Page 78 of All That She Needs

The soft ding of the elevator signaled our arrival. I let Kayden step out first and followed behind as he walked confidently toward my office, catching the attention of everyone he passed. When he reached Sean's desk, he stopped, looking at him intently for a moment before extending his hand.

"I'm Kayden. You must be Sean."

I racked my brain, trying to remember if I'd ever mentioned Sean to Kayden. Maybe he'd heard about him from Asha, or even Roy.

Sean rose from his seat, extending his hand with a broad smile as he accepted Kayden's handshake. He clearly recognized who Kayden was, seeing the resemblance to me in his features. "Yes, nice to meet you."

Kayden returned the smile briefly, then continued down the hall toward my office. I turned to Sean. "Hold all my calls and reschedule my meetings for today," I said.

"For how long?" he asked, looking a bit panicked. I knew that it wasn't that easy to reschedule my meetings as my calendar had never been empty.

"Until further notice," I replied, my gaze following Kayden.

I caught up to Kayden as he reached my office door, opened it and gestured for him to step inside. He walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk without a word, his posture tense but composed. I closed the door behind us, my heart starting to pound a little faster.

I walked around to sit across from him, unsure of what to expect. Kayden's expression was unreadable, his gaze steady and fixed, but something about his demeanor felt more serious than usual.

"So," I began carefully, leaning forward. "What's on your mind?"

Kayden cleared his throat, taking a moment before he spoke. His gaze, which had been fixed on the desk, slowly lifted to meet mine. "I want to know how you're doing after the divorce."

The question caught me so off guard that I leaned back in my chair, momentarily at a loss for words. A few seconds passed before I finally spoke, deciding to be honest with him. "Not good, to be honest. I miss you and Chloe. I miss your mom."

He nodded, his eyes studying my face, as if gauging whether I was telling the truth.

"Are you still staying in the company's apartment?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Alone?"

I paused for a moment, wondering where he was going with this. "Yes. It's just me."

"You're a single man now, Dad." He said. I gave him a nod, my eyes intently searching for clues on his face. "So, isshegoing to be back in your life again?"

I felt my chest tighten as I searched for the right way to respond. "I never pursued her again, Kayden. I haven't contacted her since you found out."

"I know that." He gave me a small smirk. "But why, though? I kept wondering about it. After Mom kicked you out, you had every opportunity to get back together with her. But you didn't."

My gaze was puzzled as I looked at him. "Wasn't that the right thing to do?"

He crossed his arms, and I finally got a reaction,skepticismetched on his face. "Not too sure about that, Dad, but you have the right to believe whatever you want to believe."

"What doyoubelieve, Kayden?" I asked, narrowing my eyes to him.

"I thought about it a lot. And I have a few theories, which I believe are the truth. You really want to hear what I think, Dad?"

I nodded, bracing myself for whatever was coming next. This felt like a defining moment for my relationship with my son. It was crucial that I respond with the truth while also giving the reassurance he needed to hear.

Kayden leaned forward, his expression serious. "I know that you love Mom, Dad. I never doubted it for a second. She's your family—the family you never had before. Let's face it, Grandad and Grandmama aren't exactly the poster-perfectparents. They were never really your family." He pulled back slightly, gauging my reaction, before continuing, "That's why you tried so hard to get us back. Because without us, you really had no family at all."

I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated, the weight of his words settling heavily on my chest. He looked like he still had more to say, so I decided to let him. I didn't know what to say anyway, but deep down, I was wrestling with the truth in his observation.

"But you loveheras a woman, as a lover. That's the difference. With her, it's more intense and complicated." He paused, giving his words time to sink in. "It's as if you're torn between two worlds. Your family occupies one part of your life, while she occupies another, but you need both to feel whole."

Sixteen. My boy was only sixteen, and I could only stare at him in surprise at his insight.

"When Mom and I confronted you, it forced you to make a choice, and you chose family. You didn't want to return to the life you had before you met Mom—before you knew what it felt like to have a family. So, you sacrificed your feelings for her—for us."

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