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Damian shook his head. “Listen, I’m not trying to be a jerk here. I’m just really worried that you’ll be in over your head.”
“I was a combat medic, Damian. I can handle giving Palmer a shot in her hip.” Kent put the rest of his clothes in his bag. “I’m sorry this sucks for you and I get that you don’t agree, but it’s something I have to do both for her, and for me. If you were doing something like this, I’d support you.”
Damian sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Getting a new partner is a big change for me.”
“I get it.” Kent went to Damian, and they hugged. Kent would miss his friend. “I may call you from time to time, so have your phone handy.”
“You better bring me a present or something.”
“Yeah, like what?”
Damian laughed. “When you see it, you’ll know it’s for me.”
Kent rolled his eyes. “No pressure.”
“Nope, none. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
After Kent had stopped at his apartment to pick up his things, he stopped at RoccoBean for his and Palmer’s caffeine fix. He told the barista he wouldn’t see them for a while since he was taking the most epic road trip ever.
“That’s so cool,” the barista said. “What’s your Instagram? I want to see your photos.”
“I don’t have one.”
“You should totally create one and post your photos!”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.” He would bring the subject up to Palmer, who had no social media presence at all. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense for Palmer to create some sort of profile if she planned to look for her family.
Kent drove to Palmer’s and pulled into the parking lot across from her complex. The plan was for him to leave his car there for the duration of their trip. It was the cheaper option, and he had told his subletter he could have his parking spot while he was gone. Before he could get into the elevator, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and froze.
Maeve.
He hadn’t spoken to her since the day in the hospital when everything went south with them. He didn’t know how she was or what was going on in her life. Her parents said she needed time and space, and that’s what Kent was giving her. Seeing her name made his heart race. Kent had cared for her, but those feelings went out the window when she told him about her husband. He hesitated before answering.
“Hello?” He intended to answer with a firm, nonchalant tone, but his voice cracked, much to his dismay. Kent didn’t want to show Maeve any emotion. He didn’t want her to know how she had hurt him.
“Hi, Kent,” Maeve said and then sighed. “Um, how are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good, good. I was wondering if we could get together and talk?”
They could. He had time before he and Palmer needed to be at the airport, but he couldn’t bring himself to say yes. Did he owe it to Maeve to hear her out? Possibly, and only because she could be carrying his child. If she wasn’t pregnant, he would’ve deleted her number by now and forgotten all about her.
Before he could tell her off, he remembered what Palmer had said. Maeve could be the mother of his child, and while he was hurt by what she had done, she was hurting just the same. Somehow, in the short amount of time he had spent with Palmer, she’d changed his view on how he should interact with Maeve. “I can’t right now, Maeve,” he said. “I’m about to leave town for a while.”
“Oh, where are you going?”
“On a road trip to everywhere. My friend is dying, so we’re doing the ultimate bucket list tour of the US.”
“I’m so sorry, Kent.” Was she sorry for the situation she’d put him in or that his friend was dying? He said nothing. He didn’t want to tell her things were okay because they weren’t. What did she expect him to say?
“Anyway, I wanted to let you know I did the paternity test, like you’d asked. Enzo isn’t happy—”
Hearing that her husband wasn’t happy with something Kent had the right to didn’t sit well with him. “Look, I don’t mean to be mean or anything, but I don’t really care about Enzo and his feelings. I will not be a third wheel in your marriage problems. If the baby is mine, I’ll be there. I’ll be a hands-on dad and do my part. I’ll take care of what’s mine. But I won’t be this extra person in your life, Maeve.”
“No, I know, and I told him as much. If the baby is yours, Kent, we’ll work something out. I won’t be that person—the one who keeps the father away from his child. I know I messed up, but I hope that someday, you can forgive me,” she said quietly. “I’ll call you when the results come in.”
