“Concede on the living situation. Make it only a few weeks before she’s due to two months after the birth.” I turned. “Convince her to take it.”
“You’re asking the impossible.”
“I thought you were the best.”
“I am.”
“I’m not going to fucking court. And I am not giving up my daughter.”
“What you need to do is figure out how to force her to do things your way.”
I’d have better luck controlling the weather.
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Like I said. I got my wife a boyfriend.”
The image of her and our children with another man had me wanting to throttle someone. I couldn’t even handle her dead husband let alone someone who was still alive.
“No other man is going to be around my kids.”
“Kids? As in more than one?”
I tore off my tie. “Blake. If I could have some kind of rights to him, I’d take them.”
He looked at me like I’d predicted the day the aliens would land.
“You want to take her child away from her?”
“God, no. I-I’ve gotten attached to him too.”
“You’re fucked.” He stood. “I’ll tell her you believed the contract was for her benefit. That it’s off the table if she wants it to be.”
“The damage is done.” As if she’d ever let this go.
“Maybe, but just reading between the lines, that’s what set her off. Get it out of the way. Then see if you can get her to forgive you.”
“Have you ever met Marlow?” It was my turn to look at him like he was insane.
“In person, no. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a little afraid of her.”
“Tell her a judge won’t rule in her favor. Don’t let her take my little girl away.” I sank down on the sofa and buried my face in my hands.
He squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Forty
Marlow
“What do you mean there’s no contract?”
I gripped the back of a kitchen chair.
“He’s the only one who signed it, so it’s non-binding. He did so under the pretense that it addressed all of your wishes. You were unhappy, so the deal is dead. The two of you will have to settle this out of the legal system.”
What? My head spun.
“Who the hell thinks you’re a good lawyer? Are you telling me there’s nothing I can do?”
“Not until the birth.”
I hung up. I wasn’t paying that ass a dime. He was probably friends with Patrick anyway.
The doorbell chimed.
I grumbled to Blake and contemplated ignoring it, but shuffled toward the foyer. Hand on the doorknob, I froze when I caught a glimpse of who was on the other side.
“Dad?”
“I should’ve called.” He shifted from foot to foot and peered around me. “Is it a bad time?”
I moved out of the door. “Come in. I haven’t been home long myself.”
He followed me to the kitchen.
“Love,” Blake shouted.
Dad’s lips parted. He looked to me, his eyes a little glassy, before he picked up his grandson.
“I love you too.” He squeezed Blake and kissed the top of his head. “Missed you so much.”
My chest seized. I busied myself with grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“May I?” Dad motioned to a chair, clinging to Blake.
“You don’t have to ask.” I held up a water, and he shook his head.
“I miss you too.” He locked me in his gaze. Lines creased around his eyes and mouth. He looked older than the last time I’d seen him.
“You hurt me.”
“Sweetheart, you hurt me too.” His voice was gentle, holding every bit of the emotion he professed. He glanced down and ruffled Blake’s hair. “It’s wrong, but I was—I don’t know any other way to put it than gutted when I found out you’d been talking to her.”
“I—”
He held up his hand. “I never wanted to stand in the way of any relationship you wanted. She’s your mother. What kind of father would I be if I did that?” He kissed Blake’s head again. “But I didn’t want her to hurt you the way she did me.”
“You were right.”
A flash of shock streaked across his face, but he quickly masked it. “I understand why you kept it from me. I’ve never handled anything well when it came to her.”
“You loved her. It’s the same thing as Jack, except maybe worse. There’s always the possibility of getting back together. When it’s over, it’s impossible to accept, but I know he’s not coming back.” The plastic bottle crinkled under my grip, this the first time I realized maybe he did understand what I was going through. I’d been so sure none of them did.
He blinked at me. “No, baby. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”
“I should’ve talked to you about it. But I was so surprised when she showed up, and I got sucked in.” I’d been thrilled and furious all at once. After all those years, I’d finally had a piece of my life I thought had been missing.
“She came to you?”
“Yeah. Showed up out of the blue one day when I really needed someone. Jack was about to be deployed. Then he was gone. She was there. And then our baby—” I pressed the heel of my hand into my eye.
“I wish I’d have known about the baby,” Dad said with anguish. “I hate you went through that without us.”
“She was there. Was exactly what I wanted out of a mother.” My heart hurt. “I should’ve told you, but it hurt so much. I wasn’t very far along. I’d just gotten used to the idea of a person inside of me.” I touched my stomach. “I don’t even know if the baby was a boy or a girl.”
He reached out for my hand. I took it. I hadn’t needed her. My father. That’s who should’ve been there. But I’d been too confused and emotional to see that.
“You’ve lost so much,” he choked out. “You aren’t alone.”
“I know, Dad.” And I did.
He released my hand and
