A few minutes after he hit send, a blue tick appeared to show that she’d read the message. Three dots appeared… thendisappeared. After a long moment, Alex typed out another message.
I want to talk about an out-of-court settlement. You owe me a conversation, if nothing else.
The dots appeared, followed by a message.
I don’t owe you anything. But we can meet to talk about the settlement. Sea Foam Café. Tomorrow. Four o’clock.
Alex let out a long sigh. It wasn’t what he’d hoped for, not exactly, but at least Grace was finally going to talk to him. Maybe they could get to the bottom of this whole mess once and for all. Maybe Grace would apologize for stealing the laptop and drop the suit once she knew that Alex’s intentions were good.
Alex could only hope.
The rest of the day dragged by. Alex thought again and again about what he might say to Grace, how he might tell her that, as the father, he deserved a part in their baby’s life. How he might explain that, no matter how things were between them, the baby had to come first.
But surely Grace knew that, too. Didn’t she?
CHAPTER 14
GRACE
“Don’t worry.” Grace rubbed a hand reassuringly over her small baby bump. “I’m going to protect you. I’m always going to keep you safe. This is the right thing to do.”
She wasn’t sure if the last sentence was directed toward the baby or herself. She was walking across the San Valentino boardwalk to the Sea Foam Café, a little spot that served ice cream and coffee out of a small shop with a blue-and-white striped awning and a smattering of metal tables and chairs. It was a public place, so Alex would have to behave himself.
So would she. With people watching, she couldn’t break down in tears or yell at Alex for everything he’d done, both of which were tempting options.
Right now, she still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to the meeting at all. Alex had been manipulative since day one. And just yesterday, she’d gotten a message through her lawyer that they had proof she’d been the one to steal the laptop, which must be fake, since she hadn’t. Today, Grace was going to push back against Alex’s legal and professional manipulations. She’dexplain, in no uncertain terms, that Alex didn’t have a place in her life, much less in the baby’s. The best thing he could do was settle out of court with enough money for her and the baby to live on for a few years and then leave them alone.
Grace approached the café and spotted Alex already at one of the tables. A banana split covered in chocolate shavings sat on the metal table in front of him, but he was just staring at it, as if he’d never seen such a monstrosity before. Grace slid into the chair across from him, and he looked up at her.
“Hi, Grace.”
“Hi, Alex.”
Everything she’d wanted to say vacated her head when she looked at him. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be professional. She wanted to askwhy—why he’d used her and then fired her, why he’d hurt her.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Alex said calmly.
“I…” Grace bit her lip. “You wanted to talk about a settlement?”
“Yes, of sorts,” Alex agreed. He leaned a little closer, resting his elbows on the table. “Grace, I know you’re angry with me, although it’s difficult for me to understand why.”
Grace’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t understand why she was mad when he’d slept with her and then fired her? He was a bright man. That much was clear. So, why was he playing dumb?
“Iamangry,” Grace said. “And you know why.”
“I…” Alex sighed. “We don’t need to get into our situation. We shouldn’t. What I want to talk about is the baby. I know I have no right to demand a place in our child’s life, but I’m here today toask you to give me one. I can be a good father to our child. I can make sure you and the baby want for nothing. What’s going on between you and me is far less important than giving our child the best life we can.”
Grace met his blue eyes and sighed, too. “For the first time in a while, you’re saying something I can agree with.” The wind caught her hair, and she tucked it behind her ear.
“Good!” Alex smiled, though his expression quickly returned to businesslike indifference. “I’m glad to hear that. Maybe I can start attending your doctor’s appointments with you? How many weeks along are you?”
“Whoa, whoa.” Grace held up a hand. “I agree that our child is more important than our disagreements, but that doesn’t mean this is going to be easy. What kind of relationship with our child are you hoping for?”
“I’d like to be a present father, as much as I can,” Alex said. “I’d like to be there for big moments and spend time with our child whenever possible. And I want to give you enough money that you won’t have to worry about work or anything else.”
“Okay.” Grace drummed her fingertips on the table. She was glad to hear that Alex wanted to be an involved father. Even with Alex being the way he was, it was better that their child got to know him in some capacity. Otherwise, the child would wonder about Alex all their life—and might blame Grace for keeping them apart.
Still, she was a little disappointed that Alex hadn’t mentionedtheirrelationship or how that could be repaired. And he hadn’t apologized for what had happened at work—or evenacknowledged it. He would need to regain her trust before he could be part of her or the baby’s lives in any real capacity.
