Page 127 of Who's Your Daddy?

“I didn’t know he was married.” She throws her hands up in frustration. “He lied to me the whole time. And when I found out and confronted him about it, he kicked me out. But I still had his credit card, and I was still using it. It was trivial amounts. I only used it on basic necessities, but that’s what caused all the trouble. She asked him why I had his credit card...and the bastard lied and told her I must’ve stolen it. Instead of just admitting that we had an affair, he made it seem like I was a crazy stalker who was trying to destroy theirperfectlives. He told me if I didn’t leave, he’d call the cops. He embarrassed me in front of everyone, and I was so ashamed I just left.”

I feel myself getting more annoyed with this asshole as the story progressed, but I clench my fists and suffer through the rest of it.

“A few days later, I took Ambrose out for a walk and when I got back, Stella told me that two cops came to the shelter looking for me because there was a warrant out for my arrest. Apparently, his wife opened up a charge against me. I don’t know how they found me because I used a different name. I think they tracked the card or something. That’s when I brought Ambrose to you.” The tears start up again. “Staying at the shelter wasn’t viable anymore because they were looking for me there. I just wanted to slip under the radar for a few days, and I couldn’t do that with a baby. I thought it would just be for a week or so, and then I’d talk some sense into Teddy and get him to drop the charges. But when I went to see him again...he had me arrested on the spot.”

“He did what?” White-hot rage surges through me. If I ever get my hands on this guy...

“Yeah, um, they booked me for credit card fraud because he denied ever knowing me. They saw that I used it for the motel, and all records and location history showed that Teddy had never been there, so his side of the story checked out. I could see that there was no way I could win, so when the judge asked me where the baby was, I told him it was my friend’s baby, and I was just using him to...extort money from Teddy. It made everything look worse, but I knew he was safe with you, and I couldn’t risk them taking him. The judge said it was a misdemeanor and sentenced me to ninety days, but I was in there for almost the full four months because I couldn’t make bail while I waited for my court hearing.”

I’m stumped, speechless, for a solid minute, feeling torn between conflicting emotions. The thing that bothered me the most was thinking she’d been with him for the last four months. Knowing she wasn’t sets my mind at ease, and as the tension cracks, relief spills over inside of me.

But on the flip side, knowing where shewasmakes me want to rip this guy’s fucking head off. She came back with bruises on her face, for God’s sake. How could he do that to her, knowing she’d just had his baby? He better pray he never runs into me.

“You were in prison?” I ask.

Ashamed to admit it, she drops her head and just nods.

“And you didn’t think to use your one phone call to call me?”

“I didn’t think you’d come.”

She is so goddamn infuriating. “Of course, I would’ve come. Even if I was angry and hurt and on the cusp of hating you, I would’ve been there. And it’s not like you didn’t involve me, anyway. You left Ambrose with me, remember? I was already neck-deep in this shit. And if not me, why didn’t you say anything to anyone? You could’ve told Tori or Shontelle, but you didn’t reach out to anyone. You just suffered through all that alone. Why?”

“Because...” She shrugs, again trying to balance the weight on her shoulders. “I’m always alone. If life has taught me anything after my parents died, it’s that...no one’s coming. There’s no Prince Charming. There’s no knight in shining armor. There’s just me. I have to learn to stand on my own two feet because no one is coming for me, Peter. Twice, I put myself out there. I tried to be a devoted girlfriend and a loving partner. And twice, I was kicked out without a second thought.”

My jaw tightens, and I sneer. “Don’t you dare lump me together with him. We are not the same person.”

“You’re right. You’re not like him. I thought you were different...which is why it hurt so much more when you did the same thing. And I know I lied. They were stupid lies, which only continued for so long because I was too embarrassed to admit the truth, and they seemed harmless because I didn’t expect us to get into an actual relationship.” The first tear rolls down her cheek, her stoic mask slipping off her face. “And I’ve apologized a million times. You refuse to accept it. I try to make things right, and you reject me every time. I lay myself open to show you that...I still love you, but you think it’s all a lie.” She looks away to hide the hurt in her eyes and wipes the moisture off her face. “So, I’ve reached the point where I have to stop trying. No matter what I do, you’re always going to hate me.”

Maybe it’s because of my slip-up earlier, but I catch her present tense declaration in between all that. In fact, that’s the only thing my brain latches on to. Her voice seems to echo in my head, a mixture of pain and frustration filling the silence that now hangs heavy in the air.

My anger and disappointment are still there, pulsating beneath the surface, but her confession has chipped away at my resolve. Not only that. She dropped the veil of strength and exposed all her weaknesses to me. She’s showing me the person beneath the stoic mask, and that’smybiggest weakness.

“I hate what you did.” My voice is hoarse as I take a step toward her. “I don’t hate you. And it’s not from lack of trying. I’ve tried. I just keep falling short. I’ve gotten to levels of manic frustration...gut-wrenching worry...inconsolable grief. Not hate, though.” I take another step. “You’ve provoked relentless pain...some obsessive jealousy...and believe it or not, you’ve even pushed me to the point of blind rage...several times. But hate? Hate is a little sketchy. I’m still working on it.”

“What about...” Her hands are working overtime now, twisting into her pajama top. “What aboutfucking love? I think you mentioned that earlier.”

“You caught that, huh?”

“I did. It was a significant step up from loving me as a...whole being person. Pretty hard not to notice that.”

“You had to throw that in there.” I chuckle, and the tension between us slowly dissipates. “Just so you know, you said it too.”

“Yeah, but I was disgusted with myself for even admitting such a thing to a Hustler University graduate, so it doesn’t count.” She gives me that smile I love so much, and that dimple deepens on her cheek. “Hey, Peter. Did you...did you really call to ask me to come back?”

“Yeah...like, every day until you left Ambrose here. I know I shouldn’t have done what I did. I spoke out of anger...and the consequences...Fuck, the guilt was eating me, Li. And I had no intention of working it out with you, but...I was gonna let you stay in one of the apartments here. Even if we never spoke to each other again, I just needed to know you were safe. What did you think I was calling for?”

“I thought you were going to tell me to bring back all your things...and rub it in my face that stealing your stuff proved I was a gold-digger.”

“Oh, yeah. Because I’m petty enough to whine over two hundred dollars. That’s definitely gonna break the bank for me.” Hearing myself say that only confirms the type of person she is. It’s not the amount, but the principle that bothers her. She was never in it for the money. I groan, frustrated at how all this turned out, how it could’ve all been avoided. “God, we’ve gone and fucked this up royally, haven’t we?”

She nods. “Yep.”

“So, the way I see it, we’ve got two choices. We can call a truce and have an amicable relationship as co-parents to Ambrose, or...we can be really stupid...and try this again. This time, no secrets, no lies, no bullshit.”

“Which one are you leaning toward?”

“The one that gets you out of those pajamas.”

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