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)
“And now, when I’ve got everything covered, he’s suddenly here, and he wants in on this parenthood thing? It just doesn’t feel right.”
Daisy’s quiet for a few seconds. Softly, she says, “Katie, it doesn’t sound like it was his fault. You told me he’d tried to find you, too.”
“I know.” I groan.
Logically, I know Daisy’s right. But there’s this strong, emotional reaction against sharing William with anybody. I’ve had him to myself his whole life.
“What if he really does like you, Katie? You said he’d been paying Sawyer to look for you—I can’t believe Sawyer never realized it was you, by the way.”
“Me neither,” I agree. “He tried to explain why it totally made sense that he didn’t figure it out, but I wasn’t listening.”
“Yeah, but the main point is, maybe there’s a chance this Adam guy’s for real. Maybe he’s really serious about this. Maybe he meant it when he said he wanted you,” Daisy says.
I huff a tired sigh. I’m always exhausted these days; it’s hard to remember a time when I wasn’t.
“Daisy, not everyone can have a fairy-tale, happily-ever-after thing like you and Caine,” I say.
Daisy’s the sweetest girl ever, but she has a rather naïve view of the world. It’s almost a miracle she’s married to a cunning, infamously cut-throat businessman.
“You know, Katie, it’s not impossible for you to also have a fairy-tale ending,” Daisy gently reminds me.
“Well, no, but it would be crazy to expect it to happen. It’s called ‘fairy tale’ for a reason. Besides, have you seen a princess in one of those stories who’s also a single mom?”
Daisy falls silent on the other end of the line.
“I’m not being pessimistic. Just realistic,” I say.
“Well, I guess we’ll see,” Daisy says stubbornly, in a soft voice. “It doesn’t seem like he’s just going to let this go. And I have a good feeling about this guy.”
“Daisy. He’s the kind of guy who goes to sex clubs and pays girls for sex. Do I really want him around my son?” I ask.
“Well, to him, you may also seem like the kind of girl who works at sex clubs and gets paid for sex,” Daisy says. Sometimes, this sweet girl can come up with barbed answers that just pain my soul.
“Ouch.”
“You know that’s not what I’m saying. That’s what he’d be saying if he were as negative as you.” Daisy pauses. “All I’m saying is, I think you should give this guy a chance. He could be a good guy. You’re a great girl, even if you once had anonymous sex in a kinky club.”
“Okay, sure. Maybe he’s here to rescue me from my miserable existence as a single mom,” I say sarcastically.
“Fine, try to look at it this way. If he turns out to be a decent guy and he wants to be a dad to William, won’t that be a good thing for William, too?” Daisy asks.
This time, I don’t have a comeback for her.
Adam
“How can I help you?” Katie asks coolly, after she’s gotten over the shock of seeing me on her doorstep.
I’ve been coming to her house every day after work, but she wasn’t home yesterday or the day before.
It’s probably her day off today. It looks like she’s been home all day. I like seeing her like this, with an old T-shirt, comfortable sweatpants, and no make-up.
I can see the subtle freckles dotting her skin. I want to know her so well I can map those freckles like they were star constellations.
I don’t know why she’d be surprised to see me. I did tell her I wasn’t just going to leave, after spending so much time looking for her and finding out that she’s given birth to my first-born son, too.
“How about by opening the door wider and letting me inside?” I ask.
Katie crosses her arms over her chest. She doesn’t seem to realize that it only pushes her tits forward and up. Somehow, I manage to stop myself from glancing at them.
I still have very vivid memories of how those tits look underneath her clothes, although a little refresher course would be nice.
“Why would I do that?” Katie asks.
“Because William’s my son, and a father has the right to see his child,” I say.
“You don’t know that he’s your son.” Katie scowls. Even with her face scrunched up like that, she looks beautiful.
“What if I say I do?”
She glares at me, her eyebrows knitted together in chagrin. “It’s impossible for you to know that for sure. Besides a close friend of mine, I’m the only person who knows the identity of William’s father.”
I smirk. “Didn’t you tell me last night you didn’t know who the father was?”
Caught in a lie, Katie freezes for a couple of seconds before she shrugs.
“Do you really know who William’s dad is? I doubt you even knew my name before now.”