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I lean against the counter. "He… He regrets leaving me and says he wants to meet Charlotte."
Alisha's eyes widen, and Bella's mouth drops open.
"He's here to stay?"
I nod. "He's renting a place in the city and he said he's back for Charlotte and me.”
"Shut the front door,” Bella spits out. “Has that man hit his head? Because he sounds delusional. You're not taking him back."
My eyes fall to the floor, and I bite my bottom lip.
"Emma? You're not thinking of letting him back into your life after what he did, right?"
When I don't answer, both friends explode.
"Emma Campbell. Have you gone insane?" Alisha yells.
Bella stands up and places her hands on her hips. Her sharp stare burns into mine. "Emma," she says with an eerie, calm voice, "Tell me, Alisha is wrong."
I lift my chin and focus my attention on my red-haired friend. "He is her biological father... If he wants to meet her, he has every right," I say, crossing my arms in front of me. My sadness takes a backseat as frustration takes over. "What kind of mother am I if I keep her father away from her? You both know she has asked about him multiple times these last few weeks. If she gets older and finds out that I kept him away from her, she will hate me," I say, throwing my hands up in the air.
"The only thing he's been is a goddamn sperm donor," Alisha says, mimicking my hand gesture and bumping her brows together in a scowl. "Nick has been a better father figure to Charlotte than Thomas."
Hearing her say Nick's name shocks me, and it washes away the frustration and reveals another layer of sadness. My stomach ties itself in a knot as I bolt out a new set of tears. Both girls rush over and hug me.
"Shh, Emma. We're sorry for yelling at you. You know we didn't mean it."
"I know," I whisper between the sobs. “I told Thomas I needed time and sent him away. But what am I going to do?"
Alisha pours me a fresh coffee and hands it to me while Bella lies one arm comfortably around my shoulder.
"First, you need to calm down. And then you should call Nick," Bella says.
I shake my head. "No, I can't." My heartbeat jumps to a higher gear. "He's in New York for a business meeting. I can't bother him with this."
"Yes, you can, and you should. You two are in a relationship, Emma. Don't you think he should know what's happening?" Bella says matter-of-factly.
My stomach turns at the thought of telling Nick about Thomas's return. How is he going to react? I place my free hand over my heart and take a deep breath in and out. God, this morning my world felt perfect. And now it's like a tornado ran right through it and flipped everything upside down.
The rest of the day,Bella and Alisha stay with me. When it's time to pick up Charlotte from school, they come along, and Charlotte's face is beaming with pleasure when she sees her aunts. We go for a stroll in the park, and I have to admit it helps. The fresh air and talking with my two best friends stops my mind from exploding. Seeing my baby girl enjoying herself, playing in the playground and running around makes my heart smile with pure love.
But a while later, Thomas's words echo through my mind. And questions arise. Is he sincerely interested in meeting her? Will he leave again? How and when am I going to tell Charlotte her father is back and that he wants to meet her? And how will Nick react when I tell him Thomas is back? My breath hitches as I realize: He who asks questions cannot avoid the answers. And am I ready for the answers?
It's 9 pm.After I've taken a shower, I'm roaming through my kitchen in my pink bathrobe when my phone chimes. I jump at the sound but walk over to the counter to see who it is. Staring at Nick's name on the screen, I let it ring until it goes to voicemail. A minute later, it comes to life again. I can't ignore him forever. With shaky hands, I push the button and bring the phone to my ear. "Hello..."
"Good evening. How are you, Angel?"
"I-I'm fine.” I stutter. “You? How was your meeting?"
“It went fine.” He sighs, tiredness obvious in his voice. “I miss you.”
I cover my mouth with my hand as I try to swallow the lump in my throat. "I… I miss you too."
"Emma, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Em, I can hear something is wrong. Tell me, what is it?"
For a moment, I contemplate what to do. It’s not that I’ve done anything wrong, but bringing Charlotte’s father into a conversation sure is messy. But before I can decide, he's gone.
Taken by surprise, I lower the device and gaze at the screen. He hung up. Trying to hold in new tears, I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw muscles cramp. But it seems my body has a tear reservoir the size of the mystic lakes, and I'm too tired to keep them in, so I let them drop—should I call him back?
