Page 126 of The Heart Breaker

And I sure as hell can’t let it be by her.

34

AURORA

Istop at the bottom of the stairs and tighten my grip on the strap of my bag.

My heart is beating way too fast. I feel it everywhere—in my throat, in my wrists, behind my eyes—and I hate that I’m standing here this close and still feel like I might turn around and leave.

I’ve been thinking about this moment for years. Back when I didn’t even know who my dad was, I used to imagine what it would be like to finally stand in front of him and tell him I was his daughter. I imagined relief flashing across his face, him telling me he’d been looking for me too, that there was a very reasonable explanation for why he never visited me. That he was happy I found him and he wanted me in his life.

But I also wondered if my mom was right. What if he didn’t want anything to do with us? With me?

Whenever those thoughts came up, I always found a way to shove them down. But after I walk through that door, I can’t take it back. Can’t pretend it never happened.

I could still back out.

I could turn around, walk away, and pretend I don’t know that the man on the other side of those doors is half of where I came from.

No.

I didn’t spend all this time digging up information on him, applying to Colton U, and sitting through his class just to lose my nerve now.

I stare at the door for one more second.

Then I knock before I can chicken out.

“Come in,” he calls.

I draw in a breath that doesn’t do a thing to help and push the door open.

He’s sitting behind his desk with his glasses low on his nose, and when he looks up and sees me standing there, he pauses. “Aurora,” he says, setting the pen down. “I wasn’t expecting you. Do you need something?”

He smiles at me and my chest tightens. He already knows me. Knows my name. Knows my face. Knows the sound of my voice in class. Just… not in the way I need him to.

I step farther into the room and shut the door behind me. “Yeah,” I say. “I mean—yes. Um…” I blow out a breath. Jesus, this is going wrong already.

His smile slips a little. “Is everything all right?”

I sit, mostly because I don’t trust my legs right now, and the absolute last thing I need is to collapse in front of the man I crossed an entire state to find. My eyes go back to his face, searching for any resemblance we may have.

I’ve spent every class half listening and half watching him, picking apart every little thing and trying to find something that feels familiar. The shape of his mouth. The line of his nose. The way his brows pull together when he’s concentrating. Anything that feels like it could have been passed on to me.

I drag in a breath. “This isn’t about class.”

His brows shift slightly. “Okay.”

My mouth feels dry, even when I swallow and lick my lips. “This is going to sound crazy, but…” I grip my bag tighter. “I just…”

I had this planned. I knew what I wanted to say. Now I’m sitting here looking at him, and my mind has gone completely blank.

“My mom is Elena Prescott,” I say, searching his eyes for any hint of recognition. “You knew her, years ago.” He sits straighter, and I just let years of bottling it up, of thinking about this moment, go and say, “I’m your daughter.”

He doesn’t move. For a second, I think maybe he didn’t hear me. But then his jaw tightens, just a fraction, and he leans back in his chair slowly, taking his glasses off and setting them on the desk.

“How did you find me?”

Of all the things he could say, I didn’t think this would be it, and certainly not the first thing. I don’t know what I was expecting, really. I didn’t think much further than telling him, but… I thought he’d be happy? Or apologetic for leaving all those years ago. Or…something.