“Is that what’s happening with Maverick? What’s his real name?”
I laugh. “It’s Cole, and yes, but it was before that too. Everything seems to be coming out all at once. First, I accepted a friend request from someone back home who figured out where I was. Then she tagged me in a photo that had my ex-boyfriend in it in one of those throwback Thursday posts.”
“Have you talked to him?”
Tears flow again. “No. And he doesn’t know either.”
“Angie…” she whispers, and I can hear the disapproval in her tone.
“I couldn’t tell him. The night my parents died I called him, and not one but two girls answered his phone. He moved on and lived across the entire country, so I didn’t think he needed to know. But now…” I pause, not sure what to say.
“Now you’re not so sure?”
“No,” I cry, covering my eyes again. “But what’s the point? I’m not even sure where he is. She tagged him in the photo, and I immediately canceled my Facebook account so I wouldn’t be tempted to search for him. I don’t want to know what he’s up to or where he is.”
Her hand reaches out to hold me, reassuring me as she says, “Yeah, you do.”
I can’t fight the loud cries that come out as I wrap my arms around my body, holding tightly, knowing what she said is true.
“Do you want to tell him about the baby? Is it possible he already knows?”
“Honestly, I have no clue. I’ve cut everyone off, and until my friend found me on Facebook, I’ve had no contact with anyone from my past. She was the only person I told about that baby.”
“So that’s why you changed your name to Angie?”
I nod. “My real dad passed away when I was a baby. My mom remarried and changed my last name from Smith to Colette. So when I left, I changed my name back to Smith. When I was younger, I hated how long Evangeline was, and I wanted to change it to Angie, so I figured why not. There are tons of Angie Smiths, but I’d be shocked to find another Evangeline Colette, so I figured it was easier for me to hide.”
She nods, seemingly understanding why I’ve done what I did. “Was the adoption open or closed?”
I look down. “Open.”
“So you know where he is?”
I take a deep breath. “No. They’ve sent me letters, tons of them actually, but I’ve never opened one. Just knowing he’s okay is enough for me. Seeing the envelope tells me that. So I put it in the box with all the other letters and try to go on with my life.” I look up at her. “I’m just not sure if I want to anymore. Not like this anyway.”
Her arms wrap around me again, holding me tightly as I cry even more on her shoulder. I have no clue what I’m going to do. I need to move on, but can I? And is Cole the right guy to even try a relationship with?
