Beyond the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series

by Heather D'Agostino

  “This isn’t work related.” She paused in front of me, waiting for me to look up again.

  “Well, I really don’t have time to talk to you then. Mia’s coming for lunch soon, and I really need to get this done,” I muttered as I tapped away at the keyboard.

  “You need to make time,” she snapped as she tossed the folder at me. The contents slid out slightly, and I could tell they were black and white photos.

  “Are you surveilling someone?” My brow creased as I gave in and looked up at her.

  “Just your son,” she grumbled. “It’s a boy.” She caressed her belly as a soft smile played on her lips. “The baby, it’s a boy.” Her eyes turned away from mine as she looked lovingly at her protruding belly. “I thought you’d want to know.” Her voice was soft as she waited for me to respond, but in all honesty, I didn’t know what to say. We’d been avoiding this topic for months, and now it was all too real. I swallowed as my trembling fingers opened the folder and lifted one of the photos. I couldn’t really tell what I was looking at, but Chrissi chimed in. “That’s his head, and that’s the spine.” Her index finger ran softly along the photo as she shifted so she could look at the grainy image with me. “That right there is his ‘little boy’ parts.” She giggled at that one, but when I looked up at her face, a small tear was forming in the corner of her eye.

  “I never imagined it like this,” she sighed. “You’re not supposed to do this alone, Ty. We’re supposed to do this together.” She wiped at her eyes as she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I have to get back to work. Those are for you to keep,” her voice went from the sad defeated tone to business as she started to walk away.

  “Chrissi,” I called after her, causing her to stop at my door. She turned to stare at me, waiting for me to continue. “Thank you,” I pointed at the folder. “I’m sorry it happened this way, but thank you.”

  She gave a quick nod. “He’s your son. You may not want me, but I really hope that one day, you’ll want him. It’s not very much fun growing up with a parent that doesn’t want you.” Her words cut like a knife, and I remembered one of our late night conversations when we were a little too drunk to be talking. Chrissi’s mom had never wanted kids and made sure to tell her that every chance she got. When her parents got divorced, she jumped at the chance to live with her father. Her mother hasn’t contacted her since, and it’s been more than ten years. I think her mother is selfish and wanted all her father’s wealth and attention. Having Chrissi meant she’d have to share.

  I still hadn’t told Mia about this, and at this point, I wasn’t even sure how to. I’d told her that I didn’t have any secrets, and that she knew everything. Since we’d been together, she did know everything but this. Becoming a parent wasn’t something I had planned to do, especially with a woman I didn’t love. I wasn’t sure how to even go about raising this kid once he got here. How was this even going to work? Were we going to trade weekends? I didn’t know anything about kids. I’d never really spent much time with my nephews. Taylor and Trevor had kept their kids in Cherryville, and other than the few holidays I’d been back, I really hadn’t seen them. The more I thought about it, the more this situation began to resemble a Lifetime movie.

  While I stared out the window of my office, it began to rain. Small droplets hit the windows and streaked slowly downward like tears. I hadn’t been in a bad mood, but after Chrissi left, I couldn’t help but feel slightly defeated. I needed to tell Mia. I couldn’t keep this in much longer. The longer I waited, the worse it would be. The sky began open up at that point, and if it weren’t for the knock on my door, I probably would have continued to daydream out the window.

  “Come in,” I called as I turned toward the door.

  “Hey,” Mia smiled, but when our eyes connected the smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I shook my head and as she moved closer, I realized I was still holding the folder with the pictures in it. I quickly shoved the photos inside before leaning over to place them in one of my desk drawers.

  “What’s going on?” She scrutinized me.

  “I’m at work,” I shook my head. “You know I can’t talk to you about the stuff I do here.” I was in so deep here. I don’t know why I decided to dig this grave deeper.

  “Sorry,” she held up a bag in her hand, “I brought subs.” She half skipped over to my desk, leaned forward, and placed a quick kiss on my cheek before placing the bag on my desk. She lifted her arms to wrap them around my neck before grinning down at me. “Can you take a break to eat them with me?”

