by J. P. Comeau
Then I’d practically be guaranteed custody of Addison.
After I got home, I quickly packed up my stuff and then booked a flight. Except for Annie, there was nothing I loved more than coming back to my mansion. But I needed a change of scenery if I was going to make the right decision when it came to Addison. Being in that big house, alone, only made me think of the nights Annie and I had spent together. And the more I thought about Annie, the more I wanted to take her back.
I had a driver take me to the airport, and I instructed him to take the backroads when leaving the property. Heather always complained about how windy they were, so I knew she wouldn’t see me going.
I used the quiet flight to center myself. Specifically thinking about where I wanted to see my life in five years.
It made me think about the five-year business plans that our company used before buying a piece of property. What did we want it to look like in five years? What would be needed to reach that goal? Would any changes need to be made to our current business plan?
In five years, I wanted to be a family with Annie and Addison. Maybe even have another child or two.
Having Heather stalk me made me paranoid, and I instinctively checked my surroundings after landing at J.F.K. International Airport. Of course, she wasn’t there, though. She was back in River Valley, being a shitty mother to Addison while begging for money from Michael.
A town car brought me to my father’s penthouse in downtown Manhattan. It was on the fifty-third floor and had breathtaking views of the nightlife below. I watched as young, single people mingled and flirted with people their age. A few families were getting out from a late-night Broadway show, and the taxicabs dotted the streets with bursts of yellow.
It was beautiful, and a vast difference from my usual surroundings, but River Valley had my heart. Even more than my hometown, however, Addison and Annie had my heart, too.
I ordered some food and then plopped down on the sofa, wondering what Annie and Addison were doing at that moment. Addison was probably doing something so that Heather didn’t have to interact with her. Annie was probably working on her lifestyle line.
I pulled up her profile on social media, to see if she had posted any updates since I broke up with her, but there was nothing. It didn’t even show that she had been online since it happened. That told me everything I needed to know.
She had tried not to cry in front of me that night, but I saw the tears forming in her eyes. I also knew that it wasn’t the first time a man had broken her heart. The moment I knew that I was in love with her, I vowed that I would never break her heart.
And yet I did.
Hurting Annie was the last thing I wanted to do. It wasn’t just that, Heather would always be a problem in our relationship, and I was worried about Addison. After everything she had gone through with her mother, I didn’t want to take a chance on what would happen if Annie and I broke up. She would get attached to another mother figure, only to have her heartbroken all over again.
I may have just become a father, but my instincts told me to protect Addison at all costs. That was something I was willing to do, even if it meant making a sacrifice in my own life.
19
Annie
Two days later
“Great session today, everybody.” I stood up after my final yoga class of the day, eager to be alone for a while.
I’d hoped that none of my students suspected that something was wrong with me, but I was never good at hiding my true feelings.
After all of my students left the room, I headed out to the reception area and saw Crystal standing behind the front desk. She was conversing with a new student about the types of yoga we offered. I had been avoiding Crystal the past few days, ignoring her text messages and rushing past her at work. I tried to sneak past the desk and out the front door, but they finished talking before I could leave.
“Annie!”
I turned around and looked at her, unable to produce a smile. My long, black hair was tied up in a bun, and I was wearing hot pink yoga pants with a black racerback top. I wanted nothing more than just to put on a pair of sweatpants and crawl into bed.
Crystal ran over to me, sensing that I was about to leave.
“Hey,” I whispered while clutching my bottle of water.
“Are you mad at me or something?”
“Oh God, no, of course not Crystal! I’m so sorry. It’s just been a terrible few days.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “So what happened this weekend? Did you meet Richard’s daughter?”
I nodded. “Yes, we went to the lake. It was fun.”
“Then why do you seem so depressed, Annie? This isn’t you.”
“Richard broke up with me.”
Crystal wrapped her arms around me so tightly that it almost hurt. “Annie, I am so sorry! I’m just so surprised! I mean, everything was going great between you two.”
I broke down, crying into her neck. Crystal had been my best friend for a long time, and when the timing was right, I planned on telling her everything.
“Thank you," I said in between sobs.
I didn’t pull away until I was done crying, thankful that I had opted out of wearing mascara that day. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me. “What happened, Annie?”
I just shook my head, thinking back over our day at the lake. Everything was perfect with all three of us, just splashing around in the water. It really felt as though we were a family.
“I can’t talk about that yet,” I said.
“I’m sorry. It’s just if a guy is willing to introduce you to his daughter, it seems odd that he’d break up with you so soon.”
I nodded, realizing that she was right. That was what I’d been thinking, too. Julianna had gone through the same thing with Jake, only introducing Caley to him when she was sure.
I reminded myself that they had also broken up. Except Jake and Julianna got back together and even got married. “I’ll tell you some other time, okay? I have to work on a few things upstairs.”
