Page 146 of The Single Dads Club
I shook my head. “They don’t get to choose who is in my life, I do. I don’t care what they say, Cade.”
“I do.” His expression didn’t waver. It was like someone had stomped on my chest, and I struggled for breath.
“Cade…” I reached out for his forearm, but he took a step back.
“Go on home, Alexa.”
His emotionless tone all but froze my skin and I stumbled a step back in my heels. Not wanting him to see me cry, I turned and fled for my car, desperate to get out of there as quickly as I could.
Chapter 16
Cade
Keeping my distance from Alexa was proving more difficult than I ever imagined. Every single day I had half a mind to drive up to the hospital to see her, and Lord knows I wanted to check on her, hear her voice, see how she was doing. God, just the chance to see her smile. I hated how I left her in that country club parking lot looking so hurt and stunned.
Not to mention, during the first days of Alexa’s absence, Lily drove me up a fucking wall talking aboutLexanonstop. I hadn’t meant to lose my temper with her, but since I had, she hadn’t brought up the topic of Alexa again.
Thank fucking God.
It was just like I told Alexa—I knew from the beginning things would end this way, with a certain little girl wondering where she’d goneand my heart fucking crushed because of it.
There was no denying that meeting Alexa’s parents had changed things. After that exchange of words in the parking lot, we hadn’t talked at all. I’d almost broken down and called her half a dozen times, but was trying like hell to give her some distance. She had to see this thing between wasn’t going to work. I mean, what did she expect? Did she think I’d win over her parents and put a ring on her finger? Of course she deserved nothing less than finding a man who would give her the world. But the real world wasn’t like one of those goddamn fairytale stories of Lily’s. The real world was hard work and painful pasts and people who did manual labor and dabbled in porn to make a living. I wasn’t ashamed of what I had done, but Alexa’s parents would have a fit if they ever found out. Her Dad seemed okay, but Alexa’s mother was the coldest person I’d ever met. Now that Alexa was no longer in my life, andafter ignoringseveral calls from Rick, I’d finally given in, deciding I do one more film. I told myself this was it—it would be my last one. With the pay check I’d receive, I’d be able to pay off Lily’s outstanding bills, plus my ER visit and be done with the whole thing.
I picked up my phone and dialed, knowing I only had a few minutes before Lily was due off the bus.
“I hope you’ve got good news for me.” Rick greeted after picking up after one ring.
With no emotion, I responded. “I’ll do it. When and where?”
I listened as he gave me the instructions. The shoot was happening tomorrow. I needed to shave in the morning and I was due on location at noon.
“See you then.” I ended the call, wanting to keep the conversation as short as possible. I hadn’t even asked who I’d be working with. At this stage, it didn’t matter because I just needed the money. I’d play a role, do what was expected of me and cash my paycheck. Simple, right? Then why was my stomach fucking knotted like this?
Once I met Lily off the bus and got her settled in with a snack and her favorite show, I grabbed a bottle of beer and took off for the garage, needing to blow off some steam by reorganizing my toolbox, or punching something. Take your pick.
It did little to relieve my tension, and ten minutes later I was stalking back inside to find an eerily quiet house.
“Lily?” I called, as I rounded the corner from the kitchen to the living room and stepped in something wet, and warm.What the—?
When I entered the living room, the reason for the damp carpeting became clear. Lily had maneuvered a large pot of water into the living room and dumped it onto the floor, based on the puddle I was standing in and the overturned pot in front of me.
“Lily, what in the world?” I grabbed the overturned pot, then reached down to wrench off my soaking wet socks.
Soft crying coming from the couch had me rushing toward Lily. “Baby doll what happened?”
She sniffed, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. “I wanted to do a pedicure like me and Lexa did.”
That’s what the pot of water had been for? To soak her feet? I hugged her to my chest. “Shh. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” Fuck. I had no training in how to deal with this. How would I handle when she started her period or wanted to go on a date?Dammit.
Breathe, Cade. A little spilled water isn’t the end of the world. Dealing with a sad and scared little girl? Much worse.
Just when I was starting to get on with my life and put the ache of missing Alexa behind me, life happened and landed a blow to my gut. My first instinct was to call Alexa, to beg her to come back, but instead I continued cleaning up the rest of the water, trying to talk myself out of it.
When I couldn’t hold off any longer, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number. The line rang several times before her voicemail picked up. Damn. I hung up without leaving a message. What would I say? I’m an asshole, but can you put that aside and come back? Yeah, that wouldn’t work.
I dumped the wet rags into the sink as my cell phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and the screen flashing Alexa’s name sent my heart jumping. “Cupcake?”
She laughed nervously, all warm and feminine. God, I’d needed to hear that laugh. My tense shoulders instantly eased and I sank down into a chair at the kitchen table.
