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"Go ahead, sweetheart. The sooner you talk, the sooner you two can work through this."
I know this is important to him, and I know the sooner my dad and I can fix things, the sooner he and Josh can fix things. So, for Josh and only for Josh, I answer the phone.
"Hey, Dad," I answer like I do any other time he calls.
"So, I had a talk with your boyfriend," he spits out the word boyfriend like it's a snake that just bit him.
"I heard." I keep my tone level and as low and void of emotion as possible.
"He's dead to me. Taking advantage of you the way he did and manipulating you to think you are in love with him. Come home, and we will press charges properly." My dad goes on to say he can't even consider the possibility that I wanted this.
The tick in Josh's jaw tells me he heard it all. If this is what Dad is saying to me, what did he say to Josh earlier?
"Dad, what are you talking about? I approached Josh with this. I was the one who kept pushing him even when he said this was wrong. If you want to be mad at anyone, it should be me."
"Jenna, you don't mean that." He says in his stern voice, the one I know I won't like what comes next. It's the one that still makes me as scared as it did when I was growing up. But I'm not backing down.
"Yes. I do."
"This isn't right, Jenna, and I forbid it." He yells into the phone.
"You can't forbid anything. I'm an adult. You don't have to approve of my every choice, but you do have to accept it if you wish to remain in my life." I tell him standing my ground.
"I've never been more disappointed in you than I am right now. Don't come crying to me when this all blows up in your face."
When I glance at Josh, his jaw is clenched and his eyes are determined. He must have heard every word, and other than the words my dad is saying must be upsetting him, I have no idea what he is thinking.
"First of all, Dad, I'm not going to hang up, run home, and come crying to you," I say firmly. "I'm going to hang up and go tell Josh that I love him and that no matter what you say or do, we'll face this together. Because at the end of the day, you can't be in my life anymore if you can't accept the person I love. And that's fine. It's your choice. But it won't change who I am or who I choose to love. Goodbye."
I end the call, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Until I turn to Josh and see his blank stare is still there. He gently lifts me to stand and then walks toward the back door.
"Don't follow me. I want to be alone." He says, closing the door behind him.
Standing there stunned, I watch him from the window walk toward the barn. Only once he disappears inside am I broken from the trance and decide to call Sky and Sarah to tell them what is going on and get their advice.
I know Sky is waiting on an update. While Josh talked to my dad, I was such a bundle of nerves that I called her to help me calm down.
"Dash is here. He won't admit it, but he's invested. Get Sarah on the phone. I don't think I can wait to know what happened!" Sky says, answering the phone. Once we get Sarah on the line, I lay it all out.
"Well, first thing I noticed when Josh got home was that my dad punched him, and he was bleeding."
"Oh my god! Your dad is so levelheaded it's hard to imagine him hauling off and punching anyone!" Sarah gasps.
"I know! But then Josh goes on to tell me how upset my dad got and all this as I clean up the blood on his face and fix up the cut."
"Aww, getting a little nurse action," Sky says in a suggestive voice, and Sarah laughs.
"I wish. It was right then my dad called. Josh tells me to answer it, so I do. Long story short, he told me I needed to come home and press charges, which made my stomach roll. He went on to say how wrong it is, he forbids it, and then tells me not to come home when I stick up for us. I've never heard Dad talk this way."
"Oh wow," Sarah says, and the mood becomes somber. We all had so much respect for my dad. He was always so supportive of the three of us and helped Sarah out anytime he could, since her family kind of sucked.
"What did Josh say?" Mac asks. He's Sarah's husband, and I didn't realize he was listening too. It took Mac and Sarah a bit to get together, and while Sky got to see it from the beginning, I was excited I got to watch them finally admit their feelings.
"The whole time, he had this blank stare on his face. Once I hung up with my dad, he walked to the back door, said he wanted to be alone, and then went out to the barn. That's when I called you guys." I collapse onto the couch in the living room.
"I'm sure he just needs time to process it all," Sky says.
"I think it's more he wants to figure out an easy way to end it all with me," I admit.
