Page 22 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

“Why would you want to hear my side at all? Shouldn’t you want to defend your brother against me?”

“Tyson has a strong point. You had no right to keep Trinity out of his life. You should have let him know that you were pregnant, and then you both could have moved forward together. But you’ve paid for that. You’ve had to work harder and raise a child on your own. That means that you at least thought you had a good reason for doing what you did.”

At least somebody thinks that.

“Momma, who’s that?” Trinity asked as she appeared at my side.

“Hi, sweetie, I’m Leigh.” Leigh grinned down at Trinity. “I’m your momma’s friend.”

Without the whiskey, Leigh finished making the cups of tea and sat back down with me. I sipped the drink, thoughts about what to do racing through my mind at a million miles an hour.

Trinity looked at her for another moment before walking away and heading back to her toys. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Trinity hadn’t asked more questions than that. Not that she would have known to, but if Leigh said anything about who she really was, I would have more explaining to do.

“I can’t tell her about the family connection,” I said, giving her an apologetic look. “I wish I could but not until I figure out how we fit in Tyson’s life now.”

“He’s changed a lot, especially in the last few years. If you thought he wanted to settle down before, you should see him now.”

“I know he says that, but is it what he really wants? He’s had this whole lifetime of traveling around and partying.”

“I don’t know if we’re talking about the same man,” Leigh said, her eyebrows wrinkling. “He rented out a van not long ago and spent close to a year traveling around the country and working from that. Partying has never been his scene.”

“I see all the pictures of him heading into clubs and balls and all the other kind of events the rich and famous go to.”

“Because he had to. He makes appearances for a couple of hours, does whatever the situation requires, and then he takes off. He’s never enjoyed being in the spotlight. He just does what he has to for the business. You wouldn’t believe how many calls I got from the coatroom of some event, begging me to come save him from whatever date his old business partner set him up with.”

I didn’t know how to feel about that. Would Leigh be the type to lie for her brother if it meant bringing him into his daughter’s life?

After studying her for a moment, I decided she wouldn’t do that.

“So, how was she as a baby?” Leigh asked, her gaze cutting toward Trinity. “Did you at least have someone to help you when things got too tough to handle on your own?”

“It was just her and I until we moved back here.”

Leigh shook her head. “I couldn’t imagine doing it all on your own. You’re one hell of a woman. You let me know if you ever need anything, alright? I know it takes some time to get here, but if you call, I’ll get here as soon as I can. Give me your phone.”

I handed over my phone, and she put her number in before sending herself a message. Once she had saved my contact information, she grinned again.

“So, tell me all about her.”

“You know what,” I said, taking a deep breath before I made a decision I might regret. “Why don’t you go play with her and ask her a bit about herself? I’ll get lunch together for all of us.”

Leigh’s eyes widened. “Really?”

I nodded. “Really. Just please don’t tell her that you’re family yet.”

Leigh nearly squealed as she bolted off the chair and went to play with Trinity. I watched from my seat as she sank to her knees on the ground, gently speaking to Trinity. Trinity handed her a doll before explaining the rules of whatever game they were playing.

My heart warmed watching my daughter play with her aunt. It wasn’t a moment that I thought would ever happen. Hell, all things considered, I didn’t think that Leigh would have been as warm and supportive as she had been.

Watching them play together was bittersweet. I had been keeping Trinity away from the rest of her family. It was clear to see that Leigh loved her as much as I did.

The choice to keep her away from Tyson had been made in a split second when I looked at the positive pregnancy test. I had doubted that decision over the years—never quite regretting it, but also unable to pick up the phone and call him.

When lunch was ready, Leigh and Trinity raced to the table. Leigh let Trinity win, laughing as she picked her up and spun her around in a circle before setting her down on her chair.

After lunch, Trinity raced away to go do something in her room while Leigh and I sat around the table talking.

“So, you have a stalker,” Leigh said when I finished telling her about the letters I found and taking them to the police. “You know, Tyson could help you with that. He knows some good security companies and has pull with people that could help.”

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