“Please don’t tell me you’re at a Disney amusement park.” His voice came through a little crackly.
I forced a laugh. “No, no,” I said. “I’m just … busy,” I lied.
He was silent for a bit, before he spoke. “I know you’re not happy with the way we ended things last Friday. Neither was I.”
I wasn’t unhappy with just the way Friday night had ended, but with Jonah’s silence every day since.
Jonah continued speaking. “I just… couldn’t be the guy you wanted me to be that night. My head was all over the place that night. Cora’s been cutting me out of my dad’s life, and it was making me feel like I had zero control.
“I was angry, and frustrated, and I knew that if we’d had sex, I’d be taking it out on you. I couldn’t do that to you, Lexi. You deserved better.”
Ah, this was the point where he was going to truly break things off. Tell me he’d never see me again.
Before I could respond, the music in the background stopped, and Evie walked over to me, her hands tugging at my clothes.
“Mommy, why do you look sad?” she asked in a soft voice.
My heart melted into a puddle at the sight of her concern, and excusing myself, I set my phone aside, kneeling down and scooping her into my arms.
“No, sweetheart, I’m not sad. I just got a little upset while talking to someone on the phone. It’s not about you; don’t worry,” I said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
She looked at me openly, her blue eyes attentive. “Is it Dad you’re sad about?”
“What?” I asked, stunned.
She hadn’t brought up her dad in ages. I hadn’t mentioned Dylan in even longer around her.
“No, of course not.” I hugged her more tightly as Sasha wandered into the kitchen to observe us.
We exchanged a look, and I turned back to Evie, tipping her chin up to look at me.
“Why? Areyouangry with Dad?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not angry, just sad,” she said, before switching to another topic with lightning speed. “Oh, that’s Olaf’s song!” she squealed as a song fromFrozen 2started to play next.
Sasha gestured to my phone, which I’d placed on the kitchen counter. I got up from the floor and reached for it. Jonah would’ve hung up by now.
Instead, the call was still on. I gingerly placed the phone to my ear. I didn’t care anymore about how much he’d heard. He could have heard everything for all I cared.
“You still there?” I asked in a jaded voice.
I was surprised and thrown off at knowing Evie still thought about her dad. It made me feel guilty …
“I’m still here, Lexi,” he said.
There was a noticeable pause while Sasha gave me a thumbs-up and went back to playing with Evie.
I inhaled. There was no point in pretending like this hadn’t happened.
“How much did you hear?” I asked.
“Who was that child?” He asked, his voice quieter.
I glanced around the room. “That, Mr. Walkers, is my child.”
The silence stretched.
“You have a child?” he asked, sounding stunned this time.
