Mr. Wrong

by Hart, Alessandra

  With that, I took off toward the back door of the house, and I ran.

  I ran like hell.

  25

  Jacob

  “Nora! Come back!”

  I went after her as she dashed away. Anne and Roy followed me down the hall and into the backyard. Anne was crying, but there wasn’t time for me to stop and comfort her right now. I had to find Nora. She was in a bad place after the news she’d just heard, and I had to make sure she was all right, wherever she’d run off to.

  The yard was empty.

  “Where would she have gone?” I asked her parents.

  Roy sighed. “I don’t know. Did she take the car?”

  I went and looked over the side gate. My car was still in the driveway.

  “No,” I said. “But she has to be around here somewhere. She really can’t have gone too far in the last couple of minutes.”

  “We’ll go and look in the park down the street,” Roy said. “She used to go walking there a lot when she was young.”

  “Okay. I’ll go the other way,” I replied. I went back into the house to get Oscar, and I commanded him to sit in the backyard for a moment. “Hey, boy. I need you to help me find your human. She’s out there somewhere. Go find her!”

  Oscar barked and raced toward the back fence. I frowned as I followed him. A few of the boards on the fence had come loose, and if I pulled all of them back at the same time, it made a space big enough for a person to fit through.

  “Is this where she went, Oscar?” I asked.

  The dog barked again and wormed his way through the hole. I followed suit. On the other side of the fence was an expanse of trees and a path. I followed Oscar down the path until I reached a creek. It was too dark to see much of anything other than the moonlight glinting on the murky water, but I carefully followed the dog down to the creek bank.

  As we approached, I heard sniffles, and I knew Oscar had led me to the right place. “Nora?” I called out. “Are you there?”

  “I need to be alone,” she replied. She was so quiet I had to strain to hear her voice.

  “Oscar is worried about you,” I said, taking a step closer. She was sitting under a tree at the top of the bank. “And so am I. We all are.”

  She was silent for a long moment. “You know, just a month ago, I was talking about Walter Simmons’ life and saying how I couldn’t even imagine not knowing who my real father was, like what happened to him. And it turns out that’s actually my life too,” she finally said, a grim note in her voice.

  “I know. Please come home and we’ll talk about it.”

  “I can’t go back there. Not now,” she replied tearfully. “My parents… they lied about everything for so long. I can’t even look at them.”

  “I know you’re upset at them. Can we at least talk about it, though?” I asked. She shrugged, and I took a seat on the leafy bank next to her. “Okay, I know you don’t want to talk, so let me say some things.”

  “Okay. Fine,” she whispered.

  “Remember how I told you about my father? How he took off when my Mom was pregnant?”

  She nodded. I went on.

  “Well, see, I always knew who he was. Mom told me who he was, so I kept tabs on him over the years. And you know what? It was fucking horrible. I hated knowing that this man was out there, not wanting me or needing to know me at all. He knew I existed, and he didn’t give a flying fuck. You know how that made me feel?”

  “Shitty, I presume,” she said softly.

  “Worse than shitty. It was fucking horrible, growing up knowing that one of my parents didn’t want me.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jacob.”

  I took a breath and continued. “I always felt like I had to prove something to people. Prove that there was a reason to want me or need me. But I never really felt like I achieved it. I never felt like I was actually good enough, because deep down, no matter what I did, no matter how smart I was or what I achieved, I still knew that my own father didn’t want me.”

  “But he never even met you. Maybe he would’ve changed his mind if you just had the chance to meet him. That’s why I’m so mad at my parents. They never gave me the chance.”

  I shook my head. “No, he did meet me. My Mom did the same as your parents: tried to track him down and show him photos of me and so on. She even took me to see him once. He threw us out. He didn’t care. Didn’t want me.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  “He’s the one who should be sorry. Because you know what? After a while I realized my head was full of shit. I didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. I was good enough, the whole time. He was the one who wasn’t good enough to be my father, because if he was, he would’ve shown up and been my father. But it took me over twenty years to realize that.”

  Nora was silent as she digested what I’d said. I took the chance to make my point. “So I think this is what your parents wanted to do for you, Nora. They had two choices. They could either let you grow up happy and blissfully unaware of your true parentage, or they could tell you who he was. And part of telling you who he was meant telling you he didn’t want you or care about you or love you. The man was a criminal scumbag who literally wanted you aborted. So you would’ve grown up with a similar childhood experience to my own—always feeling sort of empty, always feeling like you weren’t good enough for your own father to want or love. I don’t think your parents wanted that for you.”

  “I guess.”

  “So tell me… if it was you, which choice would you make for your own child?” I asked. “Would you try to give them the happiest life you could, or would you go for full honesty, even if that meant possibly ruining their childhood and emotional wellbeing?”

  Nora was silent, and I knew I’d hit home with my point.

  “Maybe never telling you was the wrong thing to do,” I said. “And that’s all on them. That was their choice. But can you at least try to understand why they did it?”

  She nodded. “I guess it’s a bit like what you did with Ina.”

