Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,64

living with that asshole and their kid—or kids if they had more. I pay taxes, the insurance, and… Today, Ford reminded me that I have yet to find some kind of closure from that relationship—and recover my house.”

I try not to scowl at him when I ask, “Like getting the house back?”

He glances at me and asks, “What would you do?”

“If I was in your place?” I take a piece of bread and munch on it while I think about the answer. “I think you refer to the betrayal, and I honestly don’t know if I’d forgive him—whoever this guy is. Now, her deception went further than just cheating, she passed a kid as yours and then said, ‘Oh well, he’s not yours so never mind, I’ll just snatch him away from you, and we’ll go our separate ways.’ It upsets me just to think about what she did to you. Since I’m not close to her, I can coldly say, let me hit her with a notice of eviction to recover your place.”

He closes his eyes briefly and shakes his head. “It’s not just the place. She’s been asking me for financial help. I doubt she can afford to pay for rent.”

This kind of talk helps me shake any feelings that I might be developing for him. Earlier I wondered if he really loved her and if they were really that couple. I lied to myself when I believed that maybe he was infatuated with her. But now…

Well, I can see that he is still in love with his ex and will never love anyone the way he loves her.

“Is Wyatt still registered as your child?”

“No, we took care of that almost immediately. I was deleted not only from his life but also his birth certificate.”

“But she’s still reaching out because she knows you love that kid as if he’s your own,” I mumble. “This might not be what you want to hear, but it’s time to let them go and move on. If you want, I can handle the eviction and give them plenty of time to find a new place. It’s not about you being heartless, but you need to heal, and the best way might be by cutting all ties to them.”

“Something about this reminds me of my mother, you know,” he says.

“What is it?”

He stares at the table, grabs his wine glass, and takes a sip. After a few beats, he says, “I’m doing this all wrong. As you mentioned, this looks like such a romantic dinner. I should be trying to woo you and get you in bed. Instead, I’m babbling shit that you must find irrelevant.”

I reach out and grab his hand. “Not at all. First of all, we know how we’ll be spending the night. With me having morning sickness and you assuring me that I look pretty even when I look like a demon possesses me.”

“A blueberry sized demon,” he jokes, caressing my hand’s back with his thumb.

“We’re becoming friends, and I’d like to help you in any capacity. It’s the least I can do, really, for all you’ve done for me. Even if it’s by being the bitch who draws the papers to remind Bronwyn that she made many bad choices and she should let you move on. Now, tell me about your mother,” I plead, squeezing his hand to give him a little courage. “How is it that one thing relates to the other?”

“Mom left us and created a new family,” he states.

“Did she just leave or did your parents get a divorce?”

He nods before replying, “After a couple of years of fighting like sworn enemies they divorced, and she left us.”

I want to ask if there was a custody fight or if he’s just assuming that she didn’t fight for them. Maybe his father had a better lawyer that left her without the right to have her children during the weekends. It happens. I’ve seen it many times. These parents never think about their children or the consequences.

“She has a new family. My brothers are twenty-eight and twenty-seven. I have a younger sister who is twenty-five,” he offers. “It’s obvious that, for her, it wasn’t because she didn’t want children. She just didn’t want us.”

I’m about to open my mouth when he waves his hand. “If Mom had wanted us, she’d have requested visitations. At least a holiday every other year. Since the moment she left, I never heard from her. Sometimes, I want to knock on her