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Trey blinked at his father in confusion. “She wistened to my heart.”
Rhys nodded. “She’s my friend. We’re going to go see her.”
Trey shook his head. “Not at the goctors.”
“No, I think she’s at home, bud. We don’t have to go back to the doctors.”
“M’kay.”
A good father would take his son home and let him rest, but no, Rhys wasn’t a good dad today, or even a good person after what he did to Maisie. He needed to apologize. Rhys went up and down each aisle and tried to remember what Maisie had in her hands the day they met at the store. He went to the bakery section and picked up a pack of frosted cookies and put them in the cart. Trey’s eyes lit up.
“For later,” Rhys told him.
Trey nodded.
Rhys also added some juice for Trey and a few healthier snacks, even though he’d only want the cookies. They made one last stop before checking out. Rhys grabbed a bottle of baby Motrin just in case Trey’s fever elevated.
“Fenway,” Trey squealed when Rhys opened the back door and helped his son into the car. Fenway wagged her tail and kissed every inch of Trey’s face. It didn’t matter that they had only been in the store for twenty minutes, for Fenway, it was a lifetime since she’d seen her humans.
“Hey, bud, we’re going to stop at Maisie’s and bring her the flowers, okay?” Not that Rhys expected his son to protest. He wanted Trey to know what they were doing, just in case Maisie let them into her apartment. Rhys had a lot of groveling to do.
They pulled into the parking lot, and Rhys grabbed the cookies and flowers before getting Trey and Fenway out of the car. He hoped Maisie would invite them in. Rhys knew his chances were slim, but he had to try. He’d never forgive himself if he didn’t.
“Here, why don’t you hold the flowers?” He handed the bouquet to his son. It was a low blow on his part. Trey was adorable and women could never say no to him.
Rhys positioned his son and dog at the door, knocked, and then stood behind them. The tactic was dirty, but he was desperate. If Maisie said no to Trey’s cuteness, Rhys counted on Fenway winning her over.
Assuming she liked dogs.
The door swung open and Maisie in front of him. She was dressed in sweats and a ratty, holey T-shirt, with her hair in a messy bun on top of her head, and she looked angry. She had every right to be. God, the sight of her sent him into a tailspin. Maisie eyed Rhys first and then drifted her focus to Trey, and then Fenway.
“May the three of us come in?”
Maisie looked at Rhys sharply and hesitated. He tapped Trey on the shoulder and the toddler pushed the flowers toward Maisie.
“Thank you, Trey,” she said as she took them from the boy.
“And these are for you.” Rhys handed her the carton of frosted cookies. “Trey would like one, if that’s okay with you?”
“Isn’t he sick or did you convince him to lie, too?”
“Ouch.” Rhys grimaced. He hadn’t lied or even omitted anything. He just wasn’t forthcoming. It wasn’t the same as far as he was concerned. Still, he was in the wrong. “I deserve that,” he told her. “Please, Maisie, could we come in so I can apologize?”
Maisie stepped back and let them in. Fenway did a quick lap of sniffing everything before she sat next to Trey who had settled himself in the middle of Maisie’s couch. She took her flowers and cookies into the other room and was followed by Rhys.
“Can we talk?” he asked, startling her. She held her hand over her heart and evened her breathing. “Sorry,” he said.
“Sorry will not cut it. I feel duped,” she said in an angry whisper.
“The sorry was for scaring you,” Rhys said. “For everything else, I am deeply remorseful. I had no intention of hiding Trey from you. I wanted to tell you over the weekend, but there never seemed to be a right time to drop that I have a three-year-old son.”
“At dinner the other night when you sort of told me about yourself would’ve been a good start. ‘Oh, hey, I’m a dad,’ awesome.”
“I didn’t know if we’d see each other again.”
“Was that before or after we fucked in your car?”
Rhys looked over his shoulder and then stepped aside.
