Page 51 of Inked Craving

The doorbell rang before I could let myself fall down another rabbit hole, and for that, I was grateful. I rolled my shoulders back and made my way to the next change in my life. When I opened the door, Colton stood there, his hair pushed back from his face, a little messy as if he’d run his hands through it a few times. He had an odd expression on his face as if he weren’t sure why he was here or even how he had gotten here. Of course, that could just be Colton’s normal expression. He was like that sometimes. A woman with glorious strawberry-blonde hair and natural, soft waves stood by his side. She looked like an Amazon, tall and in wedged heels, a small smile on her face. She wore a light dress that accentuated her curves. She was stunning, as was the emerald-cut ring on her finger and the matching wedding band. Colton wore khakis, a button-down shirt, and a matching wedding band. They looked like models from the coast, ready to jump out into the surf or maybe head out on a night on the town. They looked like they fit together—and maybe they did.

Because Colton wasn’t mine, he was Tarryn’s.

And I was okay with that.

“You’re here,” I said quickly as I moved back. Tarryn took the first step, pulling Colton in, and I held back a frown at that.

“Hi,” Colton said, his gaze on Emery’s, not mine. I didn’t blame him. Emery was why he was here and why I was even letting him in my home.

We had created her together, and now, they were finally meeting.

“Emery Jillian Montgomery, meet your daddy. This is Colton.”

Colton met my gaze for a minute, though I knew Emery’s full name wouldn’t be a surprise to him. I had known that she would be taking my name as I had full custody and the Montgomery name was important to my family. Colton hadn’t said anything about it, had just agreed quietly. So quietly. It was a little unnerving.

He looked down at the baby in my arms, then back up at me. “She’s so small. I mean, she looks small on video, but she’s like smaller in person.”

I smiled, holding back a shake of my head. He sounded the same as ever, and yet I felt nothing for him. That was progress, I supposed. “Yes. Though she’s grown quite a bit in the past month.”

“She’s beautiful,” Tarryn put in, and I turned to the other woman.

“I’m sorry. Hello, I’m Paige. And this is Emery. My daughter.” We’d met online, but this moment felt far more awkward than I thought possible.

Tarryn smile widened. “It’s so good to meet you in person. I know we did so over video, and it’s awkward, but thank you for letting me into your home.”

“You’re Colton’s wife. Of course, I’m going to let you into my home. I swear, everything’s going to be okay. I’m not bitter or anything.” I hadn’t meant to say that last part, but Tarryn laughed, her face lighting up.

She was impossibly gorgeous, while I had merely done myself up decently with maternity jeans and a long-sleeve cotton shirt over a tank top. I had washed my hair that morning, though I hadn’t blown it out since I hadn’t had time. Emery had spit up everywhere, so I’d had to change my top, and my hair was still in slightly frizzy waves because of it, but it was fine. I looked okay. I had makeup on, at least a dab of it, and I counted that as a win.

Emery looked adorable, and so long as she didn’t throw up on herself again, we would be okay.

“Would you like to hold her?” I asked Colton, and he stood frozen for a moment before Tarryn reached out and gripped his arm.

“Colton,” she whispered.

My ex met her gaze and nodded tightly. “Sure.”

He held out his hands awkwardly, and I ignored the little clutch in my heart as I handed over our daughter and gently told him how to keep her head safe and to support her neck. He held her awkwardly, like a football he was afraid to drop, and looked down at her, his eyes wide. “Oh, wow,” he sputtered. Tarryn looked at him then, and she bit her lip. But she didn’t reach out to touch Emery. She didn’t help Colton in any way. Instead, she just stood back as if she weren’t sure what to do. Or maybe I was the one who didn’t know what to do.

“She’s still small for her percentile, but eating well, and has slept through the night twice now. She also loves to throw up. Even with burping, she loves it.” I was rambling, and I couldn’t help it. What was I supposed to say to the man who had donated half of Emery’s genes but hadn’t been there for anything else? I’d tried to keep him filled in on the past month’s-worth of milestones, but I wasn’t sure what was too much for him. Or not enough. It wasn’t as though Colton had let me in on what he was thinking. He never had, and that was part of our problem.

“Is your family helping you?” he asked, and I nodded. He wasn’t looking at Emery but at me, and I tried to smile.

“My parents have been amazing, as have my siblings. Emery is never alone. Neither am I.”

I didn’t bring up Lee, and I didn’t know why since Lee had been in the house during those video calls with Colton. Maybe it just felt odd to bring up another man, even though Colton had brought his wife today. Or maybe it was that I didn’t want to tarnish Lee at all by making him feel like a replacement. Because from what I saw here, Colton looked like the one out of place. I wasn’t surewhatI was supposed to say.

Emery kicked then and then started to cry. Colton’s eyes widened, and I quickly took Emery from his arms and rocked her. “I just need to set her down for a nap. I’m sorry. She sleeps more often than not.”

He cleared his throat. “Oh, it’s fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

Slightly unnerved, I rocked Emery back to sleep, then set her in her bassinet. “She’ll still be in the room, but she just got a little fussy.”

“Understandable,” Colton said stiffly before looking at Tarryn.

I didn’t know what was going on, and I wasn’t sure what to think.

“I’m going to give you two some privacy. I have a couple of phone calls to make anyway. It was lovely to meet you, Paige.” Tarryn walked out of the house then, confusing me.