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He quirks a brow before sliding his arm over my waist and bringing me close. He lands a kiss to my hip. “Then I will carry you out of this house.”
I laugh, but I know he’s serious. “I don’t think they’ll let you past airport security.”
He looks up with a devilish grin. “Oh, trust me. It won’t be a problem.”
As much as I want to go with him, I have to talk to the school and make sure I won’t leave my job hanging. “I have a couple of things I need to take care of. Can we wait a few days?”
His eyebrows come together as he props himself up on his elbow, looking up at me. “No.”
He offers nothing in explanation. I can’t go with him until I settle things. I wish he didn’t have to leave so soon. “Then you go, and I’ll fly out when I’m done here,” I offer in compromise.
With no trace of a smile he says, “I’m not leaving without you.” His gaze falls. “We’re flying tomorrow morning.”
I reach under his chin, lifting it up. “Why the rush?”
His worried crease digs deeper. “I have to be back for Andrew.”
I smile down at him reassuringly. I don’t want him to think he can’t talk about his son. “Can’t you just tell Annabelle you’ll be a few days?”
“He’s not with Annabelle.” The melancholy frown across his lips puts me on edge. “Liv and Harrison are watching him.”
“Why is that?”
He looks up at me. I want to die. He looks incredibly sad. His eyes shine with unshed tears. “She left.”
“She what?”
Brady sighs heavily as his fingers toy with the sheet. “She came to pick Andrew up one night. She had been drinking.” He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t let her take him. She spent the night, and I woke up to a letter the next morning.” His gaze meets mine. “She terminated her parental rights. She’s no longer his mother, and the thought of explaining any of it to Andrew is fucking killing me.”
My heart bleeds for him. He thinks Andrew is going to experience the same heartache he did. Brady’s felt the pain of knowing a parent doesn’t want you, and I know Brady’s terrified to put Andrew through that.
“What the hell am I supposed to tell him? How am I going to explain that his mother is a selfish bitch who would prefer to party than to mother him? It’s not fair.”
I have no idea how to answer, or if he actually wants me to. “I don’t think you should tell him anything right away.”
He sighs, dropping his gaze to the mattress again. “He’s going to want to know where she is.”
I pull his face back up. “So we’ll take it day by day.”
He smiles. “‘We’ll’?”
“Yes, we’ll do it together.” I smile back.
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I can’t do this without you.”
Just when I thought I was rid of all my insecurities, they rear their ugly heads. Is this why he came to get me? He needs a mother for Andrew?
“Brady, why did you come here?”
Without a word, he reaches over the side of the bed and scoops up his jeans from the floor. His hand dips into the back pocket and removes a folded piece of paper. He hands it to me.
My fingers begin to shake as I unfold the square. While I read it, an array of emotions come over me, everything from mild fear to extreme sadness. I feel Brady’s eyes studying me. It’s when I get to the paragraph about me that anger surges. Not just at her, but at myself. I never once tried to fight. It’s something I will never forgive myself for.
When I finish, I fold the letter back up and hand it to him.
He tosses it to the floor. “That’s why you left, isn’t it? You saw us?”
I nod. I feel so ashamed. I should have known.
