Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 76984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I took a deep breath to keep the anger from bubbling up. Reliving those desperate moments brought up the kind of emotions that would lead to me yelling and shutting down this conversation.
“I knew nothing about babies. They were strange creatures to me. Yet I was forced to care for Esmé without having a clue where to start. My attorney wanted me to call the police and report you, but I didn’t want a scandal. So I waited for the DNA results, which confirmed she’s mine.”
“Oh, Lucas. I’m so sorry. I don’t even know where to begin. I was in such a panic. Peter had left me and I had no one to watch her. My plane was leaving in hours when he walked out the door.” I heard the tears falling. I wanted to believe she was sorry, but it would take time—not tears—to convince me. “This was my big break, but I never should have done this to you or her.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. What if I’d walked out of the bar before I found the baby hiding behind a planter? Esmé would’ve been left alone—she could have ended up in a foster home somewhere in New York City,” I said, confronting her with the reality of her actions.
“You’re right. I am so ashamed of what I did. Can you ever forgive me?” Erin sniffled into the phone. “It was the most selfish thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“You’re the mother of my child. We are linked forever by this beautiful blond cherub. I’m never going to say I’m okay with how you introduced me to my daughter, but yes, Erin, I will forgive you for Esmé’s sake. But things have to be different going forward. I need to know I can trust you with her. Nothing is more important than Esmé’s safety.”
“I owe you so much and promise nothing like this will ever happen again. I feel so ashamed. You have no idea how much your forgiveness means to me. Your attorney said you wanted to be a part of Esmé's life. She’d be lucky to have you as a father.”
“I am her father, but I want to be her dad.” My voice cracked as I spoke the last word.
Erin and I talked for a few more minutes, though I wished it could have been longer. There were so many details I wanted to discuss, but she was on a break and had to head back to the movie set. We promised to work together and find a way forward to support our child. She asked me to send her a photo of Esmé. Proof of life, I supposed. A fair request considering it was me, a man without feelings.
35
Maggie
Chloe and I sat at the dining room table, chatting about Esmé and how much she looked like Chloe when she was the same age. We heard Lucas’s office door open and shut, then the sound of his shoes tapping against the marble floors in the hallway. We stopped talking and glanced at each other, anxiously waiting to see his mood after speaking with Erin.
I hadn’t heard any yelling or cursing, so I had hope their conversation went okay. As he came closer to us, I noticed his eyes were a tad red, as if he’d been crying. His shoulders weren’t tense either, and an undeniable ease shone from his face. Still, I sat on my hands, waiting for him to speak.
“Well…” He sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the head of the table, Chloe and I on either side of him. “Erin, formerly known as Coco, and I are going to work together to parent our daughter. There’s a long list of details we have to sort out, but for now, I’m going to keep Esmé while she’s working in Europe.”
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding, glad they chose to do the best thing for their child. I loved my mother to the moon and back, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to know who my father was and have a relationship with him. It wasn’t a big hole in my life, she’d made sure of that, but it existed, nonetheless.
“I’m so relieved it went well.” I reached out to him, wrapping my hand around his. “You did the best thing for Esmé.”
“It’s all because of you. You have to know that.” He raised my hand to his mouth, placing kisses on it. I glanced at Chloe, who sat with her eyes wide. I guessed witnessing this kind of loving behavior from her brother was something new.
“We’ll have to write a thank you note to my psychology advisor,” I said.
“You and your southern manners,” he teased with a laugh. “Where’s Esmé?”
“I fed her a bottle and she’s taking her morning nap.” Chloe sat up in her seat. “You lucked out with a sleeper. I swear I could vacuum her room and she’d sleep right through it.”