Page 26 of Fated Secret Baby

“Like hell it isn’t!” she barks.

I take a deep, deep breath. This has got to stop.

What I’m about to do is going to hurt, but it’s time.

“Mom,” I say slowly, looking her in the eyes. “I love you. I want to have you in my life. But this is not acceptable. I am a grown man. You do not choose who I mate. You do not choose who I interact with, in general. If you continue to try to meddle in my personal life, and if you continue to act like this, then I will not talk to you. I will not interact with you. Unless you choose to stay out of my personal life, I will cut you out of it.”

The silence between us feels like a chasm.

My mother’s face is a study of emotions. I see each one flicker across her features. Shock. Pain. Suspicion. Anger.

Rage.

“You are the most ungrateful son,” she spits. “I raised you. I did everything for you. I?—”

“And that’s why I love you. But I will not put up with you inserting yourself into my personal life any longer. The choice is yours.”

“How is that a choice? You’re cutting me off!”

“Only if you keep acting like I owe you my personal life.”

“You’d leave me! Just like he did!”

Her voice shakes, and I see tears gather at the corners of her eyes.

It hurts. It really does. I hate to see my mom like this. But I hate her meddling even more.

“I am not leaving you like Dad did, Mom. He left me, too,” I say quietly. “I am telling you that this is my life. I want you to be a part of it. But I don’t want you to be all of it. I love you, and I hope we can figure this out.”

I don’t give her a chance to add anything else. I leave, letting the door slam behind me.

Despite the fact that everything in me wants to go back and tell her it’s going to be okay, I don’t.

I have to choose Calista. I have to choose myself.

I love my mother deeply. But I meant what I said.

My personal life is mine. And it’s time I took control of it.

Chapter 7

Calista

It’s time to tell him.

After our amazing night, I’m not going to screw up again by keeping Juniper from him. I’m doing it right this time.

This time, I’m having Orion over to the little duplex he’s letting us stay in. I’m going to make him dinner. Amara is picking Juniper up to watch her for the night, but she’s going to bring her back tomorrow morning. Because at dinner, I’m going to tell him, and together, we’ll prepare for him to meet his daughter.

I feel like I’m floating after our night together. Orion is everything to me. He’s kind, he’s patient, and he stood up to his mom. Sleeping together was…

It was magical.

Mostly, though, the date we had showed me something important. Things have changed with him, from how they were in the past. This time, I think he can actually choose me.

Well. If he can forgive me for keeping this secret from him.

That’s the only thing I’m worried about. I want to tell him, because I don’t want it to hang over us any longer. I want him to know, so that I can know if we have some kind of future together.

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