Page 53 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

“But…”

I lift a finger to stop him, “No! You don’t get to come here and ask questions like you didn’t turn your back on us.”

I point the finger at Skye, staring at us, “You abandoned your daughter without any concerns for her welfare. We were nearly homeless twice, Tim. Your brother helped us by giving us a place to stay.”

Silence settles in the dining room as the last echoes of my words fade into the high walls of the house.

Tim just stands there, guilty as charged. My chest heaves with anger and sadness that only his presence can bring. He’s a reminder of my past and every mistake I made in those times.

My eyes sting with tears, and I blink furiously, trying to keep them at bay. “Kane isn’t home right now. You can stop by later.”

At my not-so-discreet dismissal, his eyes widen. “Wait,” he pleads, stretching out his hands in supplication. "Chloe, I'm sorry."

Is he sorry? Well, it's too late for that.

I shake my head intensely, “I don’t want to hear anything more from you. Just leave.”

“I know you’re hurt, but I promise, I’m going to make it up to you,” he says earnestly. His words, as annoying as they are, don’t bother me as much as the sincerity in his eyes.

He really means what he's saying.

“I was a jerk and an asshole, but Chloe, I only ever loved you,” he iterates, “I was going through a lot of things then, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to sound like I wasn’t man enough to handle my problems on my own.”

My frown doesn’t disappear, but I listen.

“I’m sorry, Chloe, okay? Disregard that bullshit I said about wanting to live my life. You’re my life, Chloe, and there’s nothing more that would make me a better man than to stand by you.”

All this talk about apologizing to me and not one mention of Skye–his own flesh and blood. She needs it more than I do because I’ve moved on.

I say, “Your words mean nothing to me, and you know why? I’ve moved on. Sometimes, I think you were onto something when you said that you were yet to live your life. Maybe our breakup was the one thing I needed to start living my life.”

These were the same words Fiona told me during my first night in the city. We’d laid on her bed with her arms wrapped around me as she talked for a long time. Her words changed my disposition to the situation, although I didn’t realize it at the time.

Now I know that Tim leaving me was the best thing that happened to me. And boy, does it feel refreshing to be free.

“My only regret is that Skye is caught up in all this. She deserves to have a father who loves her unconditionally.” At that moment, my mind begins playing with memories of Kane’s interactions with his niece. It’s obvious that he loves Skye like his own, so she’s always going to have someone to count on besides me.

I smile, “But you know what? She’ll have a father. And it’s not going to be you.”

Then, without wasting any more time, I turn around to pick Skye up from her chair and grab our bags. As I march to the front door, Tim calls out from behind me, “Chloe? Chloe, wait.”

With more force than is necessary, I fling the double doors open and step right through it, not stopping until I get to my car.

I strap Skye into her car seat before hopping in the front and starting the engine. I wait for the engine to heat up, and as I do, I allow my mind to run in so many different directions.

I say to myself, “Why is Tim so repentant all of a sudden?”

I can’t help thinking how strange that is. There’s a small voice that whispers he’s just sorry for what he did while other voices are calling bullshit. He probably realized just how good I was to him, and now he wants back.

Even if he’s the last man on earth, that’s never going to happen.

Slam!

My heart flies up to my throat at the loud banging sound. A shadow covers my window, and I look up to see Tim pounding on the glass. He looks really desperate, and it starts to scare me.

His mouth forms my name over and over.

Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!

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