  “That I think I can do,” I chuckled as I pushed back from my desk. “Let’s go over here,” I motioned to the conference table in the corner of my office. “I was hoping that the rain would stop and we could go somewhere outside, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

  “That’s ok,” she smiled as she sat down and handed me a sandwich. “I’m just glad that you had time for me,” she grinned. “Am I going to get billed for this?” she teased as she bit into her sandwich.

  “Oh, you’re getting billed all right,” I snickered. “You won’t be paying with money though.”

  She blushed before she giggled. “Well, maybe I should come during office hours more often then,” she replied saucily.

  “Maybe you should,” I winked before taking a giant bite.

  We didn’t talk anymore as we ate our lunch, but you could cut the sexual tension with a knife; it was so thick in my office. Thoughts of telling her about Chrissi and the baby were pushed to the back of my mind as I thought more and more about how I could bill her. If I had known what was coming though, I might have tried harder to tell her.

  THE LAST OF couple of times I’d seen Ty, he’d acted like he was hiding something. I’d asked him several times over the last week if everything was ok. He swore it was, but after seeing him at lunch yesterday, I knew something was off. He was distracted when I got there, and even after I tried to get him to talk about things, he continued to change the subject. It infuriated me that he was doing this, but I didn’t know how to get him to open up. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I’d hurt him so bad before that now he’s afraid to talk to me.

  After putting in a half day at the studio I decided to figure this out once and for all. I told Garrett that I needed the afternoon off and promised an extra rehearsal the next day. After seeing that my head wasn’t really in it, he agreed and promised to call Joe, our director. I rushed home with plans to get cleaned up and then go over to Ty’s. We had exchanged keys months ago, and I figured I’d just let myself in. I could fix us dinner and plan a romantic night alone. Maybe if I showed him that I was here for the long haul he’d finally tell me what had been eating at him this last week.

  When I reached his apartment, I took the steps two at a time, but came to an abrupt halt when I turned down the hallway toward his door. There, standing with her arms crossed over her chest, was the same woman I’d seen at his office. I think her name was Christina. She looked pretty angry as she pounded on his door, yelling that she knew he was in there. When she turned to walk away, she saw me and stopped. “What are you doing here?” she sneered as her eyes scanned up me from toe to head.

  “What’s it to you?” I shrugged as I narrowed my eyes on her very pregnant belly. I couldn’t believe that she walked up all those stairs and wasn’t more out of breath.

  “I have something that I need to give Tyler, but I guess you can give it to him.” She smiled, and the way her voice hitched told me that she was up to no good. Tyler had told me that she was always harassing him, and he could never get away from her.

  “What is it?” I stuck my hand out as I moved closer to her. I was annoyed, and just wanted her to leave so I could finish what I came to do.

  “Just some paperwork I need him to sign,” she smirked. “Tell him to look over this, and if he’s ok with the terms, he can sign it and bring it to me at the office tomorrow.”

  “Why didn’t you just gi
ve this to him at work? He’s still there.” I rolled my eyes.

  “No, he’s not. He left work at lunch and hasn’t come back.” She pressed her lips together. I could feel my stomach dropping to the ground, and when I took the manila envelope she was holding, it seemed to weigh a ton. “Just see that he gets that, ok?” She waved her manicured fingers. “I don’t have time to chase him down for this stuff.” She turned and began to walk off, leaving me standing there.

  I shook my head as I clutched the envelope under my arm while digging for my keys. I wanted to get inside as fast as possible, and I wanted to know what was so important that she needed to come to his place to deliver it. They saw each other every day. What could have happened between the morning and now that needed to be signed by tomorrow?

