“Your assistant?”
Katie’s words slammed into me, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced over to see her staring at me with her hands on her hips. Her eyebrows were raised, and I could see the disapproval in her gaze.
“Is that why you are here?” I shut the hotel door and moved further into the room. The shock of seeing Katie had worn off, and now I was irritated. “You saw a story about me and Sabrina and had to rush here to see if it was true?”
I stood in front of the couch, staring down at the space that Sabrina and I had occupied earlier. Back when things felt simple. Back when it was just the two of us. Back before Katie had catapulted herself back into my life.
“Well, no.” Katie followed behind me.
I turned to look at her. Everything in my life was a mess because of this woman. My relationship with Ana was in shambles because of her. My money was on lockdown because of her. I could barely get the money that Frankie wanted scraped together and still have enough to pay my bills and staff.
She was nothing but a thorn in my side. And for her to show up and try to rock my relationship with Sabrina? That was just not going to fly.
Katie met and held my gaze for a moment. I could tell that she was sizing me up. I'd been with this woman long enough to know her tells, and her facial expression was speaking volumes more than her words ever could.
“I'm serious when I said that Ana misses you,” she said.
She seemed…genuine, which startled me. I’d experienced every Katie emotion from vitriol to annoyance, but never this.
I wanted to push back. I wanted to protect myself. She had broken me in more ways than one. I’d finally gotten out from under her, and I could feel her trying to pull me back in. I wanted to kick her out. But Ana wanting something from me and me not giving weight to that want felt like a betrayal to my daughter.
She deserved everything, and if that meant I had to hear Katie out, then I would do it. I didn’t like it, but I would do it.
I was exhausted, so I collapsed on the couch and leaned my head back. I was too tired to think anymore. My mind was racing and I was struggling to keep up. I just…needed a minute.
“Listen.” Katie joined me on the couch. She was turned to the side so her knees bumped into my legs.
I wanted to pull back. Instead, I stayed where I’d landed and just stared at the ceiling.
“I know it seems suspect that I’m suddenly back, but the truth is, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Ana misses you…” She paused. “I miss you. I know things have been crazy between us in the past, but we have a family.” She shrugged. “Don’t you think we should give it another try?” She must have sensed my hesitation because she hurried to add, “For Ana’s sake?”
I didn’t like that she kept bringing our daughter into this conversation. I wanted to fight her on this. For so long, she’d treated me like I was gum stuck on the bottom of her shoe. I was nothing to her. Now, suddenly, she wanted to fix things?
I wanted to kick her out. I wanted to tell her that it was never going to happen. But I couldn’t stop the nagging in the back of my mind. What was I going to tell Ana in the future if she asked why I didn’t fight for our family? Why I didn’t fight for her?
“How about this,” Katie proposed, “we just spend some time together. No commitment, no promises. We just start at the bottom and see where we go from there?” Her expression turned hopeful. “Can you do that?”
I studied her, my emotions a mixed bag of shit. The truth was, what she was proposing didn’t seem that bad. It was an easier path than trying to sort through my emotions about her and what she was claiming Ana wanted for our family. I could agree to spending some time together if we weren’t committing to anything. It felt wrong to shut her out even if that was what I wanted to do.
Before I answered, the bedroom door opened, drawing my attention over. I quickly stood up from the couch just as Sabrina stepped into the room. I tried to catch her gaze, desperate to know what she was thinking, but Sabrina never looked at me. She had Samuel strapped to her chest and an apologetic smile on her lips.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m just slipping out. Samuel needs some more diapers.” She had her back to me and was making her way toward the door as she finished her sentence.
There was no way she was going to meet my gaze so that I could send her an apologetic smile, so I spoke instead. “We can all go.”
Sabrina paused, and I could feel Katie’s gaze on me. There was enough tension in the room that I could cut it with a knife. The last thing I wanted was for Sabrina to pull away from me. And I certainly didn’t want to be left alone with Katie. Sure, she wanted me to believe that her intentions were innocent, but I’d been around that woman long enough to know better.
The only way for me to keep my life intact and to keep my promise to always protect my daughter was to keep Sabrina close while I figured out Katie’s angle.
“I think she can get diapers on her own.” Katie stood next to me.
Sabrina slowly turned around. It took a second, but her gaze eventually met mine. I took that moment to look as apologetic as I could. She didn’t accept or reject my offering. If anything, she looked apathetic.
“I can go by myself, really,” she said, her smile appearing forced.
“But I thought we were going to go to the mall. You know, with all the outfit planning you did last night.” I offered her a hopeful smile. One that begged her not to say no.
“Last night?” Katie asked, but I ignored her.
