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“It’s Alex, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice cracking. “It is. We slept together the night of your graduation party, right before he disappeared.”
“I should have known…” Duncan cursed to himself. “I mean, look at Ollie, he looks just like Alex. I think part of me always suspected, but I thought you would have been honest with me, Grace.”
“I don’t see why it matters. I was honest. He was a one-night stand who disappeared after we slept together, and I couldn’t get ahold of him.” Suddenly my sadness was replaced by anger, and I stepped into the hallway to avoid waking Ollie. “It’s not like I didn’t try, Duncan. God knows, I have called Alex so many times, only to leave voicemails that never got returned. I know his damn secretary on a first name basis, but he was always too busy to return my calls.”
“I know, Grace. Trust me, I know you tried, and I’m sorry, I know it’s none of my business. I just think… well, I think it’s time Alex knows the truth so he can step up and help Ollie.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Easier said than done when he’s not returning my calls.”
Duncan let out a sigh on the other end of the line. “Alex is back in Denver. I saw him last night, we had drinks.”
My heart stopped. “What? You didn’t tell him about Ollie, did you?”
“No, it’s not my place. I told him he needed to call you, Grace, and he plans to. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
Alex was back.
He was going to call me.
So many emotions coursed through my veins.
Anger at him for disappearing and not returning my calls.
Sadness at the years we’d lost.
Hurt over what he’d done to me.
But at the very edge of all of that, there was hope.
Happiness.
He was here. He could potentially save Ollie.
Tears welled in my eyes, and this time, it was just sadness.
“Alex isn’t the same person I fell in love with in high school, Duncan. No doubt he’s changed. That Alex never would have abandoned us like that.”
“Give him a chance, Grace. He just might surprise us, and this is what Ollie needs. Let’s just be thankful he’s here now, and hopefully he can save that sweet boy.”
That’s all that mattered. I could get over the pain of him leaving me. I didn’t need to date him. I just needed him to save our little boy.
“Thanks for letting me know, Duncan.”
“I’m going to send you his current number. I wouldn’t wait on him to call you; he might get cold feet. Call him.”
“I will.”
We got off the phone, and as promised, Duncan sent over Alex’s new number. My finger wavered over it before I called. It rang once, twice, three times. I sighed as a mechanical voice on the other end told me to leave a message. Voicemail. Of course. Because nothing had changed, not really.
“Hey Alex… Duncan told me you were in town, and I really need to talk to you. Please, call me when you get this, it’s urgent.”
I hung up and prayed that he simply didn’t recognize the number, that once he heard the message, he’d call me. I stared at my phone for an eternity before giving up on that hope. I tucked it into my pocket, making sure the ringer was on before stepping back into Ollie’s room.
“Oh, hello there, sweet boy,” I said as I noticed his eyes fluttering open.
“Mommy,” he said, his voice so soft and distant. He tried to reach his weak little arms for me, and I rushed to his side.
