I love you, too
See you after?
You couldn’t stop me
Ipocket my phone, but not before checking the time. Missy is twenty minutes late. This doesn’t bode well.
People are stuffed in every table at the seaside diner. A jukebox in the corner hums a low tune. The smell of fries hangs heavy in the air.
I fiddle with the straw wrapper of my ice water.
I hate that I’m even here. I thought the last time I saw Missy was going to be the actuallasttime. Shewanted nothing to do with Troy. Was it wrong to throw money at her to get her to leave?
Maybe.
But it’s what she wanted.
Troy was better off without her. I didn’t want him to have a mother who was constantly in and out of his life. A kid needs stability.
Not a parent who has no interest in being there for him.
Chimes from over the door break into my intrusive thoughts. And there she is. Missy’s eyes scan the space before she spots me.
As she walks toward me—no,strutstoward me—I give myself a mental pep talk to keep this civil. If not for me, then for Troy. Because maybe if Missy is here, she wants to turn over a new leaf and be there for my son.
Missy drops her bag onto the plastic leather seat and slides in. “Hey. Thanks for agreeing to meet today.”
“You’re late,” I snap.
So much for keeping this civil.
“Really?” She huffs. “I can’t help traffic in this godforsaken city.”
“Hi there,” the waitress interrupts. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Coke, please,” Missy tells her.
Blue eyes stare back at me. Her hair is pulled back in a complicated bun. Probably the reason she was late.
Not sure if she thinks she needs to impress me to make this happen, but after a conversation with my lawyer, he said it’d be better to do this on my terms than get courts involved.
“Are you just going to sit there and stare at me?” she asks as her drink is set in front of her.
“You’re the one who showed up out of the blue, Missy. I’m trying to figure out what you want.”
She rolls her eyes as she stabs her straw on the table to pop it from its paper prison. “I told you. I want to know my son.”
“Why now? You show up out of the blue on Christmas of all days.”
“It’s only because I knew you’d be home.”
I quirk a brow at her. “You know you could have called, right?”
“And have you decline it? Yeah, like that was an option.”
She’s right, and I hate that she’s right. If she had called, I would have sent her straight to voicemail and never listened to what she had to say.
“So what, you want to be his mom now?” I lean back into the booth and cross my arms over my chest. Almost like I’m protecting myself against whatever she’s going to tell me.
