Page 120 of Mistaken Intention

Drew shakes his head, like he doesn’t understand. “So, I didn’t want to have a child?”

“That’s not what I said. You asked if you were happy, and I said ‘no’. But the reason you were unhappy had nothing to do with Maisie… not really. It was because you wanted to be with Josie, and you couldn’t. It broke you when you had to stop seeing her, but you put Lexi and Maisie first, last and everywhere in between.”

“I see. And Maisie? What was I like with her?”

Hunter smiles and, despite everything, I can’t help my lips from twisting up a little, too. “When she was born, you became a man,” Hunter says. “You switched your entire career around…your entire life around, to accommodate her. I honestly don’t think you could have done any more.”

Drew averts his gaze to me. “It’s true,” I tell him. “Lexi may have met someone else, but she was grateful for how you were with her and Maisie, and for everything you did. That’s one of the reasons she wanted to move to Boston. She was trying to keep Manuel happy, but she wanted to make things easier for you, too. I think she knew you didn’t enjoy staying in a hotel when you went to New York, and she said that at least if she moved to Boston, then Maisie could stay at your apartment there… just the two of you.”

“She was gonna let me have Maisie by myself?”

“Yes. That’s what she said. You’d done so much for her…” I let my voice fade, wondering if I should have started that sentence.

“What’s wrong?” he says, moving closer. “You were gonna say something.”

I guess there’s no point in trying to hide it. “It’s just that Lexi hadn’t explained to you about Manuel. From what she said, he was practically living with her, and I told her she should have kept you informed. We nearly had an argument about it.”

“Why? Didn’t she want to tell me? What did she think I’d do?”

“I don’t think she was worried about that. Her reasoning was that she didn’t pry into your sex life, so you had no right to know about hers. I told that if she was bringing another man into Maisie’s life, as Maisie’s father, you had a right to know.”

“And she agreed?”

“Eventually, yes. She took some persuading, but she said she was gonna tell you. Obviously, I don’t know if she was able to before…”

He nods his head, understanding my meaning without me needing to say the words.

“This Manuel guy… does he know about the accident?”

“Yes, he does. He was Lexi’s emergency contact on her phone, so they called him when it happened. I spoke to him at the hospital.”

“You did?” Hunter’s surprised.

“Yes. I—I told him my true identity.”

“Why did you tell him and not us?” he asks, and I wonder if he’s offended.

“Because it made him more comfortable. It meant he had someone who he could talk to about Lexi… someone who understood. And I wanted him to know I was looking out for Maisie.”

Hunter nods his head, while Drew tilts his. “You liked him?”

“Yes. He was a nice guy. He was devastated about Lexi, but he wanted to know Maisie was okay… and you, too.”

“Why? Had I met him?”

“No, but I think he felt bad for doubting Lexi’s motives in seeing so much of you. He was jealous of the time you spent together, even though I think he knew, deep down, he had no cause. She loved him, and he knew it. He told me you’d paid off the mortgage on Lexi’s apartment, and that you gave her an allowance, too. He said that was part of what made him so resentful… even though there was no need.”

Hunter stares at Drew, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t know you’d paid off her mortgage.”

“Neither did I,” Drew says. “Obviously.”

“There’s probably a lot more that you don’t know, and that even we can’t tell you,” I say and Drew looks at me, frowning. “Hunter knows a lot about your past, but I’m sure he doesn’t know everything… and I only know some of Lexi’s side of the story. I’m only aware of the things she told me in that last meeting we had before the accident. You’re gonna have to fill in the blanks for yourself, when it all comes back to you.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not sure I can handle anything else.”

“Then don’t think about it.”

He looks at me, incredulously. “How can I not think about it, after everything you’ve just said?”

---