by Stacey Lynn
I’ve become obsessive about checking the peephole. Once, I almost left when Paisley was in the hallway and I barely stopped myself from throwing myself to my knees and begging for her mercy.
The elevator door slides open and I throw open my door, meeting Jaxon in the hallway. As he reaches me, my hellish nightmare continues because so does Paisley’s door.
She spies me and freezes, eyes sliding from me to Angelo and the Jaxon. They widen when they meet him, but who wouldn’t. The man is built like an ox, dressed in military fatigue-style pants like he’s set to be deployed immediately and he has sunglasses over his eyes.
“Paisley,” I call her, and her hair whips in the air as she turns to me. Her skin pales and she licks her lips.
I want to kiss her and apologize and make everything better.
She blinks. “Mikah.” Then she turns, scoots by Jaxon who hasn’t changed his expression as she comes closer, and then she’s gone, slipping into the elevator as the door closes.
“Damn.” That couldn’t have gone worse. Or maybe it could, if she would have slapped me.
“That was about as icy as the Arctic,” Jaxon says and holds out his hand. “Jaxon Hayes.”
“Thanks. And yeah, that was… well, that was…”
“Paisley Hughes. Yeah, I know.”
I should be surprised, but I’m not. There’s a reason Luke hired him. I told him to find the best.
“Come on in.”
I turn back and enter first as he says, “If it’s any consolation what I’m about to tell you will probably help smooth things over with the neighbor.”
“Yeah?” I bounce Angelo in my arms. He fusses a bit and I check my watch. Viola should already be here. It’s not like her to run late. “What is it?”
He reaches behind him and without saying a word, hands me a folded piece of paper.
“What is this?” I’m already reaching for it, but with Angelo fussing it’s not easy to open.
“Termination of Parental Rights Request.”
I almost drop Angelo and I’m shaking so I lay him on his playmat on the floor before I do. “I’m sorry. What?” I tear open the paper and see for myself.
“You’ll need to go to a judge. But I’ve filed the work already. Got that done as soon as she signed. And with the information I found the judge will give it.”
“What… what information, and how...”
“One, it’s my job and you sure you want to know? Because not everyone does. And the good news is she’s out of your life. Guaranteed. Slippery, but I got it, and witnesses to her deceit.”
“Deceit.” I whip toward Angelo.
“Don’t worry. He’s yours.”
“Tell me.”
“She didn’t know whose he was. Process of elimination. Two other guys she went to, them for money, they refused, but they weren’t as rich as you. A dentist and some guy who owns a contracting firm. He’s also married, so, well, he wanted her gone, but also wanted the kid.”
“Are you… she slept with…”
He finally changes his expression from stone to something like a sneer. Slowly, he slides his glasses off and tucks them into the front of his black shirt. “Got knocked up. Didn’t know whose it was. I figure, by the time she got to you, she was tired of actually fucking guys with a moral conscience and the smarts to determine they’re actually the father before handing over stacks of cash. Your girl isn’t too smart. Probably started with less rich guys first in case he was theirs. Didn’t want to risk losing your money pot.”
“She’s not my girl,” I snap. This woman. This damn, evil…. My living room spins, I’m in such shock. I might need to sit.
I really need Viola to get here. If I go down, no one can help with Angelo because Paisley is gone… from the building and my life. For helved. Pis. Shit. I have screwed everything up.
Jason was right.
I am an idiot.
“So me… why did she leave him?”
“She wanted the vacation. Got back, has no money, watched you for a few weeks. Was going to come back but then waited until you went public, figuring you’d have to eventually and she’d get more money than from you.”
“All of this, screwing with my life… with Angelo’s for money?”
“Three million.”
Stupid. She should have just said it last week. “Had she asked I would have given it to her to get her to go away.”
“That’s what I told her. Needless to say, she’s not thrilled with me or my tactics to get her to sign, but it’s done and filed. Nothing she can do about it now.”
