Wrapped in Chains - Nicola Jane Page 0,46
Anna. Luckily, she’s out.
“I know it's mine. I saw nerd boy.”
I spin to face him. Ryan never mentioned he’d seen Chains. “When?”
“Yesterday. You lied to me,” he says bluntly.
“You’re off the hook. Go live your life,” I snap.
“How can I do that knowing my kid’s out there with another man raising him?” he snaps. He takes a breath and releases it slowly. “I need to take care of Raven. She has no one else.” I nod. “But I’ll support you and the baby. You can stop working. I’ll make sure you want for nothing,” he continues and I feel myself bristle at his words. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. I press my lips into a hard line as he pulls out a pile of notes and lays them on the kitchen counter. “There’s more to come. Whatever you need, just bill me for it,” he says.
I stare at the cash, unable to find words. Chains doesn’t know me at all, because if he did, he’d know how insulted this would make me feel. “I’ll pay your rent,” he continues. “Food, baby stuff.” I nod, folding my arms across my chest. I need him to leave before the tears fall. Damn these hormones! “Maybe we shouldn’t tell Riggs just yet,” he adds.
“Get out,” I mutter.
“Leia, we need to talk about what happens next.” He sighs impatiently.
“Get out,” I repeat a little louder. Diesel’s ears prick up. “Now.”
“Not until we’ve talked,” he snaps. Diesel snarls and Chains gives him a wary look. “Lover boy trained him for you, did he?” he mutters.
“Get the fuck out!” I yell, taking Chains by surprise. I grab the money and shove it into his chest. “I hate you. I don’t wanna see you again.” I begin to sob and he makes a grab for me, trying to pull me into his chest, but I push him away. “No. You can’t make this better.”
“What did I do? I’m trying to do the right thing by you and the baby.”
“You don’t even know what the right thing is. It certainly isn’t throwing money my way and telling me to give up a career I’ve worked hard for.” I take a deep breath and push my fingers against my temples. My head hurts almost as much as my heart. Things feel so complicated right now. “We’ve both moved on. When I think about how you’ve treated me, the things you’ve said and done-” A sarcastic laugh escapes me.
“What do you want, Leia?”
“I want you to go.”
He sighs heavily, shaking his head as he leaves.
Days pass and I don’t hear from Chains. I’ve invited Ryan round to set things straight. Now Chains knows, things feel different. I never wanted to pretend Ryan was the father, but he seemed so desperate to give us a try that I felt bad turning him away, but it isn’t working. I keep using him as my lifeline and I’m being so unfair and between shifts at the hospital and resting because of the insane amount of sickness I'm getting, I’ve hardly had time to see him.
I invited Ryan here because I’d offered to watch Malia so that Anna could meet Riggs to talk again. They do an awful lot of talking, but it doesn’t seem to get them anywhere.
I let Ryan in and take him through to the kitchen. Malia is asleep upstairs and I don’t want us to wake her. “Can I get you a drink?” I ask and he shakes his head. He looks different somehow. He isn’t clean shaven like usual and he’s got dark circles under his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“You don’t think it’s working,” he mutters.
I shake my head, relieved that he’s seeing it too. “No.”
“But we’ve hardly seen each other. You haven’t given us a fair chance.”
“If I'm honest, it was never going to work. We’ve tried more than once.”
He scowls. Usually he’s smiling and fun, but tonight, he looks annoyed and agitated. “I’ve put a lot of time into us,” he mutters. “Your boyfriend paid me a visit.”
“Why didn’t you call me and tell me that?” I ask. “I was surprised when Chains told me and I hadn’t heard it from you.”
“Does it matter? You’re choosing him over me. I can give you security and money. What can he give you?”
I’m starting to feel uncomfortable. “I think you should go,” I say quietly. “Maybe we can talk when you’ve got your head round it.”
He moves quickly and it takes me by surprise.