  “Exactly. I know I did something wrong there. Did something illegal. But if it was between that and sending her back to a horrible life, then shit… I pick the lesser of two evils every time. That’s what your parents did. They made their choice in a really messy situation, and they’ve been living with it ever since.”

  Nora went silent again, and I slung an arm around her. “Your father… well, the man you know as your father, anyway—Roy. He’s the one who loved you and wanted you and took care of you, even before you were born. He raised you, and he never once treated you differently to your younger brother, did he?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “The man who got your mother pregnant—he was nothing. Just a sperm donor. He’s not your real dad. But the man who’s out there roaming the streets right now looking for you… you know who would do that for you?”

  As I finished my sentence, the faint sound of Roy’s voice in the distance carried over to us on the wind, calling out Nora’s name as if to emphasize my point.

  “My real dad,” Nora said softly.

  “Exactly. He gave you a wonderful childhood, and so did your mom,” I said. “Well, a ‘boring, regular’ childhood as you put it a while ago, which believe me, is wonderful. I would’ve killed to have a regular childhood when I was young.”

  “I get it,” she said. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I’ve been so selfish. It never even occurred to me that you went through something so similar. I just… I was so upset I could only see my own problems.”

  “It’s fine. Everyone’s allowed to be a bit selfish from time to time. But I think you should go back and talk to your parents now. You need to stop running and hiding. Face the issue head on, like I said earlier.”

  She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest, looking out at the moonlit water in the creek. “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll go back. I’ll talk to them.”

  26

  Nora

  Jacob was right about everythin
g.

  I’d simply been too blinded with emotion to look at anything from a viewpoint other than my own, but he’d opened my eyes and shown me the light. I knew what I had to do now. I had to talk to my parents and actually listen this time, instead of shrilly arguing with them and making unfounded accusations about them being horrible people for never letting me know my real father. From what they’d said, my biological father wasn’t worth knowing, and maybe that was okay. Maybe families didn’t have to be dictated entirely by genes and biology. It could be about the people who chose to accept you and love you whether or not you ‘belonged’ to them in a genetic sense.

  I trudged back toward my childhood home with Jacob, Oscar padding behind us. My parents were waiting out on the side porch—Jacob had texted them to let them know to stop looking for me. Their faces were drawn and etched with guilt as we approached. I gave them a weak smile. “Can we go back inside?”

  We all sat back down in the living room a moment later, except for Jacob, who took Oscar out into another room to give my family some privacy. Mom sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She was starting to get a couple of greys, but as she looked over at me, she looked young, vulnerable.

  Her hazel eyes fixed on me. “I’m so sorry, Nora. Please believe me. We only wanted the best for you,” she said, her voice weary.

  “I know.”

  “It wasn’t easy keeping something this big from you all these years. Perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s finally all come out now,” she murmured. She looked down, then back up and across the room, not at the row of photos above the mantel, but into the past.

  Dad put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it for a second. Then he moved over next to me. “I’m sorry too, Nora. But no matter how long you stay mad at me for, I’m still your dad. And you’re my daughter, whether you like it or not,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

  “I do like it,” I said, my own voice cracking. “I know you’re my dad, and I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

  I cried then, for longer than I cared to admit, and when I was done and my eyes were dry, we talked. I heard in great detail about everything my parents hid from me over the years, how hard it was, how many times they’d thought about telling me. How many times they’d been terrified that I’d inadvertently find out their secret from a simple doctor’s visit, just like I had today. They’d been waiting for things to come crashing down for a long time now, but neither of them had really been ready for it to happen. And how could anyone ever be ready for such a momentous thing?

  We talked for what felt like a hundred hours, although it was only two. I realized I hadn’t done something like this in years. I spoke to Mom on the phone regularly to hear all her neighborhood gossip, and I visited every few months, of course, but it was always for casual catching up and general conversation over lunch and whatever game was on TV. We never really talked, not like this.

  When all the serious stuff was out of the way and it felt like we were all tapped out, I gave my parents a watery smile. “In the name of being honest about everything tonight, I should probably admit something to you. I kept something from you last time I was here. I outright lied, actually.”

  “What is it?” Mom asked, her forehead lined with concern.

  “Erm… well, Mom, you weren’t wrong about my boyfriend being an accountant whose name started with J. That was James. But we broke up, because he was a total asshole. An asshole who’s still harassing me, in fact. I was too embarrassed to admit it to you that morning when you called me, so I lied and said I had a boyfriend, and then I roped Jacob into pretending to be my boyfriend for the afternoon so I wouldn’t have to come clean. I’m sorry. I know it was wrong.”

  Mom looked at me for a long moment. Then she looked at Dad. For a second I thought they were going to frown and chastise me for lying, but they burst out laughing instead. “We’ve still got it, Anne,” Dad said, holding out his palm toward her for a high five. “Still sharp.”

  “Wait… what?” I said. “What’s happening here?”

  Dad grinned. “We had a feeling you were trying to trick us. Your mother was certain that you’d told us your boyfriend was an accountant, and I was certain his name was James. So when you showed up with Jacob Archer, of all people, we were more than a little shocked. But we played along.”