“He’s mine.” I scan the paper again. It’s a copy, like he said, but it’s still stamped. Upper right corner with the day’s date. “I’ll email another copy to Luke but like I said, knew you’d want this, so I figured I’d hand deliver it. No tellin’ with his family thing when he’d see it. Thought you’d want to know.”
“I did.” I correct myself. “I do. Thank you. Whatever I owe you, I will double.”
Jaxon grins. It looks like it doesn’t belong on him. Like he rarely does it. I can relate. I cannot remember the last time I’ve smiled. “No offense, but you’ve already paid me enough. I’m sorry we couldn’t figure it out sooner while she was out of the country. Would have loved to have messed with her there, make her think she couldn’t return.”
I smile. Anything to make her pay for this makes me happy, even if it’s only a thought.
“Thank you. Again.” A huge breath falls from me and my body temperature drops ten degrees. Finally. It’s done.
“I’ll let myself out. Know you got a plane to catch.”
As he heads that way, the door opens, and Viola enters. “Oh.” Her eyes widen when she sees me and then she notices Jaxon. “Oooh. Well, aren’t you a big boy.”
“Never skip a bowl of Wheaties,” Jaxon says, and Viola’s eyes pop wide. He tips his head toward her, gives me a low wave and heads out the door Viola has just entered.
“Who was that?” she asks. “And I apologize for being late. I wasn’t feeling well last night, so I took cold medicine. Slept in.”
“Are you sick?”
“Oh. No. Nothing. Just a cold. Or allergies. I’ll be fine though.” She coughs into her hand and I frown.
“Are you okay being sick around Angelo? I can find someone else for this trip?”
“No no, Mikah.” She coughs again and gives me a weak smile. “I will be fine, I’m certain of it. Besides, if it is a cold, Angelo has already been exposed to my germs, and he’s healthy so he should be fine.”
“Are you sure?” There’s no way I can’t get on this plane, and I need to get going. I spent too long waiting for Viola before I started packing. And then Jaxon. Which reminds me. I shake the paper at Viola. If she says she can watch Angelo, I trust her. “Look at this.”
“What is it—oooh—” She grins up at me. “She signed it?”
“Yes. Finally.”
Her face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Well, that’s wonderful. You can call Paisley again.”
“Maybe. When I get back. I must go.”
“Oh. Right. Of course. Okay.” She folds the paper and hands it back to me, her bright happiness diminishing. “Well then, play hard, skate fast, you know… all of those things. Angelo and I will be just fine. I promise. And call when you must.”
“I will.” Viola laughs at me because I call all the time. When I wake up. Before a game. After the game. Before I go to bed. Nothing changes except that Angelo has pooped again or eaten, but I like knowing his day when I’m not here.
I throw the rest of the things in my bag, slide into my suit coat and spend more time than I have, holding and kissing Angelo and telling him how much I love him, before handing him to Viola.
My gaze holds on Paisley’s door as I pass it. If only I had the time to go to her, I would.
But I will make things better and somehow, I will get her back.
As soon as I return.
Chapter Thirty-One
Paisley
* * *
If my obsession was borderline stalkerish before Mikah and I met, I’ve now passed unsurmountable levels of psycho. I check my door before I leave. Peer through my peephole when I hear a noise. I’m aware of how well he played on his first home game because yes, while I didn’t go, I watched from home even though I don’t understand anything, and he moves so fast on the ice I can barely keep track of him.
And I shouldn’t have gone out earlier. I should have stayed inside until the voices in the hallway vanished. Curiosity killed the cat and all that.
Except this time, curiosity stomped all over my still shredded heart.
One glimpse of Mikah holding Angelo and the pain of him shutting me out and then not answering the door the day after when I tried to talk to him revved into overdrive.
Which pathetically explains why I’m shoving my face into a carton of cookie dough ice cream, research for my paper and another class spread in front of me. I’m pretty sure they’re stuck together with melted ice cream.
