Page 91 of Deal Breaker
Instead, my thoughts drift—again—to Ford.
I haven’t heard from him since he left me standing in the parking lot. The questions in his eyes, the pain—it wrecked me. And now, nothing. No calls. No texts. Just silence so loud it feels like punishment. A punishment I know I deserve.
I pull into the hospital lot, white-knuckling the steeringwheel for a beat before I finally let go. My legs are heavy when I step out of the car, anxiety building with each step toward the hospital doors.
I need to focus on my mom, and on what today might bring. But in the back of my mind, I can’t stop thinking abouthim.
Because if Ford can’t find a way to come back from this, I’m not sure I’ll be able to either.
THIRTY-THREE
Ford
I don’t remember pouring the second drink. Or the third.
The bottle sits half-empty near the edge of the counter, watching me spiral. Judging me. I know I shouldn’t have drank this much, but I couldn’t stand to be stone cold sober with my thoughts.
The house is quiet, the kind of silence that settles deep in your bones and sits there. Stella’s asleep near the door, tired of begging to go for a walk. The lights are off. I haven’t eaten. I’ve barely slept. I just keep thinking about the look on her face when she said it.Yes.
Yes, she’s your child. Yes, you’re a father. Yes, I’ve been lying to you.
One word, and everything shifted. Every moment, every memory.
I lean forward, elbows on the kitchen island, pressing my palms against my forehead like maybe I can push away the headache that’s brewing. I feel like shit, but my heart is still beating, like it doesn’t understand it’s been broken.
The glass in my hand shakes slightly under the pressure of my grip. I set it on the table, shoving it away before I throw it against the wall. Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she tell me when she found out she was pregnant? Why wasn’t it the first thing she said to me when she came back to town? Why did she keep it a secret when we started getting closer? After we slept together? I thought we were getting somewhere, that maybe we could get past all the obstacles and the years that separated us. That what we had still meant something.
I slam the rest of the whiskey and wince as it burns down my throat.
My phone lights up on the counter. Jesse again. I’ve ignored every call since I left the site. I’ve never not showed up to work before. He’s probably wondering what the hell is going on. I don’t have the energy to talk to him. None of it fucking matters right now.
A sharp knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. I stay where I am, even when the knocking turns into banging. Eventually, I hear a key in the lock, followed by the sound of the door opening.
“Ford, we’re coming in.”
Jesse, of course. He walks into the kitchen like he owns the place, Wes and Noah trailing behind him.
“Christ, it’s like a cave in here,” Jesse says, flicking the light switch. They all freeze when they see me—shirt untucked, eyes bloodshot, bottle near empty.
Noah whistles low. “Shit. You look like hell.”
“I feel worse,” I mutter.
Wes grabs a glass from the cupboard then takes the bottle without asking and pours himself a splash. He doesn’t say anything, just leans back against the counter.
Noah watches me carefully. “What’s going on?”
I grab the edge of the sink, steadying myself before I answer him. “She has a kid.”
Three sets of eyes land on me.
“Landyn,” I clarify. “She has a six-year-old little girl.”
Jesse nods. “Okay…”
They still don’t get it.
“The kid is mine.”
