Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(71)

Miranda wiped her eyes. “Having an affair is one thing, but having another family is … is … How can that ever be okay? If what Tabitha says is true, I didn’t even know my own father’s real name.” A moan left her lips. Even to her own ears, it sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t help it.

She felt pathetic.

Glancing down at her phone, she touched the word “Daddy.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Kylie stood up.

“I don’t care,” Miranda said. “I’ll tell you everything anyway.” She always did. She and Della were her sounding boards—sometimes she didn’t even know how she felt about things until she talked to them.

She put the phone to her ear, and held her breath waiting for the phone to ring. Her heart started to race with the first ring. She looked up at her friend. “Shit! What am I going to say to him?”

Kylie simply made a face as if to say she didn’t have an answer. “Maybe you aren’t ready to talk to him yet.”

As tempting as it was to hang up, Miranda didn’t. Turned out, she didn’t have to. On the fifth ring, the call went to her dad’s voice mail.

A big wave of relief washed over her. Kylie was right. She wasn’t ready to tackle this. Not with her dad at least. But there was one parent she was accustomed to arguing with. One that was possibly a home wrecker.

She hung up and immediately started to call her mom, but then quickly changed her mind.

Tossing her cell down on the bed, she reached for a pillow to hug. As crazy as it was, her first thought was that she wanted Perry. To have him hold her. To hear him tell her it would be okay. His touch, his tenderness, his kisses, they always made her feel okay. Even more than Kylie and Della, Perry had felt like her soul mate. Now her soul mate was gone and he hadn’t even bothered to call her. Hadn’t even come to see her and she was here in Paris.

Rolling onto her side, she looked up at Kylie, who stared down at her with empathy.

“I used to think I was the lucky one,” Miranda said. “Your home life was crazy and then Della’s dad being accused of murder. Sure, my mom can be a bitch about me not being high priestess material, but I thought at least I didn’t have the crazy kind of problems you two did. Now I realize I’m not the lucky one, I’m just the stupid one who didn’t see it.”

“You are not stupid!” Kylie dropped back down on the bed. “You trusted them. Trusting people you love doesn’t make you stupid. I know, because I trusted my parents all those years, and they were hiding stuff, too.”

Miranda closed her eyes, hoping to hide the tears she felt forming. “I trusted Perry, too.”

Kylie put her hand on Miranda’s shoulder. Warmth and peace flowed from her touch. “Love makes us vulnerable,” Kylie said. “But to live without it makes us miserable.”

“I’m miserable now,” Miranda said.

“I know, but it will pass. I promise.”

Miranda just lay there with her eyes closed, her arms wrapped so tightly around a pillow that even it longed to breathe. As a few more tears slipped from her closed eyes, she craved the numbness of sleep.

*

Miranda found some reprieve with slumber, but only for a bit when something caused a big shift in her mattress. Shooting up, thoughts of rogue vampires chasing away the calm of sleep, she saw a figure sitting on the end of her bed and knew she was only partially right. Vampire, yes. Rogue, no.

“Hey,” Della said and Miranda spotted a look of defeat in her eyes.

“You’re back,” Kylie said, sounding sleepy, and leaning up on her elbow.

“Did you find your uncle?” Miranda asked.

“No,” Della said, a frown pulling her lips. “It appears he had come and gone by the time I arrived. But you want to know something crazy? I could swear I got a weak scent of Chase when I got close to this building.”

“You think he was here?” Kylie asked.

“No, I’m sure it’s just someone with similar DNA.”

“Sorry,” Miranda and Kylie said at the same time.

“It’s okay,” Della said without a lot of confidence. “I’m not giving up. I can’t. But enough about me. Let’s talk about you.” Della tilted her head to the side and studied Miranda. “You look upset. Is everything okay?”

Knowing that lying to a vampire was useless, Miranda shook her head and tears formed in her eyes. “No, it’s not okay. My daddy has another family. Tabitha is my half-sister.”

“No shit!” Della said. “Wait, Tabitha, is she the horse-crap bitch?” Della asked.

Miranda nodded. “My whole life is a lie.”

“Wow, that does suck.” Della made an odd face and glanced at Kylie and then back to Miranda. “Yikes … uh … this might not be a good time, but I found something else while I was away.”

“What?” Miranda asked, hoping she sounded more interested than she felt. Down deep, all she wanted was to go back to sleep.

Della’s gaze shifted back to Miranda. “A huge pterodactyl with bright blue eyes.”

Miranda’s breath caught. “You … you saw Perry.”

Della nodded. “Yup.”

Tears prickled Miranda’s eyes. “Did he even ask about me? Wait!” She threw up her hands as if to block any words. “Don’t answer that. I don’t care.” She pulled her knees to her chest. “To me, he doesn’t exist anymore. He’s a nonissue. Not important. Doesn’t matter.”