Deeper Healing

54| My Father

Leilani Edwards

Deep breath. Deep, deep breath. You've got this.

The utter horror and disbelief reflected on Jennifer Edwards' face as she got up from her couch to approach me told me how real the situation was and how dire the consequences would most likely be.

"Of all the decisions you could make, this was the smartest you chose?" she ticked off, charging towards me. "Are you fucking kidding me, Leilani?"

I swallowed hard, lightly clenching my fist. Showing up at the Edwards household to see Blake was by far one of the dumbest decisions I'd ever made but equally the boldest.

It took me a lot of guts and calculations to gather enough courage to face whatever I was about to face now and being in this moment, I figured I couldn't be anywhere else.

I needed to get this over and done with and this was the cornerstone of the beginning of the end.

I stopped walking with Jennifer directly in front of me, my chin slightly raised. "I'm here to see him."

She knew why I was here otherwise she wouldn't have panicked so much. This was her attempt to stop me from progressing to meet Blake.

"Antonio, Leilani is here to see you so take your guest and meet her outside," she said, her voice louder so Antonio who'd been sitting with her in the lounge could hear.

Her eyes didn't waver from mine for even a second. Of course, they wouldn't. I was calling fire on her and she needed to read my moves and keep me contained. Well, not today, unfortunately for her.

"I'm here to see my father, not Antonio," I elaborated calmly.

She creased her brows sharply. "When you say your father, who exactly are you referring to?"

Did I really have to say it and break her heart even more by alluding to the affair I'd resulted from and she hated so much?

I took a step towards her, keeping my eyes firm on her. "Blake Edwards, your husband who also happens to be my biological father."

Clearly, she wasn't expecting me to be so bold. Neither could I ever fathom myself calling Blake my father out loud without recalling every reason why I despised him.

I grew up and matured. Life and its ugly complexity did that to me.

She took a deep controlled breath, stepping so close to me we merely had inches separating our foreheads. "There's still time to turn around, leave and carry on with your life the way you've always wanted to."

"I lost my fucking job," I snarled, my nostrils flaring.

"You gave up on it, Lani," Jennifer responded firmly. "You walked away from something you built for yourself emotionally without using your logic and reasoning!"

"Don't fucking tempt me to get violent because for all I know, that could have purely been your doing and every other bullshit I've been through."

She grabbed me by my arm. "Well, get the fuck out of my house first then we'll meet somewhere else and you can use all that violence swimming in your eyes all you want."

I gruffly freed my arm from Jennifer's vice grip. "Don't fucking grab me like that. Ever."

"Mom, what's going on?"

I tilted my head up and looked directly at Isla as she descended the stairs. Seeing me in their house probably wasn't on her bingo card given the strong disapproval and resentment written all over her puffy face.