mate hadn’t shown up yet. It just hadn’t been time. So she kept Mitch around to spur her own substitute groom.
And to her surprise, he turned out to be Noah.
Only she wasn’t sure why she’d been surprised. She was glad they’d started out as friends, otherwise she doubted she would have spent the time to get to know him so well. And she knew he loved her. She could see it in his eyes. But she had to keep in mind that he was still Noah. What if Blair was right? Staying with women wasn’t something he did. Was he capable of changing for her? Was she capable of changing for him?
What if her father was right? What if her genes were her destiny and she would end up alone?
If she lost Noah, she knew she’d give up on love completely.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A ringing phone broke her out of her thoughts and she was surprised to discover it was her own phone since she’d assumed it was dead. She dug it out of her purse and stifled a groan when she saw the name on caller ID.
Megan.
Figuring she might as well get this over with, she answered before it went to voice mail. “Hello, Megan.”
“Don’t hang up on me. I’m not going to give you a hard time.”
Libby didn’t quite believe that, but she decided to hear her out. “Okay.”
“First, I want you to know that I do believe you and Noah love each other. Blair has a hard time seeing it, but it’s been clear as day to Josh and me.”
“So why do I hear a but in there?”
Megan paused. “I just wish you two had slowed down a bit and talked things through more. But that’s not who you two are. You’re impulsive.”
“That didn’t come through as a compliment, so I’m presuming that’s your but.”
“Libs, you know I love you and I want you to be happy, but there are things you need to think about with a marriage. Logistics.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Where are you going to live?”
“I’m moving to Seattle.”
“Even though Noah quit his job?”
She blinked, sure she’d heard Megan wrong. “What are you talking about?”
“Libby, Noah quit his job on Friday.” She hesitated. “I take it he hasn’t told you.”