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I reared back like he was dealing out physical blows instead of mental ones. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You called me.”
“Yeah, because I got a call from some woman saying you’ve been telling everyone that your kid is mine.” Our child, I wanted to shout at Matt but he wasn’t finished shouting at me. “Now you’ve got some crazy woman calling me at work and at home, bothering my wife, asking about you and that kid. I swear to god, Fiona, if you don’t leave me alone, I’ll take out a restraining order on you. I have a family now. You need to leave me alone.”
My breath caught in my throat. “You have a family now.”
He answered me like I’d phrased it as a question. “Yes, I do. I have a wife and two kids. I don’t need you coming around with your bullshit anymore. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in isn’t my problem. You clearly pissed someone off and I made sure to let them know that your kid isn’t mine and that I have no connections to you. Understood?”
I stood up so fast that my vision blurred at the edges. “You have two kids.”
“Fuck off, Fiona. You don’t know me. You never did.”
It took me a moment to realize he’d hung up on me and then I was so furious that my hands shook violently as I redialed his number. This asshole who had hurt me so deeply and who had deprived my son of a father appearing out of nowhere to warn me off of his perfect family was more than I could handle. My fury grew with each ring that went unanswered and by the time his voicemail picked up, I lost my calm and collected nature.
“I don’t know why anyone called you. I haven’t told anyone more than your first name in passing while telling my story in years. I’ve given you privacy that you never deserved. I’ve raised our son for six years and I’ve never tried reaching out to get a single thing from you after you made it very clear what kind of man you really are. How dare you call me and threaten me out of nowhere. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve been nothing but a bad memory for years.” I took a breath. “And it’s great to know that you didn’t abandon the two kids you’re raising now. For their sake, I hope the other men in their lives show them what a real father looks like because we both know they won’t see that in you. Avery is doing great, by the way. Your son is six and is thriving. He doesn’t ask about you anymore.
“Do me a favor, Matt, and you fuck off. Don’t ever call me again or I’ll send my giant, ass-kicking boyfriend to handle you. Understood?”
I hung up and then slammed the phone down on my desk. I couldn’t believe the audacity of him warning me away so I wouldn’t affect his sweet little life with the kids he decided not to throw away. The lunch bell rang signaling the students would be filing in soon but even as they did, I couldn’t focus. My lessons were broken and distracted and more than one student asked me if I was okay. I wasn’t, despite what I told them. I was wrecked. Hearing from a ghost was bad enough but having that ghost treat you like you were somehow their villain was unbearable. I wanted to find Matt and strangle him.
I was so angry that it took me the rest of the school day to understand the most important part of why he’d called. A woman had called him, asking questions. My anger veered and redirected at the ex-wives who couldn’t seem to leave me alone. I didn’t understand what they were hoping to accomplish with all their calls but they were messing with my life.
I drove home in a haze, trying to decide what to say to the guys and what I should do to stop things from going any farther. I’d never dealt with women like Sara and Megan before and I didn’t know how to handle them. I wasn’t confrontational but I couldn’t let them push and push until they hurt my family.
When I pulled into the driveway and saw three different big box trucks struggling to get in and out of my driveway, I held my breath and counted to ten in an effort not to freak out. My patience was gone and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and hold Avery. Hearing from Matt had scared me. Even though Matt had never wanted Avery, a part of me had always been terrified that he’d pop back up one day and demand custody. I just wanted to hold my son and reassure myself that Matt couldn’t touch us.
My phone rang before I could shut out my car so I rested my head on the seat and answered. “Hell0?”
“Hey, angel. I’m having something dropped off at your house as an apology for all this shit with Sara. I have to shoot the finale of the show tonight so I can’t come over.” Ryder paused. “I could come by after. It’ll be late.”
I stared out the window as one of the three drivers rolled up the back door of his truck and started pulling out what looked like patio furniture. A smile touched my lips as I heard the need in Ryder’s voice. Any other day and I would’ve told him to come over. “Did you send patio furniture?”
He hesitated. “What? No. I sent you a bunch of trees for the front yard. I heard you say that you wanted something that would grow fruit someday.”
Tears filled my eyes and I groaned as I wiped them away.
“You crying?”
I laughed and nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah. You got me trees?”
Before he could answer another driver opened the door to his truck and I saw rows of young trees lined up and ready to be planted. The other driver, looking like he didn’t want to be shown up, pulled open his truck door and revealed some sort of cabinets and a giant grill that looked like a green dinosaur egg.
“I thought we could line the yard with the trees. In a few years, you can pick the fruit and make me some jams and jellies. Sounds easy enough, right?” I could hear his smile through the phone. “Wait. Someone sent patio furniture?”
“Yeah, and what looks like the start of an outdoor kitchen…” I shook my head. “You guys didn’t have to do this.”
“Damn. Why couldn’t the two other guys you fooled around with be broke? Do you know how hard it is to come out on top when Jake and Seb are both rich, too? I can’t think of anything big enough.”
“Ryder… I don’t need gifts. I love these, don’t get me wrong. I really love the idea of all these trees. I’d be just as happy with a bouquet of weeds from you, though.”
He made a sound like he was thinking. “Okay. Just tell me my trees are better, though. For me.”
I laughed. “The trees are better. For you.”
“I’ve got to run, angel, but I’ll sneak over tonight if you’re up for it.”
“I think I’m up for cuddling. It was a long day.” When he asked why, I sighed. I didn’t want to tell him about Sara and Megan before he taped his show’s finale. “It was just long. Maybe I didn’t sleep well. Tomorrow will be better.”
I could hear someone speaking to him in the background and then he sighed. “I’m sorry, Fi. I’ll message you when I’m finished here to see how you’re feeling.”