  My eyes widened. “You sneaky rats! Why did you ask us to stay the night if you knew?”

  They looked embarrassed. “We were waiting for one of you to crack, to be honest,” Mom said. “But then neither of you did.”

  “And I really liked Jacob, anyway,” Dad added. “The way he looked at you, and the way you two got along… I had a feeling it wouldn’t be too long till he was really yours. And look what’s happened. You two are together now, aren’t you?”

  “I…”

  “Yes, we are,” Jacob said from the doorway before I could finish my sentence. He’d just walked in with the dog, and my heart leapt at his words. “And I’m sorry I helped Nora out with her scheming last time I was here. I felt bad for lying, really.”

  “Get us tickets to the premiere for your movie when it comes out, and all will be forgiven,” Dad said.

  “Done.”

  “Speaking of that movie, we have to work on it tomorrow,” I said. “And it’s getting late. We should really head off. And don’t worry, it’s not raining, so we’re safe to drive. No need to trick us into staying over again.”

  My mom and dad both wrapped their arms around me for a long time before we left. “Thank you for trying to understand everything,” Mom murmured. “We’re so lucky you’re our daughter.”

  I gave her a tight smile. “Well, it’s still going to take a while to let it all sink in, but we’re okay, Mom. I forgive you. And Dad. You know that.”

  “And you know that I’ll be down in the city in a flash if this ex of yours keeps harassing you,” Dad said.

  I smiled. “I know. But it’s okay. The police are on the case, and I’m staying at Jacob’s till it all blows over. I’m safe.”

  After saying our goodbyes, we got into the car with Oscar. I leaned over and kissed Jacob on the cheek. “Thanks for being here with me tonight,” I said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Of course. Now let’s get you and this golden boy home,” he replied, gesturing to Oscar. He was curled up on the back seat, already snoring.

  “Yes,” I said. Then I sat up straighter. “Wait, you don’t mean my house, do you?”

  “Course not. I meant my place,” he replied. “Used to just feel like a house to me, y’know. But as long as you’re there, it’s feeling more and more like home.”

  My cheeks glowed with warmth. “Really?”

  “This is awkward. I was actually talking to the dog.”

  I giggled and poked him in the arm. “Shush,” I said. Then my face turned serious. “Did you really mean that, though?” I added shyly. “About it feeling like home with me there?”

  He looked over at me and winked. “Hell yeah.”

  27

  Nora

  Bzzt. Bzzt.

  I groggily opened my eyes and rolled over to see my cell phone ringing. Sunlight was peeking through the blinds, and I knew it must be late in the morning. I’d been planning on sleeping in until the phone rudely awakened me.

  Another week and a half had passed, and my work on Fourth Down was finally done—all the main sports-related scenes had been filmed. There were still a lot of other scenes that needed to be filmed over the next few months, but I didn’t need to be around for them, as per my contract, so I no longer needed to be at Meridian Studios every day. I didn’t have any other contracts with Delos at the moment, so I was taking the time off to relax and sleep in late for a while until I had another one assigned to me.

  Too bad I hadn’t switched my cell phone to silent last night, though. My phone was nearly vibrating right off the nightstand. I picked it up. “Hello?” I said, trying not to sound too annoyed at being woken.
/>   “Nora, it’s Detective Sinclair. I’m calling with an update on your case.”

  I sat up straight, immediately alert. “Oh? You found something?”

  “Yes. Our forensic computing guy was able to trace one of the messages sent to you online. Does the name Robert Quinto mean anything to you?”

  I frowned. “No. Why?”

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “All right. That’s the name registered with the internet service provider. For the address where the message was sent from, that is.”

  “So someone named Robert Quinto is the one who’s been harassing me?” I asked, furrowing my brows with confusion.

  “Not necessarily. Someone—likely James—could simply be using his internet somehow. It’s possible to hijack other people’s Wi-Fi, or he could’ve simply gone to his house and used his computer. But obviously we needed to check with you first and see if you knew anyone by the name Robert Quinto, just to rule him out.”

  “Oh, of course. Well, I definitely don’t know anyone by that name. Have you spoken to Mr. Quinto?”

  “We’ve attempted to get in contact with him, but apparently he’s just gone out of the country on business. We’ll keep trying, though. This is good news, Nora. It’s a solid lead. It’s not often that harassment cases like this go anywhere, to be perfectly honest.”

  “I can imagine. Thanks for the call, detective.”

  When I was off the phone, I yawned and stretched before padding into the bathroom to take a shower. Now that I was awake, I figured I may as well get started on my day, which included finally clearing out my house in Ellesmere Circle. In our spare time over the last few weeks, Jacob had been helping me clear up the mess that was left when James (or whoever) broke in and trashed the place. Last time we were there together, he stopped, looked around and then asked me when the lease was due to expire. It was coming up soon, and I told him as such, upon which he’d asked me to move in with him permanently. I was always at his house anyway, given the current situation, and it just made sense for us to take this big next step in our relationship, even though it was happening so fast.