After All - Romancing Manhattan

Carter shuts the door firmly behind him, and the yelling starts instantly.

“What the hell is going on?”

Without remorse, I walk down the hall so I can listen in.

“I can’t believe you, Gabby. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior, and you know it. How dare you threaten to put your hands on Nora, or anyone else. I didn’t raise you to act like this.”

“I just—” she begins, but he cuts her off.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll zip your mouth and listen. I had to cut an important business trip short so I could come home and deal with you because you’ve lost your ever-loving mind. After everything that Nora’s done for you over the years, this is how you treat her?”

There’s nothing for a moment as Carter undoubtedly paces around the room. I can picture it in my head, him running his hands through his hair, and Gabby biting her lip, with a scowl on her pretty face.

“I’m so disappointed in you,” he says, the volume of his voice lessening, but the hardness is still in every word. “I can’t believe this, Gabrielle. Who do you think you are to speak to anyone this way? To behave this way?”

“I didn’t know that what I was doing was wrong.”

“Bull. Shit.” I cringe. That was the wrong thing to say. “I’m not stupid, thank you very much. You forget, I’ve been your age, you’ve never been mine. I know all the tricks, all the excuses.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, you don’t even know sorry yet.”

I hear his footsteps approaching the door, so I scurry back to the living room. Carter comes walking out, sits on a chair, and takes a long, deep breath.

“I need a moment to calm down,” he says.

“Good idea.”

His eyes fly to mine. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Nora.”

“I’m fine. I wasn’t last night, but I’m better this morning. The thing is, Carter, there’s more to tell you. You marched back there before I could say anything.”

“There’s more? For fuck’s sake, she was in bed when I last talked to you.”

“I know.” I pass him her phone. “It’s all on there.”

I’m quiet for the next ten minutes as he scrolls through her phone, his face going from interest, to frustration, to pure rage.

“I’ll fucking kill him.” His voice is scarily quiet. “And then I’ll kill her.”

“I think threatening him will do the trick,” I say, my voice brisk and business-like. “And her as well.”

“She’s twelve.” He looks at me with helpless confusion written all over his face. “How in the ever-loving hell does this happen at twelve?”

“Oh, I’m sure this is nothing compared to some. Be thankful she never sent him nudes.”

He pales now and I hear Gabby open the door of her bedroom. She walks carefully into the room, her eyes big, tears brimming.

“Dad?”

His eyes don’t leave mine.

“What.”

“Dad, I’m really sorry.” Her lower lip is quivering now. “I didn’t mean all the things I said. I’m really sorry. Honest.”

“I’m not the only one you need to apologize to,” he says, still not looking her in the eye. The screen of her phone is dark now, but he’s staring at it, as if he’s still seeing the messages.

“I’m sorry, Nora,” she says softly. “I would never really hit you.”

I don’t say anything in reply because I’m not convinced she means it but is using this as a means to get her phone back.

“I mean it,” she insists and lets a tear fall down her cheek. “I don’t know why I get so mad.”

“Gabby,” Carter begins, his voice calmer now. “We have a lot of talking to do. We need to get to the bottom of your behavior over the past few weeks. Has someone hurt you? Said something to you?”

“No.” She looks miserable now, clamping her lips shut and shaking her head slowly. “No one hurt me.”

Carter sighs and reaches out for her hand. The worst of the storm is over, but the aftermath is going to be brutal for this little girl.

“I love you more than life itself. And I’m happy to help you in any way I can, always. But I need you to meet me halfway.”

She nods and wipes at her tears. “I will. I promise, I will.”

“Starting today.”

She nods, hope sparking in her eyes.

And here it comes.

“Can I please have my phone back?”

Carter’s face goes cold again, and he sits back, watching his daughter with calculating eyes.

“You have a lot of nerve to walk in here and ask for your phone back, as if you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I apologized.”

“Yes. But we haven’t even addressed the fact that you downloaded an app that I said no to, before you even asked me.”

Her eyes go big again, and I can see panic spreading through her.

“As if that’s not enough, you’ve been talking to men on there. Giving them our address and promising to sneak them into my house.”