Page 7 of Mistaken Intention

“No, it’s fine. Lexi’s picking me up. She’s gonna bring Maisie with her and drive us all down to Newport for a few days.”

“How’s that gonna work?” he asks. “Surely your car’s in Boston, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s at my apartment. But Lexi needs to be in Boston for some reason, so when we’re finished in Newport, she’ll drive me back again.”

“I see. And what about your equipment?” he asks.

“It’ll fit in the trunk of Lexi’s car. I’ve been over here doing a travel shoot, so I didn’t need to bring that much.”

“Okay. So you don’t need me to do anything?”

“Other than ask Pat to stock up the refrigerator at the cottage for me, no. I don’t wanna waste my time going to the grocery store when I get back there.”

“Because you’d rather spend it with Maisie?”

“Of course.”

“Have you been missing her?”

“I have. Ten days is a lifetime when she’s so little. She’ll have changed so much.”

“Do you wish you could spend more time with her?” he asks.

“Of course. But it’s not practical. I might not have to work, but I have responsibilities to clients, and Lexi and I aren’t together, so…”

“There’s no chance of a change in that situation?” he says, his question surprising me. “I mean, there’s no way the two of you would get back together?”

What made him ask that? “No. I told you, we both knew we weren’t suited to each other. Our time in the Caribbean was fun, but…”

“It was too much fun, if Maisie’s presence in the world is anything to go by.”

“Maybe, but that was an accident. I didn’t know Lexi had been sick, and she didn’t realize her birth control wouldn’t work. It couldn’t be helped. Both of us know that. Neither of us blames the other for what happened, and we’ve got absolutely no intention of getting back together.”

“Okay. Message received. You’re not getting back together with Lexi. She’s just picking you up from the airport and taking you to Newport.”

“Yeah. So I can spend some time with Maisie, which we can’t do in Boston, because as we discovered when Maisie was born, the three of us in a confined space didn’t work well.”

“Was that when they came to stay with you?”

“Yeah. I’m not gonna say it was a disaster, but it would have been if we hadn’t realized where we were heading. That’s why I stay in a hotel when I visit them in New York.”

“You haven’t considered buying yourself a place close to Lexi’s?”

“I have, but first I’d need to find the time. Whenever I’m there, I just wanna be with Maisie.”

He chuckles, and I can’t help smiling. I don’t think either of us would have thought I’d be this dedicated to being a father,but I am, and I love it. I love Maisie. She’s adorable, and I can’t wait to see her again.

“Would you change things if you could?” he asks, surprising me yet again.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, would you go back?”

“To not get Lexi pregnant, you mean? To not have Maisie?”

“Yeah.”

I take a moment, thinking that one through. “That’s a tough question to answer. I love Maisie and I wouldn’t change her for the world, but…”

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