Page 69 of When Stars Fall

“Text from the front desk. Evelyn is here, Ellie’s—”

“I remember who Evelyn is,” I say through gritted teeth.

Calshae yanks the emergency cord on the treadmill and stands still. “She wants to see you.”

“Sure, let’s add to the party. Let’s inviteallthe people who knew I was a dad before I did.” I throw out my hands and then slam another left hook into the bag. “At this point, it’d be the whole frigging island.”

“I’ll tell her to come back later.”

“No, no. Tell her she can come in and explain shit to me.” I whip off the boxing gloves and toss them to the side. Flexing my hands, I wait for Evelyn to walk in.

Normally the gym is bright with natural light. But today the windows are covered by blinds and anything else the hotel staff could find to block the paparazzi’s view. The cameras and crews have descended on the hotel. For maybe only the second or third time in my life, I don’t want the attention.

Evelyn breezes into the gym. She stands by the entrance, squinting in the dim lighting. I wouldn’t let Calshae turn on any lights, so it’s like dusk in here.

“Wyatt?” She scans the room.

Her petite stature reminds me of Ellie. Their hair is almost the same color too, so from a distance, they could be mistaken for each other. Those details soften me to Evelyn, even when I don’t want to be softened. Like today—I don’t want any softness today. “Evelyn,” I say. “Or should I call you Grandma?”

“I was a grandmother even when you believed Haven was Nikki’s.”

“I should go.” Calshae steps off the treadmill and tucks her phone in her pocket. “I’ll come check on you in a bit.”

“Like I said, I don’t need a babysitter.”

“How many times have you considered using?” Evelyn asks. “Searched any bags? The nooks and crannies? Maybe a pill was left behind? Considered calling any old friends?”

So fucking smug. Like she has any idea how I feel. Right now, I hate her. I clench my hands and release them, and don’t answer.

“I’ll come find you when I leave,” Evelyn says to Calshae, who is standing at the door before she ducks out. The door clicks closed.

“You have to keep it together,” Evelyn says quietly, clasping her hands in front of her.

“I’m aware.” I push the words out, my anger barely in check. “Why do you suppose I’m here in the gym instead of at the bar?”

“A whiff of anything and I’ll be counseling Ellie to stay away.”

“Yeah, well, you won’t have much of a leg to stand on when I tell her that you’re the reason I’m here in the first place.”

“I’m still Ellie’s mother.” Evelyn’s expression tightens.

“And I’m the father of her child. That puts us at an impasse.”

“You’re angry. But having Tommy calling family attorneys on the island, asking questions about custody, visitation? Is that how you want this to go between you and my daughter?”

My hands are laced behind my head, and I release them. Pisses me off that she already knows about that. “My rights, since they’ve been denied to me for the last nine years, are important.”

“Ellie isn’t going to stop you from seeing Haven.”

“I want to be sure she can’t.” I’m trying to work out why she agreed to give me Ellie’s address. She knew what Ellie was hiding. “What did you expect would happen?”

She crosses to the bench that houses weights on one end. Slowly, she lowers herself to sit on the edge. “I hoped you’d come here clean and sober. Ellie would realize what I have known for years, and the three of you could work at being a family. Instead, you created this incredible public spectacle.” She tosses her hand toward the windows for emphasis. “You found out in exactly the wrong way.”

When I remember my conversation with Tommy, seeing the birth certificate on TMZ, I clench and unclench my hands. “How was I supposed to guess Ellie had a real reason for staying away from me?”

“I should have made the terms of our agreement a little firmer.”

“Six months of meetups, breathalyzers, and random drug testing on my movie set weren’t enough?”

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