Page 54 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

Trinity pouted and took another bite at her waffle. She glared at me like I was the reason why Tyson had left. If only she knew how right she was. It was my fault that he had gone, and nothing had changed.

The letters had stopped once he left, but there were large men dressed in black roaming around my property. If they were still here, it meant that nothing had been done to capture whoever was leaving notes and pictures at my door.

As Trinity ate breakfast, I reached for my phone. I wanted to call Tyson and tell him to come back home. I wanted him back in our lives, and I wanted to tell Trinity that he was her father. I wanted the truth to be out in the open, and I wanted to stop feeling like I was failing as a mother.

I had his contact open and ready to call when Bret walked into the kitchen. All thoughts of calling Tyson were abandoned as I said my goodbyes and headed to work.

Thinking that allowing Tyson back into our lives was a good idea had only been a momentary lapse in judgment.

***

“There you are,” Kirstie said as she walked into my office carrying a giant paper bag with a few grease stains coloring it. “I thought we were meeting at the diner for lunch.”

I glanced up from some of the paperwork I had been doing and looked at the clock. “Shit. I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”

“No worries,” Kirstie said as she sat in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. She opened the bag and started pulling out containers of food. “I thought we could start getting into this while you tell me all about how you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, feigning innocence as I unwrapped my bacon burger.

Kirstie fixed me with the same knowing look that she had been giving me for years. As far as stepmothers went, she was one of the best. She had always made sure that I felt like I was an important part of her life. Hell, I was sure that she loved me more than my own mother had.

Kirstie rolled her eyes as she picked up some fries. “Don’t give me that, Haley. You know damn well what I mean about making a mistake.”

I sighed and pushed my burger to the side. “Can we go for a walk and talk about this? I don’t think I can stomach food and talk about Tyson in the same enclosed space.”

Kirstie laughed and stood up, leading the way out of my office.

After checking in with one of the vet techs, we left the building and went down to the little trails that ran along the side of a stream behind the clinic. The air was getting colder, and it wouldn’t be long before we started seeing snow.

“So,” Kirstie said as she took the first turn in the path. “Why do you keep shoving Tyson out of your life when you have both decided to move on from the past?”

“I don’t know,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “It seems like everything started spiraling once he got here, and I’ve been trying to catch up ever since.”

“Why don’t you just stop trying to catch up and enjoy the ride? Life isn’t about being able to control every single situation, Haley. It’s about loving people and letting them love you.”

“I’m terrified of what might happen if this doesn’t work out. I already have Trinity asking questions about where he went.”

“Then why not let him come home?”

It was then, as we rounded another corner, that I spotted a camera pointed in our direction. Over the past week, I had seen more about Tyson in the tabloids than I had in a long time. It seemed like everyone was interested in seeing what the man who used to run around with models was doing back in New York after disappearing for weeks.

Now, it looked like they had found me. I didn’t know how and didn’t want to know how.

Cameras snapped as I scowled at them. I flipped the cameramen off, giving them something to really take pictures of before turning back to Kirstie.

“Every moment of my mother’s self-destruction was caught on camera,” I said to Kirstie, even though she had been there for a lot of it. “Tons of moments that are immortalized on the internet. I don’t want that for Trinity. I don’t care if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life if it means that she gets to live life without a camera shoved in her face.”

Kirstie’s face softened as she pulled me into a tight hug. “From what I’ve seen and know of Tyson, he would never let anything happen to your daughter.”

“It’s not him I’m concerned about,” I said, glancing over my shoulder as the cameramen disappeared down the trail. “What if I had Trinity with me then? Her picture would be splashed over every site that cared about billionaires and baby mamas.”

Kirstie snorted and released her hold on me. “You are much more to that man than just a baby mama.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can’t call him back early. Especially not if people are watching him. It’s not happening.”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Kirstie said as she looped her arm through mine and steered us back toward the clinic. “But I think you need to give the entire situation more thought.”

“I’ve given it some thought, and I think that bacon burger is calling my name.”

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