Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 118693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 593(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 593(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
I shrugged. “I’m not sure what I want anymore, Mom. I’m not happy, and I haven’t been for the last few years. The only time I’ve felt whole was when I was with Finn. Now I feel like I’ve lost my dreams and the man I loved.”
She frowned. “Your dreams?”
My gaze dropped to the floor. “It was never my desire to be a lawyer, Mom.”
“That’s not true, Rory! You majored in history. It’s in your blood.”
Suddenly it was as if everything I had buried deep down inside of me came bubbling up to the surface all at once. My mother deciding Harvard was the school for me. My father deciding the condo he liked was much safer than the condo I wanted, the one that overlooked the harbor. My parents pushing me into law school to be like my mother. Sunday dinners with my parents so they could keep tabs on me. My father telling me who I could date. My mother insisting I take a job at her firm. My whole life had been mapped out by my parents.
No more.
“Mom, you controlled my career path. Dad controlled my personal life. It’s time I took control of my own life.”
Autumn’s face grew wide with a smile. I knew she was happy I was finally standing up for myself.
The look on my mother’s face showed she was in complete shock. “What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer, Rory? This is simply insane. You love being a lawyer.”
I squared my shoulders off, lifted my chin, and spoke the words I feared would give my mother a heart attack. “No, Mom. You love being a lawyer. I simply do it because it was expected of me. What I really want to do is teach. I want to help people. I want to live in a house that has a huge backyard for my kids to run around in. I want to grow a giant garden and have flowers planted everywhere. Meeting Finn opened my eyes to what I really want, have always wanted, in my life.”
My mother’s eyes widened in shock. “What exactly are you saying, Rory?”
My eyes darted over to Autumn, who winked and nodded.
My mouth instantly dried and I was nervous as hell, but I told my mother exactly what I intended on doing. “I’m quitting the firm. I don’t want to practice law any longer. I think I’m going to leave town for a few days, figure out how I’m going to win Finn back.”
“Quit the firm? You’re walking away from a highly promising career…for what?”
“Happiness, Mom. A life I look forward to getting up to every day and living. Not a life where I’m going through the motions trying to prove to myself day in and day out that I’m more than just the boss’s daughter. What I want to prove now is that I can make a life with the man I love.” I smiled. “That’s what I’m walking away to, Mom. And I’m walking away from the life you and Dad wanted, not me.”
My mother shook her head, as if trying to shake out the words I had just thrown at her. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’re going to regret this, Rory. I’ll talk to your father. We’ll get this straightened out and make him see how wrong he is about Finn. He was being stubborn, but I know we can make this right. Finn will not lose his job.”
I shook my head. “No, Mom. I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to forgive Daddy for what he did…or myself for listening to him. For all I know, Finn hates me right now. I was stupid and naïve to ever let Dad strong-arm me. I love you and love that you support me regarding Finn, but I don’t want your help in this. I made the mistake; now I have to figure out how to fix it.”
“Rory, you don’t mean all of that,” my mother said.
I took her hands in mine. “I do. Mom: Please, for once in my life, let me do things the way I want to do them. Let me make my own choices in life. Please.”
A tear slipped from her eye. “I never meant to force you into something you didn’t want to do.”
I drew her into my arms, and we hugged. “I know, Mom. I know.”
She pulled back and wiped her tears away. “I’m here for you if you need anything. Especially help with your father—who I might add is in the doghouse for his little confession Friday night and this whole insane thing with threatening Finn’s job.”
With everything else going on, I had totally forgotten about my father’s confession.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“Forgive him. I’d broken up with him, and he turned to another woman. Am I disappointed in him? Very much so, but at the same time, I’d told him we were through, so he technically didn’t cheat.”