Crystal nodded, but she could tell that something was worse than what I was saying. She reached out and grabbed my arm, worry on her face. “Annie, what’s going on? Did Richard hurt you?”
I looked into my best friend's eyes, and a part of me wanted to tell her everything. I had put my faith in another dead-end relationship, and being there for Richard didn’t matter. I should have followed my intuition and never gone out with him after the night before Jake and Juliana’s wedding.
One day I would tell her, but when the timing was right.
“I can’t get into it right now, Crystal. It’s too much to think about, and I do have to get some work done. Are you okay to run the studio this afternoon?” She nodded but still had a concerned look in her eyes. “Okay. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
As I turned to walk away, Crystal said, “You and Richard are good for each other, Annie. Just give it time.”
That’s what I loved about Crystal. Even when she didn’t know everything about a situation, she somehow knew exactly what to say. And that little bit of hope was what I needed to hold onto at that moment.
I stopped at the coffee and sandwich shop across the street and ordered some food. My stomach was growling, and not even my cheeseburger-flavored protein bar would have satisfied me. As I sat at a table and waited for my takeout, I saw an attractive couple walk in holding hands. The man looked like Richard, complete with the dark beard and streaks of grey in his hair.
The woman looked much younger, too, right around my age.
It broke my heart to see them all over each other, finishing each other's sentences as they placed their order and then found a table. That could have been Richard and me, and little Addison would be with us too. I knew Richard pictured us being the perfect family at the lake on Saturday. I could see it in his eyes.
I understood his hesitation, though. Richard had a lot on his plate. New responsibilities at work, a bitch of an ex-girlfriend w
ho was also the mother of their child he just found out about, and a nasty child custody case. Perhaps being in a relationship with me was too much stress for him, and maybe we’d work it out somewhere down the road.
It still didn’t make it any less painful, though.
After getting my food to go, I headed back to my loft and ate in silence for a while. I told Crystal that I had some work to do for my lifestyle line, but all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and think about Richard. I was constantly checking my phone to see if he’d texted me, but of course, he hadn’t.
I finally got the strength to open up my laptop and check some work emails. There was one from Marcus, the New York investor who was interested in my lifestyle line of products. It was titled: It’s Time We Met Face To Face.
It was a little exciting to hear from him again. After all, I’d worked hard on creating a line of quality products that I wanted people to enjoy. The breakup from Richard put a damper on it, though.
I double-clicked on the email and read it:
Dear Ms. Belmont,
I’m following up with you after our past two webcam sessions regarding your holistic line of products. I’d love to move forward with our partnership, but it does require you to come to New York City. Please let me know a time that is at your earliest convenience, and I’ll have my team make your flight and hotel arrangements.
I look forward to doing business with you.
Sincerely,
Marcus Bremerton
If it weren’t for Richard, I’d have told him that I could fly out as soon as he’s ready and have Crystal take all of my classes. Hell, I’d even try to convince Julianna to be a yoga instructor for a few days. But I just couldn’t fight the depression inside of me, so I bought myself some time.
Dear Mr. Bremerton,
It’s wonderful to hear from you again! I just have to work out a few things with my schedule. Allow me to get back to you tomorrow with a date that I can meet you in New York.
Sincerely,
Annie Belmont
I turned my laptop off, plugged it into the charger, and then decided to take a shower. I hated that I wasn’t more excited about meeting with the investor. It was the one thing that I’d worked so hard for with my career, and I had no excitement because I’d gotten attached to Richard.
As the hot water poured over my body, I kept thinking about Addison too. She was like another Caley, so sweet and innocent. Holding her close to me was like hugging my own child, or at least the children that I one day wanted.
I’d been friends with Richard for well over a year, and not once did I cry over him. Suddenly, I couldn’t bring myself to get excited over the possible launch of my lifestyle line because he’d hurt me. All I could think about was how badly I wanted all three of us to be a family.
The worst part was, it was all Heather’s fault. If she hadn’t shown up and caused a scene, Richard and I would still be together. He’d be the first person I told about the investor inviting me out to New York, and he’d probably even tag along with me. He was good at business deals and knew how to talk with investors.
After I got out of the shower, I dried myself off and slipped on some sweats. I was cried out for the day, but I didn’t know what to do with myself. I could sit and think about Richard, or I could move forward with my life.
I chose the latter.
Leaving my laptop plugged in, I sat on the couch and went back to working on my lifestyle line. Richard had told me about five-year business plans, and I had started one on my laptop. It was impossible not to think of him as I worked on it, though. I could still hear his voice telling me about revenue projections, knowing when to invest, and when to hold onto your money, and I wanted so badly to call him.
