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My only saving grace is we’re in public and Jimmy rarely causes a scene. Well… except for those fights that were in my honor. Shit, maybe I should have rethought this.
“Hey.” I slide into the booth across from him.
He stares at my left breast, where my name is embroidered, before shifting his attention to my eyes. From the bags under his eyes, he looks as if he got as much sleep as I did. Hard for him to look shitty though.
We sit across from one another, taking in the other . Six years and so much change. I’m no longer the thin-framed model. I’ve had a baby. He has much more muscle. Which means I grew soft and he grew hard. Hard.
“What can I get you guys?”
Thank you, Misty, for stepping in before my thoughts traveled away from the reason I’m here.
“Just a coffee for me please,” I say.
“Same.” Jimmy doesn’t spare her a glance.
“Boy, you guys are easy. Coming right up.” Misty makes her way around the counter, pours the coffee into two white cups, and brings them over. “Cream and sugar are on the table.”
I smile my thank you. Her smile fades slightly as she looks between Jimmy and me before she leaves the table.
I wrap my hands around the warm mug and meet Jimmy’s gaze over the rim of my cup. He opens and closes his mouth as though he’s not sure where to start.
My body feels at war with itself. Part of it wants to throw the coffee in his face. Tell him to leave me alone. Another part wants to relish the enjoyment that we have a child together. The last part wants to slide over to his side of the booth and draw comfort from being close to him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispers, staring at his coffee mug.
My gaze drops to my own coffee. The lowness of his tone reflects how deeply I cut him this time. “That’s hard to answer.”
“Well, try.” His voice has an edge. He has a right to be angry, but I’m petrified of the action that anger will provoke.
“Can we not dothathere? You deserve answers, I agree. But can we save that argument for another time? I need to know what you plan on doing now that you know.”
He blinks, looking surprised, but after a moment, his expressions turns earnest. As though he might not want to touch that subject right now since it means talking about that night.
“Fine,” he bites out. “I don’t know what I plan.” He leans across the table. “I found out less than twenty-four hours ago that I have a kid.”
I drop my gaze to the table once more, no longer able to look into his scorned chestnut eyes. It’s been so long that I forgot how easily his contempt can cut me.
“One thing I can tell you,” he continues, “is that I plan to be in her life.”
My entire body seizes as if I got touched in a game of freeze tag. Air struggles to fill my lungs, and tears prick my eyes.
“Are you going to take her away from me?” I whisper, and one lone tear streams a path down my face.
Damn it. Where is the woman from the pep talk in the car? The one where I said we were going to stand strong and not let him mess with us?
His eyes slash with shock and hurt. “Of course not… unless there’s a reason to.” He sips his coffee, looks outside and back at me. “I can’t believe you think I’d do that—rip a child away from the only parent she’s ever known.” He shakes his head. “I’m still the same Jimmy. The one who—”
“I don’t know who you are anymore.” As hard as it is to accept, that’s the truth.
He’s promised another woman his future. I recall the magazine I picked up in the store a couple of weeks ago. Adelaide had given an interview and gushed about the behemoth of a wedding they're planning. The Jimmy I knew would’ve hated that. But time has passed, and people change. I’m the best example of that.
He says nothing. What can he say really? It’s true.
“I want to see her,” he says.
I take a sip of my coffee to buy time. It’s only logical he does. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to introduce Monica to her father. “I know. She doesn’t know about you.”
His grip tightens on his mug, his knuckles turning white. “That’s your doing.”