  I moved across the room, not really looking where I was going as I undid the clasp on the envelope. I knew I shouldn’t be snooping, but the sick feeling in my stomach wasn’t allowing me to think logically. Ty could get mad at me later. I wouldn’t tell anyone anything that I found. I tipped up the envelope and let its contents fall into my hand, and my feet faltered slightly. When my eyes caught a glimpse of the words ‘Custody Agreement’ across the top I almost tripped and fell. What would Ty need with a custody agreement? He didn’t work in Family Law.

  I swallowed as I turned the papers so I could get a better look at them. When I saw Ty’s name listed as one of the parties involved I almost collapsed. My knees buckled as I sank to the floor right in the middle of his living room. My vision blurred as I scanned the papers. This couldn’t be real. There was no way that Ty would hide something like this from me. How could he think that I wouldn’t find out?

  I continued to search the documents. I didn’t know what I thought I would find. Maybe something that would prove they weren’t real. Christina Stark was scrawled across the bottom with a seal showing that she’d had it witnessed. The only thing that was missing was Ty’s signature. Tears began to fall down my cheeks. He’d lied to me. She had meant something. They were having a child together. He was going to be a father, and he hadn’t even thought about telling me. According to this paper, this agreement was to go into effect as soon as the baby was born. Ty would get one weekend a month, and they would split the cost evenly between them. The date was set for the end of August. It was already April. He’d had months to tell me about this.

  I crinkled the paper as my hand fisted the edge of it. I wasn’t sure if this was some sick game he was playing or what. I hurt him, so now he was going to hurt me? I scrambled to my feet, tossed the papers on his couch, and left. I needed to get away and fast. I couldn’t deal with this now. I had too much riding on my performance next week. I didn’t need the distraction. I should have listened to myself when I said getting involved again was a bad idea. Tyler brought with him nothing but heartbreak, and I wasn’t going to let him do this. I walked away once, I could do it again.

  WHEN MY ALARM went off this morning it sounded like a rock concert was happening in my bedroom. I groaned and slapped at it in the dark. When I finally made contact and was able to turn it off, I laid there staring in the direction of the ceiling. Five a.m. came way too fast after spending the afternoon at Joey’s, a favorite hangout of mine. It was a place that my friends didn’t venture into, and I could sit and drink without any interruptions. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t avoiding Mia, but I needed to work up the courage to talk to her. This conversation was going to blow us to bits. I could just feel it. It was like a bad accident that you couldn’t look away from.

  I’d left work at lunch after deciding that I needed to tell Mia about the baby. I had felt sick to my stomach at the possibility of this news destroying us so I’d gone to Joey’s to work up the courage. I lost track of time as the hours ticked by, and before I knew it, I was closing the place down. I’d had to grab a cab home, and now I was laying here wondering where the time went.

  I grabbed my cell off my nightstand and swiped my finger across the screen. Mia and I had talked about hanging out last night, but I never heard anything from her. I’d kept my phone beside me at the bar hoping that she’d text, and I could just meet her there, but she didn’t. When I’d gotten home, it was so late that I just went straight to bed. Now I’m staring at a blank screen showing me no missed calls or texts.

  I scrubbed my hands down my face as my head pounded against the torture I’d inflicted on myself the day before. Why did it seem that every time my life started to get good, someone would yank the rug out from under me? I rolled to the side and sat up, placing my elbows on my knees. I needed to get in the shower and wake up.

  My head continued to throb as I went through my morning routine. When I made my way into my kitchen to start the coffee, I glanced around and something on my couch caught my eye. The early morning light was just starting to come through the windows and illuminating the space. Something yellow was tucked into one of the cushions, and curiosity had me moving toward it.

  When I rounded the couch, I noticed it was an envelope. The end had been sealed, but the seal was broken. I tried to wrack my brain and remember when I would have brought this home. That’s the only way it would have made it into my house. No one else brings things like this here. I lowered myself onto the armrest and carefully opened the flap. When I pulled out the papers inside, my world tilted on its axis. ‘Custody Agreement’ was in bold letters across the top. I quickly scanned the document, already knowing who had sent this, but failing to put the pieces together as to how it got inside. When I reached the end and saw Chrissi’s signature, I felt my blood boil. We hadn’t even talked about this. I knew we needed to, but she went and did this without even mentioning it to me.

