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James was seething with anger, evident from the number of missed calls I noticed on my phone as I walked out of the conference room after a meeting. Although I’ve never wanted to avoid James before, it was the only thing I could think of doing at this moment.
I expected James to come after me once he returned from his business trip in Hawaii. I thought he wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, but it seemed he had returned earlier than anticipated because of me and what he must have heard about what happened with Olivia.
The mere mention of her name filled me with a familiar pain associated with her memory. A sharp punch-like pang struck my chest, and my already sour mood took a further downward turn. It had been three days since I last saw her. Three days since I threw myself into work, hoping a solution to my dilemma would somehow find me. During those three days, Jessica hadn’t stopped calling and making demands.
She wanted me to find an apartment for her and Parker or allow her to move into mine. The latter option was favorable, so I contemplated going for the former. However, somethingwithin me couldn’t make sense of it all, and I hadn’t heeded her request.
I pushed thoughts of Jessica Gavin out of my mind and headed toward my office only to learn from Gloria that James had been there. From the brief message he left, it was clear he was furious.
“Mr. McKenna wants you to meet him at theWave Restaurantat noon without fail,” Gloria said, lowering her head slightly. “Those were his exact words, sir. I did try to tell him you already had another meeting scheduled for that time?—”
“Cancel the meeting, Gloria. This is more important,” I told her, walking out of my office, my eyes fixed on my wristwatch. I only had about fifteen minutes until it was noon.
“But it’s an important meeting that shouldn’t be postponed,” Gloria called after me, frustrating me further.
“I don’t recall you being the boss here, Gloria,” I snapped, turning a cold glare toward her. “Cancel the meeting and reschedule it with the investors at their convenience.”
I shouldn’t have been so harsh, but I was not in the mood to have someone question me. Having said that, I marched out of the office and quickly messaged my driver, alerting him that I would be leaving. He arrived promptly to open the car door as I reached the parking garage. “ToWave Restaurant.”
Throughout the ride, I tried to picture what would transpire between James and me. Eventually, I concluded that all James wanted to do was talk things out as friends first; otherwise, he would have asked me to meet him at his place, where he could confront me without giving a fuck about who was watching.
I wasn’t entirely at ease with meeting him. Deep down I knew I would feel better if he just let out his anger and punched me a few times—I deserved it for hurting his sister. The image of Olivia’s tear-streaked face once again flashed across my mind, filling me with immense sorrow.
When my driver pulled up in front of the restaurant, my heart sunk into the pit of my stomach. I told my driver to leave without me, knowing this could take longer than expected. I took my time before heading into the restaurant as I stepped out of the car. I felt my watch vibrate against my skin, telling me it was noon. I walked inside, scanning the room for James, and fortunately spotted him at a table near the window.
The moment my backside touched the chair, James handed me the menu. “Place your order, I’ve already made mine.” He signaled to a waiter, who promptly approached us.
From the stern expression on James’s face and his flat tone, it was clear he wouldn’t tolerate any objections, so I ordered my meal and requested a glass of water.
Once the waiter left, James looked at me with confusion in his eyes. “Jessica, really?” He raised a confused brow. “I know you’re intelligent, but sometimes your stupidity baffles me, Ethan.”
I sighed, feeling a slight sense of relief. I was right—James only wanted to talk as friends for now, though he might switch to his protective brother mode.
“James, it’s a little complicated,” I began explaining, hoping he would understand. “If you were in my shoes, what would you do?”
He squinted his eyes at me. “Are you expecting me to give you an unbiased answer to that question, despite knowing that my sister is the one you hurt?”
His response stung, and I couldn’t argue a word against it.
“Instead of focusing on that, why don’t you try looking at it differently,” I suggested, moving closer to him. “Take Olivia being your sister out of the equation and tell me, if you were in my position, what would you do?” Two waiters returned with our food and placed it on the table. I waited for them to leave I continued with my questioning. “Would you try to work thingsout with your long-time ex for the sake of your son? Or would you co-parent and stay with a woman whom you’ve only known for a few months, hoping things work out between you two?”
James stared at me, his expression blank. He remained silent for a few seconds, making me uncertain if he was going to answer. Then, he said calmly, “You can’t exclude Olivia from the equation, Ethan. My answer will undoubtedly be biased because she’s my sister, and I don’t want to see her hurt. And right now, you’re the only person capable of hurting her.”
Not only am I capable of hurting her, but I had hurt her. The fact that I caused Olivia pain only made things more challenging for me. Dejectedly, I responded, “You’re right, James.”
“But I do understand your dilemma, Ethan,” James said calmly, a sad smile settling on his face. “And I also understand why it seems like such a significant problem to you. You’re used to dealing with everything logically and always seek a logical solution to your problems.”
“Isn’t that the best way to solve any problem?” I asked, wondering if I had been looking at things all wrong.
“Not always, Ethan.” James smiled, placing a hand on his chest. “Sometimes you need to think from here because it's where your answer lies.”
From the heart? If I were to think from the heart, then I should be rushing to Olivia right now and apologizing to her. I should be embracing co-parenting and allowing nature to take its course between Olivia and me
“And don’t forget, the past always has a way of resurfacing,” James added with finality, turning his attention back to his food.
Unlike James, I couldn’t bring myself to start eating as thoughts of everything continued to whirl in my head. My mother and James hadn’t seen any issue with my situation,and Olivia herself was willing to be a part of my son’s life. They couldn’t all be blind—maybe I was the one creating the problem.
Letting my heart make decisions, as James suggested, meant giving the love I felt for Olivia a chance and not sabotaging my shot at happiness for the sake of my son. I could co-parent and give my child the love he deserved, ensuring everyone’s happiness. That way, I would have Olivia in my life. Why had I set such high standards for myself that no one could meet?
