Page 18 of Blindside

“Boyfriends, huh?” I growl.

“Seriously, Crue? Out of everything I just said that’s all you heard?” Saint nudges him with his shoulder, telling him without words not to be a dick.

“Regardless, Katie. That baby is ours and we had a fucking right to know about her existence!” I shrink back at the venom in Saint’s tone. “You got that fucking bitch Nathan to fake being her father and gave my baby girl away!” He’s shouting now and I begin to worry everyone else in first-class will be able to hear our argument. “Did you fucking know you signed her over to the fucking devil himself?”

Shame washes over me. I shake my head and quickly reach into my bag to grab the spare bottles and place them on the counter next to the sink. Switching the pump off while I try to unscrew the bottle. After the third attempt I growl, then gasp when Saint knocks my hands out of the way and unfastens the bottle for me. “Thanks,” I mumble as I screw the lid on and quickly replace it with the empty bottle. I do the same to the other side before switching the pump back on.

“What do you do with all that milk?” Crue’s question shocks me. I manage to snap out of it and answer him as I reclaim my seat.

“I donate it to the local hospital back home.”

“Answer my question,” Saint snaps. I steel my spine and hold their gazes as I spill the story.

“No, I had no idea about your father. I met with someone from the adoption agency not long after I found out I was still pregnant. Believe me if I knew that cocksucker was the one who would adopt her, I never would have gone through with it.”

“Why the fuck did you give her up?” Crue snarls.

I pin him with a scathing look daring him to come at me again. “I couldn’t fucking afford to raise her, okay? The moment my family found out I was pregnant out of wedlock, my ass was kicked to the curb. I moved in with Nathan and had to drop back on classes at school so I could work. I make fucking shit money at my job, I could barely get by as it was. I never wanted her to suffer because I couldn’t provide shit for her—”

“We would have paid for everything!” Saint interjects.

“You weren’t there!” They both recoil at my shout. I take a moment to calm myself before continuing. “How was I supposed to come to you both when you both pretty much accused me of getting pregnant so I could get paid for the rest of my life?” When neither of them answers I scoff, pussies. “Exactly, so I did what I thought was best. I mean, you both did say I would never be a good mother to her, thanks to me being a fucking depressed piece of shit from losing my best friend. I believed you assholes. The family she showed me looked amazing and had a great home and well-paying jobs, so I thought she would be better off with them. It wasn’t until after I gave birth to her…” I start to get choked up at the memories of her. I push those away and focus on the here and now. “Forty-eight hours later, I signed the papers. Nathan signed his name as her father. The doctors never questioned it, he was there for every scan, every doctor’s appointment and her birth.”

“He was there?”

“Yes, Crue, Nate was there with me.” Hurt clouds their faces but fuck them, they did me wrong! “The moment I saw Jackson walk in with the woman from the adoption agency I knew something was wrong. I tried to back out but it was too late, I had signed away my rights. Ever since I got out of the hospital I have been working every angle I can to get the information I needed on Adalyn.”

“Why the fuck were you with Jackson the night we saw you?” Try as he might, I can still hear the jealousy in Sanit’s voice.

“I was with him so I could try cloning the bastard's phone. Think of me what you will, but I would never fucking betray Crue like that.” I hear the conviction in my own voice. I turn to Crue needing him to see the truth in my eyes and hear it in my words. “You may hate me and we may have issues right now but I wouldneverbetray you like that.” He searches my eyes for a minute before giving me a curt nod. I look down and see the bottles half full. I turn the pump off and start the process of unscrewing and capping the bottles before ridding myself of the contraption, I keep my back to them as I get dressed. I can feel their eyes on me the entire time and fight the shiver that wants to break free. I shove everything into my bag after dressing and throw it over my shoulder, I’m about to reach for the four bottles when Saint’s words stop me.

“Did you get his phone?”

I shake my head as I answer. “No, the bastard took off after dropping me at the club. I had to surprise him at his office to clone it and that was when I found out who really adopted Adalyn.”

“What else did you find?” Crue pushes.

“He sells children to the families that have been rejected by the agency and gets paid a shit load for it. I don’t know how he or Devon knew about Adalyn, I never told anyone aside from you both and our friends.”

“The pictures on your phone, are they the only ones you have?” I smile sadly at Saint and nod.

“I only got two days with her before they took her from me.” Crue’s gaze hardens.

“Still more than we fucking got with her,” he snaps.

“Don’t fucking come at me for this shit, I did what I thought was best for her!”

“Do me a favor, rub your hand between your legs and take a whiff of that shit because your ass has bigger fish to fry.” I balk at Crue, how fucking dare he.

“Fuck you both, neither of you were there—-”

“And who’s fucking fault is that?” Saint shouts. “You’re here to help bring her home, the moment we get back to CHU we’ll pay whatever you want so you can get the fuck out of ours and Adalyn’s lives for good!”

“Go fuck yourselves. You stand there thinking you are holier than thou, yet you both are the fucking reason I chose adoption. You blame me for leaving, but neither of you gave me a fucking reason to stay. I made a selfless choice because I thought it was best for her.”

I stand here brimming with anger as they both turn and leave, then stand here alone and utterly devastated by Saint’s harsh words. Can neither of them see that I thought I was doing the right thing? I have been trying to get her back since the moment Jackson took her from me. I fucked up, I know that, but I am trying every fucking thing I can to get our girl back. Now I fear that getting her back won’t be the end of this nightmare.

I can feel it now, Crue and Saint are going to make me rue the day I left them and keep our girl a secret.

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