I undress and step into the tub. As I soak, I think about everything that has happened over the last couple months. My whole life has changed. Everything is different now. Even though I wanted this, the reality of it has been overwhelming.
I am starting to feel better once I finish my bath and put on fresh clothes. After I eat dinner and spend a little time cleaning, my mom comes in and sits next to me.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" She asks, looking straight into my eyes.
"Go ahead." I reply, smiling.
"Who is Penny? She has called looking for you a few times. Your grandmother just tells everyone you're sleeping."
"Penny is the nanny. I'll call her tomorrow. I am sure she is worried."
She doesn’t like this idea. "You aren't really going to let your child be raised by a stranger, are you?"
"Penny isn't a stranger, mom. She is the nanny," I say although I know where she’s coming from.
"Well, either way it doesn't take the place of raising your child yourself."
"I will be raising my child myself. Penny is just there to help," I say before letting out a heavy sigh. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. I may not get the choice of who gets to raise Anthony."
My mother lets out a deep breath as she places her hand on mine. "I am sorry, baby. I know this must be hard for you, but you can't think like that. This is your son we are talking about. He needs you to fight for him." She squeezes my fingers then moves her chair back. "I'll leave you two alone now. I think you have enough on your mind. Get some rest."
"Thank you, mom," I give her a quick hug and kiss before she makes her exit from my room.
I lay in bed for an hour after she leaves. My thoughts consume me with worry over who will raise Anthony. Will I get to be a part of his life, or will he forget who I am?
If Harrison wants custody, I know he will get custody. No one can deny him anything once he declares that he wants something. He is a Rutherford.
I am a nobody. How am I going to stand a chance? I just don't know why he felt the need to go to such great lengths? Why couldn't he just be honest with me?
As much as I want to go into his office right now and beat the living hell out of him, I don't. I need a clear head when we talk so he won't see how hurt I am by what he did. We are going to have to talk eventually. But I’ll bide my time until then.
Chapter Twenty -Two
Harrison
My head is spinning from the second I open my eyes. The pit I have had in my stomach seems to be getting bigger every day. I sit up in bed, feeling groggy after another restless night.
The energy it takes to get dressed feels like too much for me, but I force myself out of bed. The hot water from the shower does nothing to soothe my tense muscles or relax my body a bit.
Once again, I am working from home today. Mrs. Thatcher already expects it. She has given up trying to convince me to come into the office and never bothered to ask why I don't show up anymore.
I stop to grab some coffee on my way to my office. Gloria has everything ready in the kitchen. It's hard not to feel guilty when she bustles around helping me. However, I try to treat her as kindly as possible. She deserves it for looking after me all these years.
Gloria is cooking breakfast, and I'm sitting at the table with a cup of coffee watching her intently. "How are you doing?" I ask.
"Oh, fine," she says. "You look tired."
"Haven't been sleeping much," I say, not feeling the need to lie.
"You still haven't talked to her?" She asks, giving me a sympathetic look.
I shake my head, unable to speak. My heart pounds in my chest.
"Have you tried telling her how you feel?" She asks.
I nod, not trusting my voice.