“What?”
“Don’t give me bullshit excuses about why you can’t come to dinner.I can see through them.”
There was an edge to his voice I hadn’t heard before.It left zero room for discussion, and I could tell I’d hurt him somehow.
“I’m sorry, Nash,” I said quietly.“I’m just, um…” I gnawed my bottom lip, trying to find a different way to sayI’min love with you.I didn’t want to be the business wife who ignored the memo and went straight for head over heels.“I need to remember what it feels like in my world, you know?”
“I don’t want you in that world.I want you in mine.”
My eyes fluttered shut.“Yours is a lot nicer.”
“Then why stay in yours?”
I swallowed a lump in my throat.“Because it’s where I’ll end up at the end of all this, Nash.”
He was quiet for a long time, and I suddenly wished I could look at him and see the emotions playing across his face.
“Says who?”he finally asked.
I let out an incredulous noise.“You!The contract.The…everything.”
Before Nash could respond, my phone beeped with an incoming call.I checked the screen.It was Mia's daycare.
“Shit.Little Sprouts is calling me.I gotta take this.”We traded quick goodbyes, and I switched to the incoming call.
"Hello?"I braced myself for bad news.Sick again, most likely, even though she’d woken up perfectly fine that morning.
"Hi, Ms.Whitehall?This is Jennifer from Little Sprouts.Mia's fine," she said quickly."But we had an incident.A few minutes ago, a man came to pick up Mia.He said he was her father."
The blood drained from my face."Preston?"
"Yes.He showed ID with the name Preston Clarke.He was quite insistent that he had the right to pick her up.But since he's not on the authorized pickup list, we didn't release her.I wanted to let you know immediately."
"Oh my God."I stood up, my heart pounding."Did he—is she okay?Did he see her?"
"She's fine.She was in the back room for art time.He never made it past the front desk.I explained that he needed written authorization from you, and he got upset.He left, but he said he'd be contacting his lawyer."
"His lawyer?"My voice pitched higher.
"I understand this is upsetting, Ms.Whitehall.I've documented the incident so our staff will be aware of the situation and on their guard."
My hands were shaking."Thank you for not releasing her.Thank you for calling."
My mind was racing.After three years of being the most disinterested father possible, he'd finally shown up.I hadn’t even listed him as her biological father with the daycare,that’show uninvolved he’d been.I never thought he’d pick her up if I asked, let alone out of the blue like this.
I called Nash back as I rushed out the door.I needed to go pick her up and hold her safe in my arms.
He answered on the first ring."How is Mia?"
"Preston tried to pick her up from daycare."The words tumbled out."They didn't let him because he's not on the authorized pickup list, but Nash, he showed up and tried to take her."
"Where are you right now?"
"Going to get her.I'm leaving my apartment now—"
"I'll come get you."
"You don't have to—"
