Page 58 of Masquerade Mistake

“Now that Ethan knows, what are your thoughts on how things will go forward?” Maren asks.

“I don’t know.” I’ve been so consumed by my missteps, that I haven’t had a chance to think about the reality of this new situation. Before, I’d figured things would go smoothly with the two of us working together. This morning was a great example of how good it could be. But now, I wasn’t sure we were even together. I could possibly be facing a custody battle of sorts.

“No, you won’t,” Maren says when I tell her as much. “Only your name is on that birth certificate. As of right now, he has no rights and will have to go through you for anything regarding Finn.”

“This sounds so mean and awful,” I moan.

“And it’s reality,” Maren says. “Hopefully Ethan comes to his senses about the two of you. But if he doesn’t, you need to keep your wits about you. Don’t go getting soft just because of your feelings.”

“I won’t,” I promise, and this is one promise I know I can keep. I might have feelings for Ethan, even love him, but my love for Finn is ingrained in every cell of my body. I would move mountains for that kid, and no man is worth more than that.

Chapter 24

A few days pass before I hear from Ethan again. He texts me with a request for joint custody, which at this point, feels so incredibly cliché. Perhaps it’s because I was already prepared for this conversation. I’ve had days to think up worst case scenarios and have researched every law there is that could affect my custody rights over Finn. I shoot back a text informing him that he has no rights, but if he’d like to set up a more casual visitation schedule, I’d be happy to work with him in any way that is best for Finn.

My phone rings immediately after that, and I don’t even fight the wry smile that springs to my lips.

“Hello,” I sing sweetly into the phone. I hear him chuckle on the other end, and my shoulders relax from their defensive state.

“I’m not looking to take Finn from you,” he says.

“That’s good, because I’d never let you do that.” I keep the smile on my face, but my eyes narrow as I wonder what he has up his sleeve. I no longer trust him, and that is also thanks to several days of silence. I’ve spent those days considering how he’ll use this newfound information about his son.

“This is new to me, is all,” he says. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, but I just know I want to do the right thing.”

“The right thing would be to understand that, to Finn, his family is perfect the way it is, and any change to that is going to feel like an intrusion.”

“I know.”

His answer surprises me. I’d expected to have a big fight on my hands, but so far he seems to be waiting for my lead on this. Even though I’m relieved, it makes me feel slightly off balance.

“Do you think we can meet for coffee or something?” he asks. “We have a lot to figure out, and it’s not so easy to do over the phone.”

“I think that would be best.”

“Not Insomniacs,” he blurts out, and I laugh.

“Not Insomniacs,” I agree. “But there’s a place called Brew on the other side of town that serves beer and coffee.”

“Even better,” he says. “With how this week’s gone, I think both of us could use a beer.”

That’s an understatement, of course. In the midst of everything that’s been going on with Ethan, I’ve had to hire people to help clear out the burned portion of my mother’s home, plus consider what I’ll do with it. There’s no fire insurance, and I don’t have the money to fix what she burned, and I know my mom doesn’t either. One of the days I was there, a real estate agent approached me with his business card, telling me he had buyers who would purchase it “as-is” if I was interested. Of course, I’m interested. But I don’t know if I’ll ever convince my mom. She’s been at the treatment center for two days now, and even if she was allowed to call me, I know she wouldn’t. In her mind, I betrayed her. And standing strong in all of this is taking every ounce of energy I have left.

I need a beer like a fish needs water.

I meet Ethan at Brew the next day. I wear a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, my hair in my regular messy bun. I’m doing my best to look like I don’t care how he sees me, though I also put on mascara and clear gloss. I mean, I can’t go full slob. Besides, I know he likes the way my ass looks in yoga pants.

He shows up looking better than ever. He’s wearing tight jeans and a white button up shirt. His sleeves are rolled up, revealing his tattoos, and his beard is trimmed perfectly. I can’t tear my eyes away. When he gets close, my mouth drops as soon as the smell of his cologne hits my nose. Holy hell, this man is going to make things hard, especially when I see the appreciative way his eyes roam over my body—as if he finds something appealing in my weekend wear.

“What are you having?” he asks. “I figure I owe you six years of child support, so I might as well start paying by getting you a drink.”

“Sit your ass down,” I say just as the waitress get there with the beers I already ordered and paid for. He raises his eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips as he takes the seat across from me.

It’s hard to know what to say in a moment like this, so I sip my beer. He does the same. I’m not sure where to look, so I study our surroundings, glance back at him, look away, stare at the table. Our eyes finally meet, and it’s like a magnetic pull. I can’t look away, and he doesn’t either. I feel my breath go shallow as a ball of warmth grows in the center of my chest, expanding throughout my body until my fingers and toes tingle. How does he do this to me?

He clears his throat and I finally find the strength to close my eyes, gather my wits, and remind myself why we’re here.

“Finn still has no idea that you’re his father,” I say. “For now, I think it’s best we keep it that way.” I look away after saying this, unsure how he’ll take this. He taps his fingers on the table, and when I peek at his expression it’s unreadable.

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