“I wish it could wait, but I think it’s best to discuss quickly.”
“Okay, well, why don’t you tell me now? Just rip the Band-Aid off. Did she get her . . . you know? Is she a woman now? She’s about the age.” He whispered most of it, but I heard him.
“No, she didn’t get her period, and if she did, I would probably let her decide whether to share that with you. Anyway, how is tomorrow morning, right after I drop the kids off at school? I’m not at the clinic.”
“Bexley, I don’t have time for a long thing today or tomorrow. You’re already interrupting my workday. You know, how I pay for the kids you want to talk about? So, out with it . . . what does this have to do with? I send the money, you kept the house. Is there anything else?”
He spoke softly. I pictured him at work with a smile painted on his face, appearing as though everything was fine and dandy.
“I can see you’re making me talk now. Look, there’s no sugarcoating this. Piper met Aston; he ran into us in an ice cream shop. He knows. And he wants to tell her.”
“That’s what you want to talk about? You can do whatever you want. Call the lawyer, though, and make Aston pay up for all the years he missed. You know, when I was raising Piper like my own, and then you kicked me out. Honestly, I was a good guy. I fell for you and your scheme. Don’t be mad at me over this.”
That’s not exactly how it went. After Seth had an affair at work, we decided there wasn’t any love left between us. In exchange for my keeping quiet about his workplace infidelity, he’d agreed to my terms.
“She has a right to know,” I said.
“You took that away from her. Not me.”
“Yes. I’m taking all the responsibility. I wanted to make sure you knew, for you to understand. I didn’t plan to diminish how important you were to her.”
“Listen, Bexley, I’m at work. I knew this day would come, especially after we got divorced. Reunite our daughter with her criminal father, do what you must. Remember, Tyler is ours, and I’ll have a say in everything that pertains to him. I have to go now.”
He disconnected the call without allowing me to even say good-bye or thanks, or go fuck yourself.
Taking a deep breath, I rested my forehead on my desk at the clinic and continued to breathe. I had five minutes before sprinting to school to pick up the kids, and all I wanted was to take a nap. Or a giant coffee.
I’d just decided to settle for a few minutes of meditating when there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I called, sitting up in my chair and shuffling the papers around on my desk.
“Heya, Bex.” Aston opened the door and stood in the doorway, wearing what I assumed was a very expensive suit and holding a coffee in one hand.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as an array of emotions caught in my throat.
“Delivery with a smile,” he said, setting the coffee in front of me.
“Um, I have to go get the kids from school. But thanks. I was just craving a coffee.”
“With whole milk, dirty blond, just the way you like it.”
He waved his hand in front of the large to-go cup, and I couldn’t lie. My mouth watered.
“Thank you. This right here, right now, is definitely the way to my heart. Although, I don’t think I should give myself away like that.”
He raised an eyebrow, and I looked away.
Anxious about what came next, and unsure of what to say or do, I stood to walk out. I was at work, and this visit was unprecedented.
“Walk with me?” I finally asked after grabbing my bag and taking a sip of my coffee.
“How about I drive you to get the kids?”
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a little odd? My car is here. And what about your kids?”
Could I have any more excuses?
“No, it’s not odd. I plan to do it a lot more after our night tomorrow. When we come clean. Notice how I said we? I don’t plan to throw you under the bus, Bex. You did what you had to do. I’m not a bad guy. I may have acted badly, but I’m not the enemy.”
I felt my head shaking. Standing by the door, I said in a hushed tone, “I’m at work. We can’t have this discussion here, where anyone could listen. It’s not fair to me.”
“Okay, let’s roll. You can tell the kiddos we got together for coffee after running into each other the other day. By the way,” he whispered, “you look sexy. Are you sure you’re working?”
I was wearing a black jumpsuit with short sleeves and a plain zipper up the back. “This is hardly sexy, but thank you.”
“I want to tell you about my lawyer. He’s drawing up some papers for Piper, but also, we have a new witness in the case. It’s top secret right now, but I want to fill you in. Also, I spoke with my dad. I know he came to see you, and I won’t tolerate it.”
We were outside by the time he finished, and Aston was unlocking his SUV and ushering me inside.
“Do you have more hours in your day than everyone else? Wait just a minute—you talked with your dad?” I swiveled in my seat and stared at him. Aston seemed to work at a speed I couldn’t keep up with.
“Yeah, one sec.” He handed me back my coffee, shut my door, and ran around the front. Seated in the driver’s seat, he said, “I have just as many hours as everyone else, but I have a staff that helps, and I also want to get my life back together. As for my father, I told him about Pipe—”
“Wait a minute? Pipe? Her name is Piper . . .
