Jessa would feel settled. We untied our assets, and fortunately for me, I still had other properties in my name, which funded my new purchase in Malibu. Jessa loves the beach, so it seemed like the perfect place for her to stay with me.
To add to the complication, I had the situation with Olivia. From the beginning, she wanted nothing from me, offering to raise the baby alone. It seemed like the only option, given that my life, including Jessa and work, is all in LA.
I’ve been floating in unknown waters without a life jacket to save me from imminent drowning. The only help I have willingly accepted is from Charlie. Being a lawyer specializing in family law, she’s seen it all. She suggested that we don’t commit to any agreements until the baby was born. Things will likely change, and my involvement in this baby’s life will become more evident as time goes on.
At least, Olivia, unlike Morgan, was rational in this respect.
Closing the door behind me, my hand rests on the doorknob with a heavy heart. And then, the whispers come back to remind me that someone else can’t escape me.
My hand slides into the pocket of my pants to retrieve my phone, and like I’d done so many times today, I open my photos to the one which has taunted me since Saturday night.
The simple picture was taken on the dance floor, drunk on expensive champagne and scotch. A selfie with Kate’s lips pressed against my cheek mid-laugh, and my face lit up with sheer joy. We laughed until our stomachs writhed in pain, and tears rolled down our cheeks while we barely were able to stand, let alone dance.
The simple moment between us is what I have been missing all along. I knew this the moment I laid eyes on Kate.
But this isn’t a simple equation. I’ve hurt her, abandoned our friendship, and now I have the excess baggage of children, which no woman wants from a man she’s seeing.
I stare at the image numerous times, willing this feeling of yearning to stop. But as the days pass with the distance between us, an entire ocean apart, it all becomes harder to control this urge consuming me.
I make my way to the kitchen, sitting on the stool as Morgan stands across from me, scraping her hands through her hair. She’s still dressed in her work clothes, and despite my intolerance toward her, Morgan will always be a beautiful woman. Though of late, I notice her dresses have been more revealing and tighter. She’s also lost weight, but our relationship is strained, so I keep all of the observations to myself. We are no longer friends, only two people trying to navigate this co-parenting thing. It’s a shame she has to be such a bitch about it.
“How was your trip to Paris?” she asks, rubbing her palms together nervously.
“Fine.”
Unable to look me in the eye, she drops her head and crosses her arms, only to uncross them moments later. Surprisingly, when I initially told her about my trip, I expected her to lecture me on abandoning our daughter, but it never came. Her mood swings are tiresome, and I have no energy to argue with her again tonight, which is where I expect to head in a matter of minutes.
The fact is—my mind is a fucking mess after my call with Kate.
“What do you want to discuss?” I question, impatiently.
“I need you to please keep an open mind, or shall I say, I don’t want to argue.”
The moment she says that, alarm bells rise. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m seeing someone.”
I lower my head, staring at the marble countertop. This moment was bound to come, and while my anger on the subject is a given, it becomes misplaced—the conversation with Kate comes roaring back to life. I should’ve sucker-punched the fucker the moment I saw him at the ball, but Lex warned me to keep my peace, knowing all too well my feelings on his so-called existence.
“His name is Callum. He’s a director. I just thought you should know.”
Silence stirs inside of me as my stark white knuckles graze against the marble. My pulse is racing at record speed, intensifying the heat of my skin beneath my collared shirt. Morgan makes a sound with her throat, waiting for my response with bated breath.
What the fuck am I supposed to say? Congratulations, you’re fucking someone else? I don’t care what she does as long as my daughter is safe. Good luck