It Had to Be Him Read Online Free

this summer? I told you you’re not welcome to work for our company after the last time you ran off, leaving us high and dry.”
    Casey sighed. “She didn’t leave us high and—”
    “You, Casey.” Dad’s meaty finger changed direction toward Grandma. “And you, Mother, are the reason Meg’s so damned irresponsible. You both baby her and look where that got us.” His steely gaze found Meg again. “I’m serious, Megan. You’re welcometo see if anyone else in town will have you, but they all know you, and are aware of your stellar track record.”
    Her father really was serious this time. “I’m sorry about before, Dad. But after Haley was born I was just doing the leftovers no one else wanted anyway. I didn’t think you’d mind if I left.” Her father had lost all respect for her for “getting herself knocked up” and had barely been speaking to her. That was the real reason she’d left, but mentioning it wasn’t going to help.
    An exaggerated, Texas-sized sigh sounded from the step-monster. “Here we go again.”
    Ignoring her, Meg pleaded, “I’ll sign whatever you need, do whatever job you’d like me to do, and I’ll stick to it. No matter what it is. I promise.”
    “Oh, you’ll sign a contract, huh?” Her father laughed and ran a hand through his thick white hair. “Like that’s going to change anything. The answer is no, Megan!”
    Ben spoke up. “She’s apologized, Dad. And she has a point. You did give her the crap jobs after Haley was born. I could really use Megan’s computer skills at the clinic.”
    Thank you, Ben!
    Dad replied, “I couldn’t give her jobs with any real responsibility because she was breastfeeding every damn time I turned around. She’s made her bed and needs to lie in it for a change. We all agreed after she left last time that no one hires her ever again.”
    What? They’d all gone behind her back and ganged up on her? It wasn’t like she was an alcoholic who needed an intervention, for God’s sake. And it would have been nice if at least one of her siblings had cared enough to mention it to her. What was she going to do?
    While picking at the paint splatter on her hands, Meg searched for the words to get out of the hole she’d dug for herself. She wouldn’t get any help from her brothers or sister. Dad heldBen’s massive student loans over his head, forcing him to be the town doctor in exchange for paying them off. Casey, devastated after her ex left her with emptied bank accounts, needed the high-paying hotel job to support her kids—not to mention how much she’d always craved their father’s approval. And Ryan? Meg’s theory was he wouldn’t leave town because the only woman he’d ever loved, Sarah, had married another man. One who, when he drank, turned hot-tempered and mean. Ryan stayed to protect her.
    But still. A phone call would have been nice.
    Alone in her battle, she had no choice. She was going to have to tell them. “After I lost my last position, I looked for other work in Denver but no one would hire me because I’ve changed jobs too many times.” It killed her to tell them that. But she wouldn’t blame it on Haley’s asthma. It’d just give her dad another opportunity to tell her how stupid she’d been to get pregnant without a husband. But Haley came first. Always. No matter if it cost her jobs.
    Digging deeper and giving up all of the little remaining pride she still possessed, she begged. “Please, Dad? Haley’s father has reappeared. I’m afraid he’ll want to be part of her life. He’s a rich and powerful software developer and I’m unemployed. He’d win a custody battle in a heartbeat if that’s his plan. I’m willing to clean rooms if I have to.”
    Casey gasped. “It was one thing to withhold his name, Meg, but you should’ve trusted me enough to talk about this. You know how I’ve battled with Tomas for the boys.” The hurt and concern in her sister’s eyes cut straight into Meg’s heart. “We