Page 74 of The Match

“I see. So, you think you can just use us as stand-ins until better options come along?”

Her eyes shoot back up to me. “Jake! What a mean thing to say. I’m here because I want to be with you and Sam.” For now. But it won’t last.

This is all so eerily similar to how things played out during her last “I want to be a better mom” trip, I bet I can quote word for word what she says next. Except this time I will not be inviting her to stay with us, and ignorantly pretending to be a family again until she decides to split at two A.M. with another bogus excuse.

“I want to be a mom to our daughter again. To parent with you and share the responsibility!”

“Are you planning to move back from Hollywood?”

“No. But I can make it work in both places.”

I wish I could believe her. I really do.

I force a deep breath and relax my muscles. “Tell you what, Natalie. You rent a hotel room and stick around here for one whole week, and I want you to call and talk to Sam every single one of those days. If you can do that, I’ll think about letting you spend more time with her. But what I won’t do is let you jump in and out of her life whenever you want and crush her little heart more than you already have.”

I haven’t gone to court to fight for full custody of Sam yet—but I will if I need to. So far, Natalie has never seemed interested enough to warrant it.

“But, Jake! It’s late. You really want me to go get a hotel room right now?” She tries to grab my arm as I pass her, but I pull it out of reach. “Surely I can stay here with you. I mean . . . we were married, for God’s sake.”

Is she actually implying we could sleep together tonight if we want to? I can’t begin to understand what has happened with Natalie, but I know for sure that she is completely unrecognizable to me now.

I head toward my room to pack a bag. “You can stay here tonight since Sam is with June,” I yell while quickly tossing a few pieces of clothing in a duffel bag.

When I return to the living room, I see that Natalie is already lounging on my couch with a glass of my wine in her hand, looking like she owns this place.

She sees my bag and frowns. “Wait. You’re leaving?”

I nod and go to the front door because I’m not falling for any more traps tonight. “Yep. I told you, Natalie, we’re over. I’m not staying under the same roof as you.”

She shoots to her feet, looking angry, and crosses her arms. “Who is she?”

I sigh and pause only long enough to turn the thermostat up to eighty degrees. If she’s going to stay here, I don’t want her to be comfortable. I know it’s petty, but I allow myself this one little shitty indulgence. “She is none of your business.”

“So, there is someone?”

“Sure is.” I’m not about to tell Natalie that I’m really going to my parents’ house to sleep tonight. I want her to know I have moved on and there is no hope for us. “Check-out time is at ten A.M. If you’re not out by then, I’ll send June over.”

“You’re going to sic your sister on me?”

I smile. “Definitely.” Maybe I’m being a little too much of a jerk now, but I’m so over this day that I don’t even care anymore. I’ll deal with Natalie more like an adult tomorrow when the sun is up and I’m not fresh out of the emotional wringer from Evie’s family. “I mean it—stick around for a full week and you can see Sam if she wants. But not before then.”

Natalie shakes her head and starts to spit a rude comment at me, but I don’t fully hear it because I shut the door and walk toward my truck.

Once I’m down the road a little way, I let out a full breath, feeling like I just dodged a semi that had every intention of running me over. My heart is raw. Emotions twisted up into a confusing knot. But if anything, this encounter with Natalie has only confirmed how I feel about Evie. I can trust myself to spot someone who isn’t going to be good for me and my daughter now. I can trust myself enough to move on. And I can definitely trust Evie—she’s never given me a reason not to. Her word has been as solid as gold and her heart as soft and warm as her skin.

She’s nothing like my ex-wife, and I’m ready to stop letting my hurt get in the way of what I know will be a very good thing between us.

But then her face flashes in my mind, and I remember how badly I left things with her. It’s me who has to be better for her. Damn, I hope it’s not too late to fix this.

I try to call her on my way to my parents’ house, but she doesn’t answer. After two attempts and after I park my truck in their driveway, I get a text from Evie: I don’t want to talk tonight. I’ll call you when I’m ready.

CHAPTER 34

Evie

I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Not one teeny-tiny microscopic minute. I went back and forth between deciding to return Jake’s call or printing out a picture of his face so I could draw devil horns and a mustache on it. I would have too, but I remembered I don’t own a printer.

I probably made two hundred laps around my apartment, cleaned out all three of my cupboards, vacuumed under the cushions of my couch, folded all my panties into neat little triangles, and matched my socks.

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