Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Maybe you were just saying that so I’d let you hang around.” I shrug. “Or maybe you just felt like you were entitled to William. Or maybe you had this fantasy of what fatherhood would be like.”
“That’s what you really think?” Adam asks, squeezing my arms almost uncomfortably. “You don’t think I care about William?”
I consider his question.
I actually don’t know what I think.
I have to admit I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing. But I’m not sure letting Adam try again is the right thing either.
“I don’t know, Adam. The problem is, I need to know. I’m a mom. I don’t deal with uncertainties, especially when they can potentially hurt William.”
“So, I’m an uncertainty?” he asks.
“Something like that.”
“Can I keep seeing William?”
“Why don’t you ask your lawyer about that?” I ask. I’m getting tired of all his questions.
He lets go of my arms and takes a step back. He stares at me with pain in his green eyes. “Is that really how you want to do this?”
“I’ve been letting my emotions run the show for long enough,” I say firmly, despite the ambivalence in my heart. “It’s time for me to think logically.”
“And it’s logical to tell a guy with money to hire a bunch of lawyers to sue you?” he asks, speaking slowly like he’s concerned about my ability to understand him.
“Yes. It’s logical to keep my son safe from strangers,” I say, putting on a brave face. I don’t actually think Adam’s going to call my bluff.
“Stranger? Is that how you see me?” Adam asks in disbelief, his voice strained with pain.
I resist the urge to comfort him—since I became a mom, that’s been my go-to reaction to seeing people hurting. But it would be wrong to follow my motherly instinct now.
Adam’s just a boyfriend; not family. He may have fathered William, but that’s just a biological fact and nothing more. I need to remember that and stop giving him unlimited chances. Hell, he’s not even a boyfriend now—he’s an ex.
William comes first—always.
Still, there’s no need to say more things that could potentially hurt Adam.
“Please leave,” I say to Adam.
He studies me with his sharp, perceptive gaze, making me feel transparent. I look away.
“You don’t really want me to leave, and you don’t really think I’m a stranger,” he says. “It wouldn’t be so hard for you to tell me to fuck off if you did.”
“Leave before I say something I regret,” I say tersely. “I can ask Sawyer to remove you by force, but I hope that won’t be necessary.”
Adam’s face hardens. “There’s no need for that. Obviously, you’re too upset for us to have a calm conversation, so I’ll leave now, like you want me to. But Katie, this is not the end. I’ll show you I’m not an ‘uncertainty.’”
“There’s no need for that,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest like armor. “I’ve seen all I need to see. And I’ve seen enough now.”
Adam gazes at me, his eyes a curious mixture of frustration, incredulity, and affection. He shakes his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe so. But you need to leave.”
Taking one last look at me, Adam lets out a deep sigh. “You’re stubborn, Katie.”
I remain quiet. I won’t argue with that.
“I just want you to know that I love you, and William, too,” Adam says. “And I hope one day, you’ll see that. I won’t stop until you see that.”
“Are you going to leave now?” I ask, holding my despair at bay. I honestly hoped Adam was going to be the partner I wanted, but that was just a fantasy.
Adam shoots me a sad look, but then he turns around and makes his way out, his footsteps tapping mournfully against the floor.
He reaches the door at the end of the hallway and pulls it open. As he steps outside, he twists to look at me, our eyes locking and lingering a few seconds too long.
Adam’s lips curves up into a small smile, although his eyes remain sad.
Then, with a soft click, the door closes. With an even softer purr of his car’s engine, he finally leaves.
Never to be seen again, possibly.
My heart clenches as I realize there’s no trace of Adam left. It’s like he was never here at all.
Then, before I can even begin to understand the conflicting emotions warring in my chest, tears fall from my eyes and wet my cheeks with heartbreak.
Katie
“Did you give him a piece of your mind?” Sawyer asks when I crack the door to William’s bedroom open.
William’s asleep in his crib. He’s wearing a fresh diaper, and he looks happy, all snuggled up in bed.
I say nothing and plop myself down in the chair at the corner. I’m spent. I don’t even have the energy to lift my finger.
Sawyer twists over his shoulder to look at me. His face falls. “Oh, shit. Something happened, didn’t it?”