has a whole new complication with Kirk going on in his life.
But I have to. It seems like it will never be the right time in Reed’s life.
“You are so beautiful, so sexy. I want to turn back time so we don’t have to waste any of it,” he says.
I’m staring at him, staring right into his eyes. This is like a dream come true for me. But I know everything will change in a matter of minutes, and I’m clinging to him with the hopes that it will not.
“Reed, I have something to tell you.” Even my voice sounds ominous. He’s heard it too. He releases his grip on my arms and starts to sit up on the couch. I have no choice but to crawl off him.
“What? What more do you have to tell me, Ella?” he asks. From the tone of his voice, I know he’s expecting the worst. It’s just one blow after the other.
Rip it off like a band-aid.
“I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a month ago. Her name is Mia.”
He stares at me like I’ve spoken in a foreign language.
“You have a daughter?” he asks, and I nod. I want to smile because speaking of Mia makes me want to smile, but the expression on his face is unchanged.
“My daughter?” he asks, emphasizing each word. I gulp. There’s a lump in my throat I just can’t push down.
“Yes, Reed, she’s yours.”
Several seconds pass by, and he just stares at me without speaking. I want him to say something. I need a reaction from him.
“So you’ve known about this for close to a year, and you didn’t tell me?”
“There was always so much going on. I wanted to tell you, Reed. I never planned on keeping this a secret. I wanted you to be a part of our daughter’s life.”
He stands up, and I stand up too. I can feel the tears stinging my eyes.
“Where is she?”
“At my friend Gigi’s house. That’s where we are living now. I just came over here to collect a few things. You can see her whenever you want. I’m not trying to keep you apart—”
He interrupts me. He’s had enough.
“You are not going to keep me away from my daughter. I’m going to make sure of that. My kid is not going to grow up without a father.”
I see him walking to the door, and I run after him.
“Reed, please stay; we should talk about this.”
He stops to turn to me.
“What else are you keeping from me?”
“There’s nothing else, I promise.”
“How the fuck do you expect me to trust you? Every time I think we can move past everything else, you reveal something that changes it.”
I have tears rolling down my cheeks as I nod.
“I know that’s what it feels like, but this is it, Reed. I’m done hiding.”
“Frankly, you’re not going to have a choice,” he says and then walks away.
This is the second time I see him leaving my apartment, and I don’t stop him this time either. I don’t know what he’s going to do next, but I get the feeling I won’t like it.
29
Reed
My mother insisted on accompanying me to Kirk’s house. Maybe she thinks I’m going to do something crazy, and if I do, I will be well within my rights. I haven’t told her about Mia. I still can’t wrap my brain around it. Dealing with Ella and the baby is in the back of my head, but first, I need to find out what my dear brother has been up to.
He lives in an apartment building on the fortieth floor, in a penthouse. We take the elevator up that leads directly into the apartment. I wouldn’t have been able to get in here if the security guards downstairs weren’t familiar with my mother already.
“Maybe he’s not home,” she says as I walk straight into the foyer. If there’s one thing we have in common, it is that we’ve both managed to do well in life.
“Kirk!” I shout his name.
“Honey?” my mother calls for him too.
We hear footsteps and see him step out of a room at the end of the hallway.
“Mom?” he says, walking down towards us. Then he sees me clearly and stops in his tracks. I’m standing next to our mother with my arms crossed over my chest.
It’s obvious what is happening. He’s been caught. I know what he’s been up to.
I take a few steps towards him.
“You told him about me?” Kirk turns his attention to our