Page 71 of Payback
“Good,” Niall states, turning his attention back toward his computer screen. “Then submit the days you need to take off and I’ll get them approved.”
“Thank you, Niall,” I exclaim, a big smile on my face.
He shakes his head and sighs. “You Harrises are running the world. I’m just living in it.”
I laugh and turn to haul ass out of his office, relief, excitement, and anticipation shooting through my veins. I can’t believe my uncle actually called and said what he said to my boss. It feels a bit like a boundary was crossed, but I’ve quickly learned that that’s the norm for my family and I think it helped my case in the end.
I’m just pulling out my phone to text Roan the news when an unfamiliar number illuminates the screen.
I swipe the screen and answer, “Hi, this is Allie.”
“Allie, it’s me…Please don’t hang up.”
My body goes stiff at the sound of a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
“Rosalie?” I ask on a shaky breath even though I know it’s her.
“Yes. Look, just hear me out and then you can go back to never speaking to me again.”
I try to wet my suddenly dry lips as a nervous sweat breaks out all over my skin. I haven’t heard her voice in ages. Any contact we had before I left Chicago was via scathing text messages, so her contact today is unnerving.
“Hear you out about what?” I ask, schooling my voice to sound firm and not shaken.
“Daddy wants you at the wedding.”
My jaw tightens at her words, and I grind out through clenched teeth, “He’s not your dad, Rosalie. Our parents aren’t married anymore.”
“He’s the only one I have, Allie,” she retorts with a haughty tone. “And you never minded me calling him daddy when we were kids.”
“I don’t remember you being a traitorous whore when we were kids, but I’ve learned that my judgement may have been off back then.” My voice is louder than I meant it to be, so I quickly look over my shoulder to make sure Niall didn’t overhear.
I inhale a deep breath, then slowly exhale. Why am I letting her get to me like this? I don’t need her. I don’t even need my father. I just need to focus on my new life in London and leave them both behind me.
“Look, I told you in my letter that we were in love and it had been coming on for a while.”
I shake my head at that joke of a letter. “Love can start a myriad of ways, Rose. Naked on my bed while I’m still in a relationship with him shouldn’t have been one of them. In all honesty, I’ve thought a lot about this. If you two would have just come to me and told me you had feelings for each other, I would have been hurt, but it wouldn’t have been irreparable damage. What you two did and the way you did it is unforgiveable.”
“Get over it, Allie! It’s been two years! I would have thought you’d moved on by now.”
“I have moved on,” I seethe back into the line. “Believe me, Rosalie. I’ve moved way the hell on and I’m ten times happier now. But in all that movement, I’ve realised what horrible people I let influence my life in Chicago, so I’m not about to come back there and make those mistakes again. Why do you even want me there? It’s clear you don’t give a shit about me.”
“Idon’twant you there, but Daddy says he won’t walk me down the aisle if you’re not.”
“What?” I screech, my face twisting up in confusion. That sounds nothing like my father.
Rosalie scoffs. “It seems he received some phone call from his brother and he’s being all weird about the wedding now. He says he won’t come unless you’re there and are okay with it.”
“Wait…Was it my uncle Vaughn who called?” I ask, thinking I didn’t hear her right.
“That’s him,” she snaps. “I don’t even know the guy, but he’s doing a great job of ruining my entire life from afar.”
My mind reels over the fact that Vaughn has apparently made a lot of phone calls on my behalf. Calling my boss was one thing, but I didn’t think my father and Vaughn spoke anymore. Now Vaughn is calling him and speaking up for me?
“I, um, don’t know what to say,” I state simply because it’s the truth.
Rosalie squeaks out an annoyed noise. “Say you’ll come to the wedding and watch Daddy walk me down the aisle.”
I shake my head, my body slumping down in my chair. “After everything that happened, why on earth would I do that for you, Rosalie?”
