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“Ben, what do you want?”
“You need to leave Elle alone.”
That makes me pause. I stare at him.
“Excuse me?”
“Elle was happy with everything until you turned up. You brought all of this trouble to her door, and it’s stressful for her.” Ben is breathing heavily. “I want you to leave. Do what you did all those years ago and vanish.”
It takes me a moment for the words to sink in. Did he just suggest that I desert Elle and Amy?
“You want me to walk away from Elle? What about Amy? She’s my daughter.”
Ben snorts.
“Where were you for all that time?”
“If you recall, Elle never told me. We had no way of contacting each other.”
“I’ve been there for every moment of Amy’s life. I helped change her diapers. I was there when she took her first steps. When she was learning to use the toilet and ride a bike for the first time, I was the one who was present. As far as I’m concerned, Elle doesn’t need you around, and Amy certainly doesn’t.”
“You’re seriously telling me to abandon my daughter? Because you want to keep playing house?”
Ben bares his teeth at me.
“Amy calls me ‘papa’. What does she call you? She certainly doesn’t call you dad. Elle hasn’t told her yet, which means she’s ashamed of you. I don’t care what your title is, how rich you are or what you’ve done with your life, you’re not worthy to be Amy’s dad.”
“That falls on you, does it?”
“Damn right it does.”
This is filling me with rage. I can take Ben’s snide remarks towards me, but this is going way over the line of disrespect. I push the rage back, knowing if I lose my temper now we’re going to end up fighting in the street. That I don’t want.
“Ben, I get you’re in love with Elle, and you think you have your own family with her, but your fantasy was never going to hold up.”
“Fantasy?” Ben’s eyes bulged. “Did you just call my life a fantasy?”
“Elle doesn’t love you like that. She’s told me so, and I know she’s told you.”
“You think she loves you instead?”
“I’m not going to put words in her mouth.” Although I really hope so. I sigh. “Look, I know you’re not happy with your current life has been turned upside-down, but I didn’t plan on barging in to take anyone away from you. Elle still cares about you, and Amy adores you, so why would I separate you from them?”
Ben scowls.
“Elle and Amy are my family, not yours.”
“I’m Amy’s father, and Elle and I are in a relationship.”
“That’s a lie! Elle never said anything about that!”
“Maybe she did and you weren’t listening.” I hold up my hands, trying not to spill my coffee at the same time. “I get it. You love Elle, and while you two were never a couple, you had a good balance and a good life. When I came here, I had no intention to change that, but knowing that Amy is mine…”
“DNA says you’re her dad, but I’m her father!”
“I’m sure if you talk to Elle about that, she would disagree.”
Ben looks like he’s going to take a swing at me. People are stepping around us, giving us strange odd looks. The last thing I want is for this to become a spectacle.
