Page 33 of Perfect for Her

“This little boy is the reason my life fell apart. He’s the reason everyone hates me and refuses to wear any of my designs!” I want to roll my eyes, I want to scream at this man that a four-year-old child has no bearing on his fashion career but a small smidge of my brain can see where the delusion came from and since I’m an expert at watching Criminal Minds, I know I need to keep him as calm as possible.

“Dean, I was the one that went to the press and told them you fired me for being pregnant. I was the one that whispered around about how horrible your work environment was. Not my son. If you want to take someone, you should have taken me.”

Only half of what I said was the truth. Did he fire me for being pregnant? Yes. Did I seek out the press to bash his name? No. I was asked a question on a morning talk show after I announced my pregnancy and I told the truth. Looking back now I probably should have just kept my mouth shut, but I was angry, bitter, and maybe just a little jealous of his success. So, I wanted to tear him down a bit.

Apparently, I went a bit too far.

Mark

I don’t know what to do.

Every instinct I have is telling me to find this bastard and rip every limb from his body. All I want to do is find out who this guy is and make sure he can never touch another living soul for the rest of his life, but from the way the cops are hurriedly typing on their computers, how hushed their voices are as Harlow talks on the phone, I know they’re well on their way to finding this son of a bitch.

“Found him,” one of the cops says as my eyes shoot between Harlow and the kitchen.

She’s too busy pacing, listening to whatever nonsense this jerk is spewing to hear the cop and he comes over to me and pulls me aside.

“Try and keep her on the phone with him as long as possible. We have a feeling we know where he is and we don’t want him to know that we know.”

I nod, watching in awe as they all get up from their seats, pick up their gear from the floor and rush out the front door. Harlow’s eyes widen as she watches them leave the house and I motion for her to keep him talking.

She mouths, “Did they find him?” and I tell her they think so, so she takes a breath and focuses back on the conversation.

I pace around the room, listening in part to what she’s saying but also needing to gather my own thoughts. Learning I had a son over a month ago wasn’t something I prepared myself for, but in the weeks that have passed, Ethan has become vital to my existence. That little boy is the light of my life, he and his mother are my world, and the thought of him being anywhere but our arms isn’t something I want to think about.

Having a family was always the furthest thing from my mind, all I wanted was to have fun, and play the field, and at the time I was happy with that life. Until I met Harlow. She’s changed everything for me, she changed the way I saw the world, she changed the way I saw myself, and bringing Ethan into my life showed me just what I would have been missing if I didn’t get my shit together and be there… for them.

“Dean, calm down, there is no need to get this angry. I was only trying to protect myself!” Harlow yells, the tears falling fresh from her eyes. “Please don’t do anything to hurt Ethan, please! I’ll do anything you want, please!” she screams, sinking to the floor as the phone drops from her hand. The call dead.

“Baby, what happened?” I ask, my heart shattering as Harlow’s defeated gaze meets mine. “What did he say?”

She shakes her head, her face crumbling as it falls into the palms of her hands.

“Shit,” I mutter, dropping to my knees as I wrap my arms around her, the helpless feeling from earlier sinking deep into my bones.

“He told me that since I took away what was most precious to him, he was going to do the same for me.” Her cries echo in the room, my fingers gripping her tight, hoping the cops get there sooner rather than later because I have this sinking feeling that this man is a lot crazier than either of us gives him credit for.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” I whisper, cupping the back of her head as her body shakes against mine.

I’m trying to portray the epitome of calm right now, but inside I’m freaking the fuck out. The words that just left her mouth sink deep into my soul and I wonder if I’ll ever get to hear my son call me dad. Will I ever get to marry his mother with him by my side? All of these images filter through my mind of the life I want, a life we deserve, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t wish it into fruition. I have to pray he doesn’t do anything to take away the only dream I’ve ever had for my future.

“How can you say that?” Harlow whispers against my chest. “How can you say it’s going to be okay when you have no idea if it’s true?”

Fair question. But I lean back, take her face in my hands and rest my forehead against hers.

“Because anything other than that is not a reality I want to imagine, okay? They will find him; he will be okay and our family will be back together because anything else isn’t an option.” The conviction in my tone is more than I feel in my gut but it works. Harlow’s eyes soften and she flings herself into me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault…”

I shake my head, not allowing her to finish the thought. “Baby, none of this is your fault.”

Her sniffles echo in the quiet house and when she pulls back, I can sense that she doesn’t believe me.

“How can you say that? If it wasn’t for what I did, none of this would have happened.”

I know she believes that down to her core, but I shake my head and give her a sad smile.

“Harlow, you defending yourself, protecting you and our son is not something you should be ashamed of. That man is fucking crazy. That man stole our child as revenge for the consequences of his own actions. None of that is on you.” I haul her off the floor, carrying her into the kitchen and resting her butt on the counter. “You are an amazing mom. Even in utero, you were protecting that child with everything in you and you should never be sorry for that, I know I’m not.”

---