Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
The next morning came quickly, and I prepared for what was to come as it did.
James had tried more than once while I was helping Tally get ready to force me to take money from him, but of course, I wouldn’t. I didn’t want him reimbursing me for anything. I did what I did for her because I had a good heart. Nothing more, nothing less.
Dressed in my loose sundress, I slid all my sandals and went downstairs to where James and Tally were currently talking in the kitchen. As soon as I came in, the conversations died, and both stared at me. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Tally replied with a bright and cheerful smile as James came up to me, his lips pressing against the side of my head as I stood there smiling. What was I supposed to do… respond like everything was okay?
“Are you guys ready to go?” I asked cheerfully as I pulled away from him.
“Yeah, the car is actually downstairs. We were just waiting for you to come down before we leave.”
“Well, let’s not keep them waiting, shall we?”
One by one, we headed out the front door, into the elevator, and down toward the parking lot. It was quiet for the most part, and Tally finally had a small smile back on her face. I guess the idea of going home to your million-dollar mansion was better than staying up here at school.
From what I had gathered, Tally had decided that she would take time off school and perhaps look at online courses simply because she was going to be a mother now and needed to focus on that.
I didn’t blame her one bit. Had I been in her situation, I would have done the same.
I hoped she would take this opportunity and all the things that had happened to her and grow up a little bit, taking responsibility for how she acts and what she’s doing. After all, she was about to bring another life into this world.
It was a scary thought, but as we stepped out of the elevator, I saw how James and her smiled and laughed with each other. With his help, I did not doubt she would do fine. He was her father, and no matter the wrong she did, he loved her.
It’s what made this all so hard.
I was ending this, and he had no idea that I was.
I never judged him for the things he had done in his past, even though there was a chance my life was in danger now because of it. The problem lay with his inability to manage what he had going on and how he acted towards me.
I had given him chance after chance, and while I loved him, I couldn’t keep allowing this to bring me down. I couldn’t allow myself to continue like this, knowing he wouldn’t be able to give me everything he had.
He had other priorities to worry about, and I wasn’t one of them.
No matter what he tried to say.
As the driver opened the door, I watched Tally climb into the car’s back seat while James turned back towards me. “So, make time to come down during fall break.”
“What?” I asked, confused with a curious glance. “Fall break?”
“Yeah, I want you to come down. We can spend some time together, and have fun.”
As enticing as that was, and normal me would jump at the opportunity, I couldn’t. “James, that is not a good idea.”
He frowned at me while narrowing his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think we should continue the way we are.”
“No, you’re not doing this. We are better. I apologized to you,” he replied, shaking his head.
“You don’t have time for me, James. Honestly, you don’t. Not to mention the distance causes a lot of issues. You were right before… there is no way for this to work. As much as I want to believe otherwise, I can’t.”
“Becca—” He stepped forward.
“No, James. Please… just go. Take care of yourself, and we can maybe talk in the future.”
There were no other words that needed to be said. Turning around, I made my way back towards the apartment’s main doorway and refused to look back at him. If I did… I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye.
Becca
Two weeks went by before I was actually able to find myself in some kind of contentment. The moment I broke it off with James, I went upstairs and cried my eyes out, unable to focus on anything, and even when Monday came around, and my classes fell back into session, I just couldn’t get myself together.
Everything, instead, went by in a blur. I felt trapped within my mind, trying to pay attention but doing so numbly because I had ended things with the man I loved. I couldn’t deal with the complications. I couldn’t keep dealing with the unassured way my life was going, the chaos constantly consuming me.
That was no way for any woman or man to live.
And though he wanted to keep a hold of me, I couldn’t do that.
Looking at my phone, I stared at my missed calls from the day. Every day he called me, he would call twice or three times, trying to get me to pick up.
Sending me text messages telling me not to do this, and I at first replied. But now?
Every time my phone rang or chimed with a new notification, my heart clenched, on the verge of breaking again because I relived the pain every time he messaged me.
I tried to move past my stage of grief and into one of anger. I had not expected my life to turn this way, and everything went to shit because I had a relationship with him.
The fun, exciting moments did nothing when it came to my own sanity.
Shoving my phone back into my back pocket, I made my way across the quad, heading for my apartment. I needed to get away, and I had been looking at plane tickets all day long, thinking about going to my dad’s for the fall break. But at the same time, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to bring this chaos to his home.
As soon as I made my way into my apartment building and up the elevator to my floor, I opened the door and closed it behind me, letting out the heaviest breaths as I tried to wrap my head around what it was I could do.
While others were planning vacations to islands and Caribbean coasts, I was trying to survive. Even if I didn’t go to my dad’s, I couldn’t just stay holed up here for weeks.
In a few months, I would be done with school. I would be moving on to bigger and better things, and taking time for myself was something that needed to happen.
After taking the two weeks to mourn a relationship that really should never have happened to begin with, I was starting to think with a clearer mind. Life didn’t feel as complicated anymore, and I didn’t really have this many issues. It was honestly peaceful.
Taking a moment to ponder over everything, I walked upstairs, picking up the basket of dirty clothes so I could take them downstairs to wash them, when something inside the basket caught my eye.
Inside the basket was a band shirt, and not just any band shirt. It was one I had Neal wear while he was here, so he was more comfortable when he had stayed the night.
I hadn’t heard from Neal in about a week and a half. He had business outside of the country and had been very busy. Not to mention, I wasn’t exactly the best person to speak with after everything that happened with James. But perhaps hanging out with him would make me feel better.
Of course, it would be just as friends. I was not planning to get into any kind of relationship with anybody anytime soon. Lord knows that would be nothing but a disaster, and Neal was too nice of a guy. I would never allow him to put himself in the rebound lane.
Dropping the basket at my feet, I pulled my phone from my pocket, scrolling through until I found his number.
It didn’t take long for the phone to ring before his happy and bright voice came through the phone, causing an infectious smile to spread across my face.
“Well, hello, good-looking,” he said cheerfully, causing a small laugh to escape me.
“I don’t know about good-looking.”
“Oh, please, you know, you’re absolutely gorgeous. Now, what is it that I can do for you?” He caused me to grin as I grabbed the basket once more and headed down the stairs towards my laundry room.