Daddy Issues (Andy Barber x OC)

7

Andy entered Joanna's office the next morning, and sat down at the table with her, coffee to hand ready to tell her exactly what was going on. He hadn't slept much, not since Friday night to be precise. This bombshell had been on his mind 24/7, and his mind was well and truly made up.

Tonight he would confront his wife and serve her with the divorce papers.

"So..." Joanna began as she seated herself across from him. "Care to tell me what's going on?"

"How long you got?" He sighed and took a sip of his coffee that he'd grabbed before heading to her office.

Joanna smiled lightly. "Well for one, I'd like to know why the rush in serving your wife the divorce papers and why has it come to this?"

Andy sat back and tapped the lid of his coffee cup. "She's been lying to me ever since before we got together..." and now found himself glaring at the cup. "Back in college, I had a girlfriend called Pippa and Laurie was our friend. We'd hang out together and mostly it was just us three. Then Laurie came to me one day, and she told me that Pippa was pregnant..." he saw Joanna's face fall, "it gets worse, trust me...she told me that she'd freaked out and had gone to abort the baby..."

"Oh Andy..."

He shook his head. "Gets even worse. Pippa came back and I was so angry with her, I was hurt that she hadn't come to tell me and I just didn't listen to what she had to say. I couldn't look at her - so things ended, and Laurie was my shoulder to cry on..."

Joanna sipped her drink. "and it gets worse?"

"Oh boy does it. I met Pippa at a reunion on Saturday night. Turns out she never got the abortion, that Laurie had told her that I would be the angry one and it would ruin our relationship. She went to the clinic, but changed her mind and then came to tell me - but me being the emotional asshole chose not to listen...so I've learnt that I have a daughter - Isla, and that she's around eight months older than Jacob. Laurie lied to us both to stop me proposing and to end our relationship, and the baby? That was the perfect opportunity to do just that so as she could have me..."

"Oh my god..." Joanna muttered and looked appalled.

"And you know the worst thing that I found out?" Joanna shook her head at this. "Laurie knew that my daughter existed...all these years and she never said a damn thing."

Joanna was horrified to the point where her mouth had dropped open but she was unable to speak, shocked at the lengths Laurie Barber had gone to, to ensure that she could steal her best friends man. "Oh Andy...I am so sorry..." she finally found some words and now rooted around her desk to find her notebook. "Of course I'll help you draw these up, we're gonna need to go through the usual jargon but that shouldn't take long, and then we can dive right in."

"Good, because after what she's done. I want her out of my life. Pippa and Isla have suffered and struggled over the years and all because of her."

He was done. Andy knew exactly what he wanted and he was going to make damn sure that he got it. Laurie would put up a fight, he was expecting that fully, and he was prepared to go to battle if it meant making sure that she go what she deserved.

Opening her notebook, Joanna clicked the top of her pen and looked at him. "Ok...let's get started."

Flashback

"Andy this is Laurie, Laurie this is Andy." Pippa said as Andy noted the dark haired girl standing next to her friend.

He smiled and shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you Laurie."

"Pippa doesn't shut up about you." Laurie smiled. "I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

Andy chuckled, "Is that so?" and looked at Pippa whose cheeks were a little rosier than just a few moments ago.

"I mean...I don't talk about you that much..." she stated, feeling the heat rise and her cheeks flush more. "I just...tell her the usual stuff..."

Laurie grinned and looked at Andy. "I just want to know whether you intend to treat my best friend right." Now giving a small shrug.

He smiled. "She's very special to me, and I certainly don't intend to hurt her, however I'm glad she has someone like you looking out for her."

"Good answer." Laurie nodded her approval. "I like this one Pip, you made a good choice."

**

Andy had practically spent all day at Joanna's office drawing up the papers, listening to her advice and what the best course of action would be in terms of a settlement. Now they rested on the passenger seat as he drove home.

It was the calm before the storm.

Pulling into the driveway, he took the papers and headed inside.

Jacob and Laurie were in the kitchen having dinner, and immediately she stood up as he walked in. "Andy? What on earth is going on, I called your office earlier and they said you weren't in today? You didn't leave a note? I've been worried..."

Andy looked at her calmly and then across at Jacob. "Jake. I love you so, so much...but I need you to go to your room ok?"

Jacob frowned but obliged. "Okay?" and grabbed his dinner to take it upstairs, looking back at his parents cautiously. He'd hear it all, Andy was sure of it, but he'd rather his son be out of the room so as not to bare witness to what was about to happen.

Listening out, he heard Jacob's door shut from upstairs and then turned back to Laurie. "Andy...what the hell is going on?" She demanded

"I could ask you the same fucking question!" He spat

Laurie looked at him as though he were mad. "I don't understand? Where have you been? You haven't even answered my calls! You were meant to be in court today?"

"Yeah, well I got someone to cover for me, and now you're going to be the one doing a lot of explaining."

"Explaining what?" She exasperated. "Andy what are you on about?"

He looked at his wife furiously, the anger already rising within him. This was really not going to be a civil conversation and his temper would not be kept at bay for long.

The venom seeped from his words as he looked at her, fire raging in his eyes.

"Let's start off with the worst one...you're gonna tell me why the fuck you lied and kept my daughter's existence from me for all these years..."