For a moment, I considered texting him some questions about the business. We’d eventually have to talk with each other, anyway. His brother had married my sister. A quick question about running a small business certainly seemed harmless enough.
I pulled out my phone and hovered my thumb over our text message conversation, but I couldn’t go through with sending one out. It was too soon. He probably didn’t want to hear from me, anyway. I was sure he was busy with work and dealing with his lawyer.
Like he said, he didn’t have time for a romantic relationship.
I let out a sigh and stared at my business plan. The numbers looked good, so long as everything worked out well with the investor. I had an entire binder ready that listed all of my products, starting from the priciest and ending with the least expensive. In addition to it, I also had a bag full of samples that I was planning on mailing to the investor, but would just bring them with me to New York.
That’s when I remembered that Richard’s father had a penthouse in New York City. He and I could have stayed there when I went out to visit, and maybe even brought little Addison. We could have had a whole family vacation together.
No.
We were never a family, nor were we meant to become one. I would invest all of my free time and energy into my business and no longer waste energy on men. If Richard wanted to see me again, then he would be the one to reach out to me. As it stood, at that moment, I was a free, independent woman who was about to launch her brand of products.
It was everything I had ever wanted.
I opened up my email and began typing a letter to the investor:
Dear Mr. Bremerton,
I’m following up on my earlier email regarding traveling to New York City and meeting with you. As it turns out, I can be there as soon as you’re ready. Everything has been taken care of with my yoga studio.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Annie Belmont
I hit the send button and breathed a sigh of relief. A part of me was hoping to postpone meeting with the investor on the off chance that Richard reached back out to me, but I realized that was foolish. I was able to start this line of products on my own, and I’d finish it that way too.
No woman should put her life on hold for a man, and mine would move forward with or without Richard.
20
Richard
I threw my bag down on the sofa as soon as I got back to the penthouse. It had been a long work meeting, and all I wanted to do was take a nap, but I had a conference call with Danielle, Heather, and her attorney. My work meeting hadn’t gone as well as I would have liked, which only put me in a worse mood for the conference call.
It was scheduled for two in the afternoon, which gave me a few minutes to have some lunch. I put together a quick salad with some leftover chicken, then sat down on the couch. I didn’t even want to look at my laptop or phone for emails. It felt like that’s all I did lately, and I needed to take some time for myself.
At precisely two in the afternoon, Danielle called me and conferenced in Heather and her attorney, Donald Rathburn. Per her instructions, I kept my end on mute to keep it as professional as possible.
“Donald, Heather, and Richard. Everyone’s here, so let’s begin. The last time you and I spoke, Donald, I gave you a counteroffer for the lump sum payment. My client doesn’t feel as though he should have to pay back child support either but is fine with future child support. So, where are we with the numbers, Donald?”
I heard some papers shuffling in the background, which I assumed came from Heather’s attorney. “Danielle, my client, has declined your offer. She’s holding firm at the original dollar amount plus back child support payments.”
I went over to the wet bar and poured myself a glass of whiskey. The conference call was going to be another shit-show. “Donald, your client chose to wait almost a decade before telling MY client that he even had a daughter.”
“That’s true,” Donald said, “but that still doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have to pay her. Raising a child costs a lot of money, Danielle.”
There was a moment of silence, which probably meant that Danielle was going through her paperwork, and I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
“You want back child support, Heather? Fine. But there’s no way in hell that I’m footing the bill for your wedding. Why don’t you cash in that pearl necklace or vintage Chanel suit of yours?”
“Richard, remember what we discussed?”
I slammed the mute button and swallowed the rest of my whiskey, then ran my hands through my hair and closed my eyes. What I wouldn’t give to be saying all of this directly to Heather’s face, to watch as she clutched her precious pearls as I called out her bullshit.
“As I was saying, Danielle, my client feels she is entitled to more than just back child support. The additional money will further Addison’s education.”
“Why are you so cheap, Richard?”
My eyes bugged out as soon as I heard Heather’s voice, but I managed to stay calm.
“Heather,” her attorney said, “please let me speak.”
“Let’s move on, Donald. My client has some questions about the boarding school Heather wants Addison to attend. While he agrees that it’s a quality school and would give her a good education, he doesn’t feel it’s necessary at her age. A young child should have a home life, not one where she shares a room with a stranger and has a dormitory advisor.”
When neither Heather or Donald responded, I unmuted my phone. I hated wasting time.
“Why don’t you just admit that you’re a self-entitled, spoiled bitch Heather? Because that’s what it comes down to. You and I both know this large payment isn’t going for Addison’s boarding school, especially when she let it slip that horseback riding might get her a scholarship. Although you are a pretty shitty parent, seeing as how you’re making her take horseback riding lessons despite her being terrified of falling off.”
I waited for Danielle to chastise me again, but she didn’t. Instead, Heather spoke up.