Page 62 of Entwined
“Colson redeemed himself,” I said quietly. “But you? You’re too manipulative, too self-serving. You’ll ruin our child if I let you in. I won’t let your poison near us.”
His grip tightened, his eyes blazing with fury. “You have no choice, Josephine. That’s my child. And I’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his life.”
I pulled free from his grasp, my voice trembling with barely contained rage. “We’ll see about that.”
The house was quiet as I unpacked the groceries, the rhythm of my actions soothing the chaos inside my head. Vaughn’s visit had left me rattled, but I couldn’t let him get to me. Not now. Not with so much at stake.
My phone buzzed on the counter. I glanced at the screen, and my stomach twisted when I saw Simone’s name. She hadn’t called me in several days.
I quickly tossed the ice cream in the freezer and answered. “Simone.”
“Joey,” her voice was smooth, but there was an edge to it. “I heard Vaughn found you.”
I swallowed, my grip tightening around the phone. “He did.”
“And?”
I walked into the living room, my feet sinking into the plush carpet as I sat down on the couch. “He knows. Easton told him.”
Simone let out a long sigh. “I figured it would come out sooner or later.”
“What do you want, Simone?” I asked, my voice clipped. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever lecture or guilt trip she had prepared.Simone rarely called for no reason, especially not with three hours between us. I hadn’t seen her since before I moved here.
“I’m fucking pissed you didn’t tell us about the baby. Why Easton and not me?”
I sighed. “He figured it out and I had to tell him. I wanted to wait to tell everyone.”
“I want to know why you’re doing this.” Her tone wasn’t angry, but there was an undercurrent of frustration. “You’ve been hiding out in Mystic for months. Did you really think Vaughn wouldn’t come looking for you?”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I snapped, my hand instinctively moving to my belly. “I didn’t ask to be pregnant with his child. And I’m sure as hell not going to let him ruin my life—or my son’s.”
Simone was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. “Joey, you can’t keep this up forever. It’s not sustainable. Vaughn’s not just going to walk away.”
“I don’t want him to be a part of this,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He’s toxic. You know that as well as I do.”
“But he’s the father.” Simone’s words slammed into me hard. “You can’t just erase him from the equation.”
“I can try.” The words sounded hollow, even to me.
Simone sighed, a weary sound that reminded me she wasn’t the enemy here. “He’ll fight you, and he has the resources to make your life a living hell. Is that really what you want? To spend the next however many years in court, battling over your son?”
I stared out the window, the early November light casting long shadows across the lawn. The idea of Vaughn dragging methrough a custody battle made me sick to my stomach, but the thought of letting him near my child was worse.
“I don’t trust him,” I finally said, my voice trembling. “I don’t trust him with anything, let alone my baby. He’s manipulative, Simone. You’ve seen it. He’ll twist everything to his advantage.”
Simone was quiet on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I thought she’d hung up. But then she spoke, her voice calm, measured. “You’re right. Vaughn can be ruthless. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to know his son. You can’t keep the baby from him forever.”
“I’m not keeping the baby from him,” I argued, though we both knew that wasn’t entirely true. “I’m protecting my child.”
“And how long do you think you can do that?” she asked, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Eventually, Vaughn’s going to get legal rights, and when that happens, it’s going to be out of your hands. You won’t have a say anymore, Joey.”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to let the panic rise in my chest. “I’ll figure something out.”
“You can’t do this alone,” Simone said quietly. “You’re going to need help. And Vaughn—whether you like it or not—he’s part of this now.”
A lump formed in my throat. The last thing I wanted was for Vaughn to be involved in my life any more than he already was. But Simone was right. There was no escaping this, not entirely.
“I need more time,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “I just… I need time to think.”
