Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)(65)

Summer bumped into me. She said under her breath, “I’m so sorry, Sam.”

“What?”

I was about to ask more when I heard my name coming from farther down the hall, and I tensed. I had known, but it’d been so long since I last saw him.

Garrett was striding toward me. Instead of the business suit that I’d gotten used to him wearing in Boston, he was wearing a polo shirt and striped shorts. This was why I wasn’t impressed by Summer’s family. My biological dad fit right in with them. He was dressed down, but his clothes still screamed money.

My mouth pressed into a flat line.

He was getting closer, wearing a friendly smile, and he paused right at my side. He skimmed me over, but his smile didn’t fade. He turned to Summer. “Thanks for getting my girl.”

His arm was going to curve around my back.

I sidestepped him and shot him a glare. I wasn’t his girl. I was barely a blood relation.

Garrett’s smile dimmed. He said, “Samantha, I—”

“Can we talk in private?” I cut him off. To Summer, I asked, “Is there a place?”

Her eyes were like saucers again. “Yes, yes.” She scooted around and pointed to a side hallway. “Follow this all the way down to the last door. It’s my own study room. You can use that.”

I started off. I wanted to get this done and over with. I was going to call a cab and try to figure out where to tell the driver to pick me up.

Garrett said from behind me, “We’ll, uh…thank you, Summer. I’ll show her to the backyard when we’re done.”

“Okay, Mr. Brickshire.”

I paused. My back was turned. I was still livid, but she’d sounded so small there.

Garrett added to the betrayal when he said, “You’re the best goddaughter I could have. Thank you again for looking out for her.”

I’d been stuck by a hot poker. The end was dipped in fire, and it burned inside of me. I was robbed of breath. I could only stand there, my arms firmly crossed over my chest, and try to suck in air.

She was his goddaughter.

My roommate, who I had come to trust, knew my biological father more in the daughter sense than I did.

I was almost paralyzed.

That lasted two seconds.

A blast of fury flared up, shoving the betrayal from my body, and I was full-on raging by the time I heard Garrett coming behind me.

He thought he could come into my life and then disappear? Never. He thought he could do it again? Hell no. This was the third time.

He was done. We were done.

He paused beside me. I felt his uncertainty now. No doubt, he was seeing my rage. I wanted him to see it.

“Can we talk?” he asked again, his tone more wary.

Yes. My insides rejoiced. That small triumph was a lot, but the fury was still boiling in me. I clipped out, “Go ahead.” I indicated the door. “Let’s do this.”

He opened the door but paused at my last statement.

I swept past him. I didn’t pay attention to Summer’s own personal study room. There was a desk and a couch. The colorful room was clean, and she had all the technical toys I assumed a rich kid would have. I turned my back to all of it and waited for Garrett to shut the door.

As soon as he did, he looked at me.

I didn’t give him time to start. I started, “This is the third time.”

He didn’t ask what I meant. His head hung down. “She’s pregnant.”

My rage paused. “Who?”

“My wife.” Stark eyes looked back at me. “She miscarried twice, but she’s pregnant again. It’s why I haven’t called or e-mailed you.”

“No.” I started shaking my head. “No, no, no. You always do this. Always! The first time was because you didn’t know about me. The second time was because you went to get your wife back. And now this—this is the third time, and this is the excuse?”

My chest was heaving. My eyes were wild.

I was on a roll.

I kept going, “I cannot believe you. You’re having a kid. Congratu-f*cking-lations! Now, you can do it right, maybe?” I started for the door but swung around again. “But here’s a tip. Don’t disappear. You’d be amazed at the relationship you could have if you were around to have one!”

I stormed out.

I was done, and damn it, I needed to call a cab to come get me wherever I was.

“Sam?” Summer was waiting, fiddling with her shirt. When she saw that I wasn’t going to stop, she jerked forward from the wall and hurried to walk with me. “What happened? What did he say?”

“He’s having a kid. They’re having a kid.” I kept going. Fuck him. Fuck any relationship with him. I already had a dad.

“What? That’s great. Sharon’s been…” She stopped, catching the warning I’d sent to her. She gulped. “Look, I don’t know your relationship with him. I mean, it’s weird. You never talked about him, but now seeing how mad you are, I’m sorry.” She tugged me to a stop. We were alone, right in front of the door again. Her hands twisted around each other, and she tugged at her sleeves, pulling them into a tangled mess. “Garrett knows my dad. They’re all friends. There’s a huge group of them, and there are others, too. But…” She glanced down to the floor before looking back up to me.