  I tossed the papers on the coffee table as I stalked over to where I’d left my phone. It was still early, but I didn’t care. I brought my list of contacts up and scrolled to find Christina’s name before clicking on it. When it started ringing, the anger in me rose, but when she answered, it exploded. “What the fuck is this?” I bellowed into the phone.

  “I see you got the papers.” She was way too happy on the other end, and it was as if she’d been waiting for my call.

  “I got the papers. What I want to know is why?” I growled. “I’ve given you no reason to think that I would challenge you on this!”

  “We need a plan, Tyler, and you seem to think that pretending it doesn’t exist is the best idea ever. You may not want to come to appointments, but I will have an agreement in writing before this baby gets here. My father suggested it.” Her voice was way too chipper, and I was shaking at this point I was so livid. “You’re lucky. I could have brought this to you at the office; instead, I came to your place. I’m just surprised she actually gave it to you.”

  “She?” I swallowed as dread rushed through my body causing all the blood to drain from my face.

  “Your little toy of the month. She came skipping up to your door last night all smiles. She was more than willing to give you the papers when I asked. I didn’t think she would though. I pictured her more of a snooper. Guess not though seeing that this was yesterday and I’m just now hearing from you. What does the little ballerina think of her man being a ‘baby daddy’? Is she in denial like you?”

  “Chrissi,” I swallowed as my heart pounded in my chest. “What did you do?”

  “What? You think you’re the only one in the firm that can play dirty to get to the top? I always get what I want Ty, and I’ve wanted you for a while. All I did was help things along. Our son needs a father, and I’m making sure he gets one.” Her voice held a vindictive tone. She paused as a tsking sound came from the other end. “I’m willing to wait for you, but she needed to go. See ya at work,” she chirped before disconnecting the call.

  I don’t remember the next few minutes. The blood rushing in my ears drowned out my surroundings, and the next thing I remember is numbly walking out the door.

  WORK PASSED BY in a blur, and when afternoon turned into evening, I’d finally mustered the courage t
o call Mia. “Hey, you’ve reached Mia Callahan, you know what to do.” The beep alerted me to leave a message, but I couldn’t. I needed to hear her voice. I needed her to let me explain. I knew that I’d ruined us, but I needed to tell her why. I growled when I glanced down at my desk and my eyes landed on the folder holding the ultrasound pictures. I’d taken them out the day before. I’d looked at them before going to Joey’s. I’d needed my son to make me tell her what was going on. Now when I see them all I feel is anger. I’m angry that this happened. I’m angry that it’s wrecking everything I ever wanted in life. I’m angry that it’s all happening with Chrissi. But most of all, I’m angry that I’m angry. I shouldn’t feel this way. It’s not his fault. He didn’t ask for this, yet as I sit here staring at his image, all I can feel is rage.

  I want to see this differently, I do, but I don’t know how. I don’t want to feel these things. I always thought when I had a child that I’d be happy. I’d look forward to meeting him or her, and I’d spend hours with my wife laughing and dreaming about the day they would change our world. Things aren’t working out like that though and it’s killing me. It’s killing me to feel these things, but I don’t know how to stop them.

  I grabbed the folder and flung it across the room, causing the papers inside to flutter out and scatter. I don’t do this. I’m controlled. I don’t get angry except when it comes to her. I looked down at my phone again like it would have some magical answer before dialing Mia once again. Voicemail. “God damn it!” I growled as I gritted my teeth. “Why?” I looked up at the ceiling. “Why is this happening?”

  It was late afternoon, and despite the fact that I still had several hours of work to finish in the office and then even more to take home, I grabbed my things and left. I needed to talk to her, badly, and I was going to do just that… no matter what it took.