The two spent the next hour at the desk before Rory decided to call it quits and head back to the main house. On her way back, she chose to walk the path that led to the back of the house. As she approached the back porch, she noticed Julia seated on one of the Adirondacks overlooking the harbor. Rory hesitated at the step and found herself walking over to her cousin.
“Hey, Jules,” she greeted before she was upon her.
She noted that the girl reached up to swipe at her eyes. “Hi, Rory,” she greeted back with slight smile.
“Are you okay, Jules?” Rory asked, staring in concern at her red, puffy eyes.
“I am. It’s just pregnancy hormones making me emotional,” she gave by way of explanation.
“Okay,” Rory answered skeptically. She could tell that it was more than that. Something was definitely wrong. She pulled up one of the chairs and just sat beside her cousin, hoping to offer some comfort with her presence.
“My baby may not have a father,” Julia revealed after some time.
Rory looked over at her but didn’t say anything.
After more than a minute had elapsed, she started talking again. “He’s in the army, and he’s stationed overseas. I don’t know where exactly, and I haven’t been able to reach him. I tried contacting his family but none of the numbers I had worked. Finally, I got through to someone.”
There was another long pause as Julia collected her thoughts. “She said she was his fiancé,” she half whispered, her brows scrunching together as her eyes squinted as if still in disbelief. “I hung up pretty quick and haven’t tried to reach out to them ever since.” Jules sighed as a few errant tears escaped and rolled down her cheek.
She turned to Rory, the pain in her eyes tugging at her cousin’s heart.
“I don’t know what to do, Rory. Mom keeps asking me about what happened. Where is the father? I’m just too ashamed to tell her. I’m such a screw-up.”
Rory reached over to hug her cousin as she sobbed uncontrollably. She could only imagine what Julia was going through.
ChapterEight
“Ica-…I can’t tell her…I just can’t.”
Rory rubbed her cousin’s back soothingly like a caring mother as Julia’s face remained pressed against her chest. Her tears had long soaked through Rory’s blouse, causing it to stick to her skin, but she didn’t mind. She was happy that she could offer some comfort to her cousin— something she’d never had the opportunity to do before. When she’d stopped sniffling, Rory removed her hands from around Julia, allowing her to raise her head to look at her.
“I don’t know what to do,” she spoke, fear causing her voice to shake.
“What about the father?”
“He doesn’t factor in this…at least not anymore.”
Sighing, Rory looked at her seriously. “Jules, I know it’s hard, but I think you should tell him.”
“No.” Julia shook her head vehemently, her arms coming up to fold over her chest.
“It’s the only fair thing to do,” Rory pressed.
“Didn’t you hear me say he has a fiancé?”
Rory turned from her cousin to look out at the crystalline blue waters a few meters from where they sat. The blue sky was riddled with fluffy white clouds, and the rock formations in the distance offered a serene atmosphere. The only thing was the conversation they were having was anything but calming.
“When Mom finally told me that I had a father, that he wasn’t dead all along like she’d told me before, I was devasted. I felt betrayed…” Rory paused, choosing her words carefully. She turned to look at her cousin once more, her green eyes filled with regret. “I felt robbed, Jules. Of the choice to know my father, and as much as I understand why mom did it and I have forgiven her, it doesn’t take away these feelings and what if questions.”
Rory reached over and held her cousin’s hand as she continued to speak. “It may not be the best option for you personally, but…” she squeezed Jules’ hand. “You owe it to your child to give them and the father the option to get to know each other. Tell the father Jules. Let him decide what he wants to do with that news.”
Julia’s chest rose and fell as she folded her lips in on each other, and her brows came together in concern.
“Okay. I’ll think about it,” she spoke slowly.
“Tell your mother too. You’ll need her in your corner more than anything.”
Jules’ eyes fluttered closed, and a gust of air escaped her lips.
