Want You Back - River Laurent Page 0,58

to fool Alex with hints that my ‘boyfriend’ had broken my heart but that wouldn’t work with Amy. She knew me too well and would see through the bullshit.

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Start at the beginning,” she said, in a voice that lacked judgement, only love.

“Okay,” I said and started by telling her about my first visit to the eye doctor and the devastating results that I got.

“Oh no that’s terrible,” Amy said. “You haven’t lost all your vision though?”

I shook my head and shivered. “Not yet. There hasn’t been any change for months. I’m praying it stays that way.”

“I didn’t want to be a burden to Alex after everything he had sacrificed for me. Also I didn’t want that he would have to take care of a disabled wife when he was so young” My voice was cracking.

Amy waited for me to regain my composure.

“So I run and wrote letters to all of you.”

“I knew it!” Amy said. “I knew that story was bullshit as soon as Alex told me. But Charlotte, why would you think you’d be a burden. Illness is not a choice.”

I bowed my head. How could I explain it in a way she would understand?

“Ah, I think I’m beginning to see where this is going,” Amy said quietly. “You thought it was a punishment because of his family.”

I fought to keep my tears inside my eyes but lost the battle and they dropped down my cheeks. I nodded.

“That’s just like you Char to blame yourself for things which are out of your control. I’m so sorry I didn’t look for you.”

I laughed amid my tears. “You can’t blame yourself for something like that. I didn’t want to be found. I needed a new life from everyone I knew,” I said. “Now that I think about it, my thinking might have been slightly flawed.”

“Your thinking was fucked up,” Amy said in her blunt way.

I was glad that she hadn’t changed as her honesty was one of the traits that I loved and appreciated about her. Amy simply didn’t know how to sugar coat.

Her features softened. “Alex told me that you have a little boy.”

“Yeah.” I fidgeted in my seat. “His name is Kayden and he’s one year and three months old.” I waited for the pin to drop.

When it did, Amy’s eyes grew so big, I thought they would fall off.

“Oh my God!” she said. “Kayden is Alex’s son.”

I nodded. “Correct.”

She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward on the table. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“No.” Saying it aloud felt so wrong.

“Oh Char, you can’t do that,” Amy said. “He deserves to know.”

“I know he does. I tried calling but he’d changed numbers. Then I called his mom and left a message with her that Alex should call me urgently. He didn’t.”

“Did it occur to you that she might not have passed on the message?”

“Now it has but then it did not,” I said.

We were both silent again.

“What about now?” she asked.

“I’ll will tell him but not just yet. I have to know that I can trust his family. What if they take Kayden away from me? They’re lawyers, they could attempt to prove that I’m an unfit mother because of my medical issues, especially if they worsen” I said.

“Oh Char,” Amy said and covered my hand with hers, and I knew she understood.

“Do you want to meet Kayden? How long are you in town for?”

She laughed. “Of course, I would. I’m going back tomorrow. How big is your house? I’ve not booked a B&B?”

“Big enough. I have a spare bedroom.” Excitement coursed through me as we left the diner hand in hand. I was so happy, I wanted to cry.

“I love it here,” Amy said as she unlocked her car.

“It’s become home for us,” I said and opened the passenger door. “Tell me about Ben,” I said, desperate for a less emotionally heavy topic of conversation.

“He is sexy!” Amy declared. “And he has a heart to match. I can’t wait for you to meet. Hey. Will you be my maid of honor? I’ll happily boot my current maid of honor. That has always been your spot.”

My chest filled with unshed tears. “Oh Amy. I wish I could say yes but particularly now I’m the most unsuitable maid of honor. With my eyesight loss not only will I trip on your train, I’ll take you down with me. Can I just be a guest? Less pressure and all?”

She held my gaze and nodded.