I’ve become the girl who falls apart when a boy breaks her heart, and there’s still a stupid tiny part of me who knows there’s something else going on. Adding insult to injury, I feel like I’ve lost a whole new set of friends I was really beginning to care about. It’s not like I can call Katie up and bitch about him when she’s engaged to his teammate. I can’t whine to Tessa, who is somehow now living with Jason instead of going home to Toronto, or Hannah.
“Screw it,” I mutter around a spoonful of ice cream. People lose friends during break-ups all the time. Sure, they don’t always have the awesome luxury of living next door, or across the hall, from said break-up, but I’m being way too overdramatic here.
A couple months we dated, not even.
So I had a crush on the guy for months beforehand.
So I envisioned us raising Angelo together. Things don’t work out for whatever reason and even if I ever get an answer to why he did this… does it matter?
In the end, Mikah didn’t trust me enough to handle it with him. Us together. Pippa said it best the other day when she called to check on me. A man who doesn’t trust you enough to go through hard times isn’t worth hanging on to for the easy ones, girl. You’re stronger than this. And if he’s not it, no matter how great he is, there’s better for you.
“She’s right.” Girl power. All that jazz. I’ve got this. Stabbing my spoon into the carton, I take it all to the kitchen where I clean up and wash the melted ice cream off my face and good grief, there’s some dried to my chin and drying on my shirt.
I will not become a wreck over a guy. Other fish in the sea. I channel Pippa’s ooh-rah fierce-woman power speech and blow out a breath.
After a quick change of clothes into a lightweight sweatshirt where one shoulder dips to my biceps and my coziest pair of wide-legged yoga pants, I sit down on my couch, turn off the stupid romance movie I was watching and clean up my research notes.
I was right. There is ice cream sticking to them, so I put those to the side. I’ll have to redo them for my Advanced Techniques class but so what. Not like I have more important pressing matters on my to-do list. I’m in the midst of separating my disastrous mess when my phone rings next to me.
Viola.
Her name shines on the screen and I hesitate. She’s called me twice. Both times I answered, only for her to offer to bring Angelo over for a bit. I declined. It’d hurt too much to see him. I don’t want to tell her to no again.
You are a strong, independent woman who can move mountains and screw men who don’t treat you like you deserve.
Right. I almost forgot.
“Hello?”
A cough, a wretched sounding cough comes through the phone. “Paisley?”
“Viola? Are you okay?” Without thought, I’m scrambling off the couch.
“Yes. Well no. I’m sick. Really sick.” Another cough. “I told Mikah it was just a cold, but I think I was wrong and now I have a fever and well… I’m so sorry. I know things aren’t well for you two but can you… can you come help? I don’t know if I can take care of Angelo.”
“Viola.” I cringe as she hacks so loud I swear I can hear her through the thick walls. “I don’t know if Mikah would want that.”
“I know. I know you think that, and I know why, but Paisley—” she coughs again, and I yank the phone from my ear, cringing— “I’ll just, call the service then.”
Visions of Leah flash in my brain and I cringe worse than hearing Viola hack up a lung. Last I checked, we still needed two of them.
“Okay. Okay. I’m coming over, but give me a few minutes to grab some things, okay? I’ll be there in ten.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Paisley. I’ll let Mikah know and clear it with him. Okay?”
“If he hesitates at all…”
“He won’t. He was worried when he left.”
“Okay. Be there in ten.”
She hangs up and I frown at my phone. She sounded okay, but that cough… I shrug off the weirdness and pack a bag. Tomorrow is Saturday so I can spend the night and get caught up with schoolwork this weekend while I stay over there but it’s not like I can’t run back here if I forget something. For now, I grab my pajamas and book bag and phone charger.
I’ve spent so much time at Mikah’s anyway, I have most of my necessities.
I shake off that thought.
This is for Angelo and Viola. Partly for Mikah. But that’s it. I’m now his neighbor, and I’ll have to go back to remembering that.
Which I should have done from the very beginning.
