Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“So what happens now? Is she going to let you see her? Will she fight you for visitation and your legal rights?”
I waited until Layla drank her wine and lifted her eyes to meet mine again. “Max is dying. Stage four breast cancer that has spread to…everywhere.”
Her jaw dropped, and her hand clutched at her chest. “Oh my God, Gray.”
“She decided to tell me because she’s running out of time and wants to help make the transition easier.”
“The transition?”
“To me having custody.”
“Wow.” Layla rubbed at one temple. “I…I don’t even know what to say.”
I took the wine from her and set it on the coffee table so I could take both her hands in mine.
Looking into her eyes, I said, “Say you’ll date a single father who doesn’t have a fucking clue what to do with a kid. Say this isn’t going to scare you away again.”
She looked down. “Gray…this is a lot.”
“I know. And I’m not asking you to take it all in right now. Fuck, I haven’t even let it all sink in.”
She looked up at me. Her mind seemed to be jumping all over the place like mine had done all day, clicking the puzzle pieces into place. “That’s why she’s so thin. The wig. The big sunglasses.”
I nodded. “She doesn’t look good.”
“Did you get to meet Ella today?”
I frowned. “No. I left Max’s office with my head unscrewed and came home to read a seven-page letter she’d given me in a file with a bunch of legal documents. The letter had her cell phone on it and said to text when I was ready to see Ella. I sent her a text earlier, but haven’t heard back yet.”
“Ella wears a hearing aid. I noticed it when Max moved her hair the other day. It completely slipped my mind.”
I nodded. “She had medical records in the file for Ella, too. She has Connexin 26. It’s a genetic condition that can cause mild to total hearing loss. Her case is mild, but it can become progressively worse over time, so Max is teaching her sign language as a precaution. My father had it, too. He didn’t wear a hearing aid, but he should have. He just made everyone repeat themselves all the time.”
“Jesus, Gray. I don’t know what to say. You’ve missed almost three years of your child’s life.”
“I’ll have to make up for it.”
She stared into my eyes, and I watched hers fill with tears. I thought she was sad about this latest wrench in things. A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb.
“I’m sorry I have all this baggage. If I were a better man, I’d walk away from you and not leave all this at your feet. But when it comes to you, I’m completely selfish. I can’t help myself. I’m sorry I’m upsetting you. But I can’t let you go again. I had no choice last time when you walked away.”
More tears started to fall. I blew out a deep breath and wiped her cheeks again. “I’m sorry. Please don’t get upset. I’ll figure this out. We’ll figure this out. It kills me to see you crying because I let you down again.”
“I’m not crying because you let me down.” She sniffled. “I’m crying because you lost years with a child you haven’t even met yet.”
I pulled her to me and wrapped her in my arms. It felt like I could finally breathe again. I stroked her hair.
“It’s a lot, I know. And I don’t expect you to say anything at all today. You need some time. But there’s one more thing I need to say.”
Pulling back, a sad smile threatened at her lips. “I’m not sure I can take much more.”
I took her hand in mine and brought it to my lips for a kiss. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Max. But it’s important that you know.”
“What is it?”
“Tomorrow or whenever you reflect back on everything—when you think of all this bad stuff I just unloaded on you—I need you to also remember one other thing.” I paused and waited until she was really looking into my eyes before continuing. “I’m in love with you, Layla Hutton—so fucking in love with you it hurts to think about losing you.”
She smiled. “Gray...”
I pressed my lips to hers to stop her from speaking. “Shhh. We’ve talked about enough heavy shit for one night. How about I pour you another wine and we take a hot bath together?”
“I don’t know, Gray. I should go…”
“If you go, I’m going with you. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. We can go to your place if you want, but I’m not leaving you alone…not tonight after I just sprang all that shit on you.”
She seemed conflicted, but after a few minutes she finally nodded.