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“I’ve missed you, Chase.”
“Gee, thanks for calling to tell me that. What about your daughter, Ruby? Do you miss her?” My daughter’s mother didn’t bring out the best in me. Down boy. Getting worked up over this was not going to help anyone.
“Of course I miss my baby. I want to come see you. Both of you.”
My stomach churned again. “Not a good idea, Minette. And I gotta run. Next time send a postcard—”
“Chase, wait…”
I’d never heard her plead before. “Minette, why did you call? Do you need something? I thought things were going well at the ballet.”
“They are. They really are. I got a solo for the upcoming season. It’s just that I saw the article about you in the New York Post, and I began realizing I made a mistake leaving you and Ruby.”
There it was, transparent as glass. She’d found I was not only making good money but serious fucking money, the kind a dancer for the city ballet would never see. That is, unless she married it.
And now she wanted to be a mom to Ruby? And a partner to me?
I had to admit, for a moment, I was tempted to say yes if it would clean up the inevitable mess she’d left behind. My heart broke on a pretty much regular basis for my baby Ruby, who would one day find out her mother walked without looking back. I knew when that day came, my little girl would be left full of questions—and heartache.
Until then, it was my job to protect her as best I could, and that included keeping the very woman who’d given up her baby for no other reason than ‘she didn’t feel like a mother’ at arm’s reach.
“Minette, you left Ruby and me. At first, it was hard. But now we’re okay. You’re not welcome back in our lives. I’m sorry.”
I felt like bastard for taking such a hard line, but my first priority was my daughter. That’s all there was to it.
I took a deep breath to shake off the negative conversation with Minette, and was about to peek in on Ruby, when the door buzzer rang. My heart skipped a beat knowing Avril was on her way up. I pulled the baby’s door closed so we wouldn’t wake her and went to open the door for my beautiful guest.
And what a beauty she was. I’d never seen her dressed casually, and boy, did she pull it off. With her slim capri pants and little flats, she looked like she’d stepped out of an Audrey Hepburn movie. She had her hair twisted into a long braid that hung over the front of her right shoulder, which was bare thanks to a little halter top that showed off her flawless skin.
Her lips were painted with something pink and shiny. I took pleasure knowing I’d be kissing that off soon.
“Hi there!” she said, giving me a chaste kiss as she entered my apartment.
She spun around for a three-sixty degree view, looking all kinds of pleased.
“Wow. Look at this!” she said, gazing down on Central Park.
I pulled the cork out of some nice red sangiovese and poured us both a glass.
“And this is an awesome kitchen,” she added.
“Thank you and cheers,” I said. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Her gaze locked with mine, and she tilted her head, giving me the smile that I’d found captivating from the first time I?
??d met her. All thoughts of my earlier, unpleasant conversation with Minette, were forgotten.
She set down her wine glass. “Okay. I have to see the little miss.” She clapped her hands and jumped like an excited kid.
I was thrilled when someone wanted to see my little girl. I was turning into such a sap, but all my friends told me daughters did that to you.
“C’mon. She’s sleeping.”
I took Avril by the hand and led her into Ruby’s bedroom. With the nightlight on, the room was just bright enough to see my little angel, who was once again sleeping with her head turned to the side and her arms spread out over her head. Her tiny double chin and stubby nose swelled my heart with pride.
What could I say? I just couldn’t help it.
“She is absolutely delicious,” Avril whispered, stroking a finger down Ruby’s pudgy cheek. The baby stirred, and Avril snatched her hand back.