It’s Saturday afternoon and Angelo and I have just gotten back to Mikah’s after a walk around Uptown. I took him out early this morning and swung through the farmer’s market, something I’ve never done but will definitely be doing again. It wasn’t even the fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers that I loved so much, but the energy in the streets. Bright flowers seemed to be on every third stand. There was live music. People, happy to be out and about sipping their coffee drinks from local coffeehouses, getting early morning exercise. Kids of all ages ran around and I stopped and petted so many puppies I’m now itching to get to a rescue event and get myself one.
Ha. Uncle Trent would kill me. But what he doesn’t know….
Regardless, it was a great morning. I spent the rest of it working while Angelo napped and after lunch, I took him to the rooftop where we walked around some more. I pushed him in the lone infant swing. We saw more puppies in their dog parks and then watched a foursome play some incredible competitive tennis. By my count? The losing team is now down several hundred dollars.
I’m feeling refreshed and tired, the perfect early fall combination when we return to Mikah’s. I’ve fed Angelo again and he’s happily sitting in his swing while I clean up the living area. The last thing I want is for Mikah to return Monday and have his home be a mess. Mid-folding a blanket from Angelo’s laundry I started this morning, my phone rings with the FaceTime sound and it takes me several seconds to realize I’m staring at Mikah’s face. And why I’m staring at his face.
Of course. He probably wants to check on Angelo.
With trembling hands and a buzzing sensation of nerves sliding up my arms, I grab my phone and swipe right. It takes a minute for Mikah’s face to appear, and when he does, he looks wrecked.
His hair that’s usually styled nicely is a disaster. His scruff is longer, making him look like hasn’t shaved in days.
“Paisley.” He says my name on a gasp and then his eyes narrow. “Why are you in my home? And where is Viola? Is everything okay? I have been trying to reach her and she’s not answering and Angelo… oh God. Angelo… is he okay?”
“Woah—” I hold up a hand to stop him before realizing he can’t see it. “Viola’s sick, Mikah. Didn’t she call you?”
“Sick. She had a cough. Said it was a cold.”
Oh. This is bad. This is bad, bad, bad.
“Mikah.” I try to soften my vo
ice. “She called me last night and her cough was bad. She said she had a fever and asked if I could take over. I’m sorry. So, so sorry. She said she’d clear it with you.”
“She did not call. She is okay?”
“She didn’t look that bad.” But that cough. I shiver at that wretched sound. “I haven’t talked to her but I can call her.”
“No. I will.” His stressed features seem to ease, and he pulls in a large breath. “Angelo. He is okay?”
I turn so Angelo is behind me, over my shoulder. He has one thumb in his mouth and his other hand is reaching for a duck that spins around over his head.
“He’s good. He slept well. I’ve taken care of him. We went to the farmer’s market this morning and then to the rooftop this afternoon. I’m taking good care of him, Mikah.” I’m not sure why I feel the need to reassure him. He’s seen me with him.
There is a pause, a long one, too long, where he stares at Angelo on the small screen before he closes his eyes.
Oh no. He’s not going to tell me to leave, is he? He can. He can call the nanny service and get a replacement.
“I like you in my home. With him.”
“Don’t.” My word comes out harsh and my cheeks start to burn. “Don’t say that to me.”
His blue eyes, so dark and vivid even through the small screen in my hand burn straight to chest. “I am sorry, Paisley. So sorry. I did… what I did… that was wrong.”
I shake my head. I can’t listen to this. Not now.
“Mikah—”
“I will explain when I get home. But I like you there. With him. It is as it should be. As I wanted…as I want.” His brows furrow as he corrects himself. I can tell he’s now leaning forward, almost like he’s trying to plead with me through the phone to believe him.
“Stop.”
“It was Angela. She came back. And there were threats, and I did not want you involved.”
I knew it! I’m not surprised by this, but not ready to hear it. And he has me trapped.
“I can’t do this, Mikah. I’ll watch Angelo, I’m happy to this weekend, but what you did… how you hurt me…” But oh, how I want to hear it all. It doesn’t make me happy to know I’m right. Not while I’m staring at Mikah’s face, so sad, so serious. “You shut me out.”