relationship. All I want is a chance to be in her life. I’ve missed out on so much. Please give me my family back. Please.” She was crying now, and I didn’t know what to do.
“Then why fight Kyle for custody?” I asked, overwhelmed.
She shook her head. “I’m done with all that. Now that I’m here and with them, this is all that I wanted. I don’t want to hurt Kyle. I want him and Katie to be together. Our baby girl needs both of her parents. You agree, right?”
So where did that leave me?
Nowhere.
But Kyle loved me. Surely that mattered … I remembered the angered betrayal on his face when he asked me what happened. I had let him down. I had almost killed his daughter.
How do we come back from that?
The self-loathing was almost too much to bear.
I tore my hand from Josie, and without saying a word, I turned and walked out of the hospital.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text.
I figured you needed a push, so I bought you a plane ticket to Hungary. See you soon. Rog
I opened my email to find an e-ticket. First-class, of course.
I should talk to Kyle. I needed to see if this was salvable.
Please give me my family back. Please.
It was easy to run when you already knew how.
Chapter 17
Kyle
I woke up with a start. My back was killing me. My neck was stiff. I stretched, forgetting for a moment where I was and why. I automatically looked for Whitney.
That’s when it hit me.
I was at the hospital. I quickly looked over at Katie, who was still asleep, the soft, persistent beep of the monitor a horrible reminder of why we were here. She looked so small with her tiny arm encased in a bright purple cast on top of the scratchy hospital blanket.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
I frowned at the sight of Josie in the chair opposite me. She had her phone out and had obviously been texting. “What are you still doing here?” I didn’t mean to sound assy, but the last thing I wanted was to deal with Josie’s bullshit when I was coming off less than two hours of sleep and the sickening worry for my daughter.
Josie smiled. “I wasn’t going to leave Katie. What kind of mother would that make me?”
Everything after getting that phone call that Katie and Whitney had been in an accident and were on their way to the hospital was a blur. I barely remembered that Josie had been there. She showed up at the carnival, making it look unplanned, but I knew better.
“Maybe I can have dinner with you guys,” she suggested offhandedly.
“We didn’t agree on visitation for this evening, Jos. I’m meeting Whitney and Katie.” I tried to shake her, but she wouldn’t leave.
“Forget the formal agreement. Can’t we be spontaneous? You always liked that about me.” She took my arm, pressing against me.
I extracted myself and glared at her. “Stop it, Josie. This is getting embarrassing. For you.”
I made a motion with my head for her to join me in the hallway. I quietly closed the door not to wake up Katie. The doctor said she would be released today. It couldn’t happen fast enough. I hated hospitals. The smells, the sounds, the sight of so many sick and dying people.
“You don’t need to be here. Go get some sleep.” I needed to get something to drink. My mouth felt like the desert.
“I’m glad I could be here for you, Kyle. And for Katie too. You guys need me,” she insisted.
Jesus, would her fantasies ever stop? I was well past having patience with her delusions.
“I need to figure out where Whitney is. Have you seen her?” I pushed past her and headed toward the waiting room. I vaguely remembered her not being able to come back with Katie and me and Josie being there instead, but I was honestly not in the headspace to think about it. My entire focus was on Katie. Whitney would understand that. It’s why I loved her.
The Emergency Room waiting room was already busy. I saw my parents in the corner and started to head toward them when Josie stopped me.
“Why does it matter if Whitney’s here? She’s not Katie’s mother,” she stated with a whiny note to her voice.
I stopped and turned to look at my ex. “No, she’s not. But she’s my wife, Josie. Do you get that? She’s my fucking wife and Katie’s stepmother. I want her here. I need her.” I shook