Page 63 of Coveting Catherine

Yet he never mentioned where Catherine stood. When he brought up the child support payments, she cringed. She didn't want anything from him. He lost five years of Melody's life. She prepared herself to let him make up for the lost time because of her mistakes Did he continue to date the beautiful blonde woman from Ty's?

Leo glanced at Catherine. Her face grew paler the more he spoke. She left the room and drained the rest of her wine from the glass. Something seemed wrong. He thought she’d be happy at his gesture to prove he wanted Melody in his life.

His happiness rapidly turned to concern. “Catherine, are you all right?” He guided her back to the couch. “We don't need to tell Melody right away. We'll decide together when the timing’s good. We don’t want to confuse her concerning Ash. I arranged for Michael to do something called well-child check-ups, and I'll get her switched to my insurance immediately. I asked Joe about an attorney concerning Melody drawing off of Ash’s benefits these past few years. We'll get it all handled.”

“Yes, I'm sure you will. I guess I'm not feeling as good as I thought. I’m going home.”

Leo studied her pale face. He nodded and stood to help her up. “We can discuss this when you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah, the flu,” she answered in a daze.

He led her to her car and helped her in. Catherine remained quiet. Too quiet for his liking. She slowly backed down the driveway and headed toward Serenity.

Leo turned and headed back toward his house. He frowned as he picked up her wine glass and placed it in the dishwasher. He spent the day in anticipation of showing Catherine how he didn’t care about the results, he wanted Melody regardless of them. He wanted her to get a glimpse of the family they could have together. The more Leo talked about his participation, the paler Catherine grew . It confirmed everything he thought from the beginning. Catherine chose to keep his daughter from him. Leo had no intention of Melody growing up without him.

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

Catherine picked up her phone and checked the time. Three-thirty in the morning. Thirty minutes past the time she last checked. Sighing, she pulled the blankets off and padded her way to the kitchen. She placed the kettle on the stove and quietly pulled a cup from the cabinet.

Leo texted the very next day with a schedule to see his daughter. This morning started their first day of coparenting as he planned to pick Melody up for the weekend. The butterflies in her stomach refused to settle as she thought about her future sharing custody with him. She decided to say yes to whatever arrangement Leo dictated. After all, she experienced everything with her daughter and carried tons of memories to fall back on. Leo missed everything. It seemed like a fitting punishment for keeping his daughter from him all these years.

At precisely nine in the morning, her doorbell rang. She zipped up Melody’s travel bag and pasted a smile on her face.

“I think Uncle Leo arrived to pick you up. Remember what we talked about. Use your manners and don’t forget to say please and thank you.”

“Aren’t you coming with, Mama?” Melody asked.

Catherine shook her head. “No. He planned this adventure for you. Why don’t we head downstairs to greet him?” She mustered enthusiasm for Melody’s benefit.

Pulling her robe around her as if it acted as a shield against the shame and hurt she felt, she slowly descended the stairs behind her excited daughter.

She opened the door and stepped back to allow a nervous Leo entrance. He nodded in her direction.

“Catherine.”

“Leo.” She stood stiffly to the side. What happened to Kit Kat? He must hate her now…

“Are you feeling any better? Maddie and Joe caught the flu too.”

“I’m fine.” She knelt next to Melody. “Have fun and be good. I’ll see you on Sunday.” Catherine kissed her cheek.

“What if I wanna come home to see you, Mama?” Melody’s lip puckered out and her eyes widened in confusion of her Mama not going with her and Uncle Leo.

“You can always call me, but you’ll be busy having lots of fun. Sunday will be here before ya know it,” she exclaimed. Catherine hoped she sounded excited.

“June Bug, if you miss your Mama, we can invite her to visit us, or I can bring you home. You don’t have to stay if you feel uncomfortable,” Leo assured Melody.

As if it set her mind at ease, Melody grabbed her bag. “Oh, I forgot Mrs. Whiskers.” She dropped her suitcase and ran back up the stairs.

She hobbled to the coffee table and handed him a small packet. “This contains her schedule, foods she’ll eat and dislikes. I copied some of her baby pictures for you to keep and there’s a thumb drive in there with her first steps and a few other videos. You get the idea.”

“Thank you,” Leo seemed surprised by her gesture. He stepped closer to Catherine, and she crossed her arms in front of her as a way of protection while warily watching the stairs.

“If I have any questions or if Melody feels uncomfortable, I’ll call or bring her straight home,” he tried to reassure her.

“I’m sure she’ll forget as soon as you hit the toy aisle and she finds her bedspread. I’ll catch up on some reading and finish some files I brought home.” Catherine fidgeted under his gaze.

Melody ran back down the stairs, holding her stuffed bunny. “I’m ready to go, Uncle Leo.”

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