Page 534 of Not Over You

Today, I set her in the passenger seat—away from me. I told myself it was because she needed to tell us what was happening at the hospital, but the truth is, her split decision to reject us cut me deep.

I needed a bit of distance to process her actions and the reasons behind them. I needed to deal with my own hurt feelings.

I didn’t hear the whole conversation between Willow and her mother but I did hear her deny she was with us.

She is with us.

It angered me and I snapped at her but I stand behind everything I said.

This isn’t something she will hide away. We aren’t a convenience she can access when it suits her.

I sat detached in the backseat and listened to her update us on what was happening.

Dale was playing hardball.

He’s not going to take Annie away but he knows how to play his cards. He thinks by threatening to cut Annie off from the care Willow fought hard for her to have, then she'll crumble and he’ll get the money he wants.

If we weren’t here, he would have been right.

I made a couple of calls just before we left the house.

The first was to our lawyer who is rushing down to the hospital to file whatever the fuck he has to to scare Dale’s lawyer off.

The second was to Tray with Dale’s location.

I don’t yet know where Shane went last night, but he didn’t take care of Dale since he showed up at the hospital this morning. I half-expected we wouldn’t hear from him again.

“—and I’m sorry.” I miss half of Willow’s sentence but she’s turned to me from the front seat when my eyes snap up to meet hers.

I allow the silence to linger between us and she fills it.

“I’m scared, Alex. I’m not ashamed. When I got the call I thought, this was it and he’s taking her from me. She doesn’t even know he’s her dad and I let her down. I’m her mom. I should have been with her but I was selfish. I wanted to be with you.”

The car rolls to a stop and it’s Shane who reaches across and comforts her from the driver’s seat.

“This isn’t about us. We’ll address what happened another time. Let’s go kick his ass—legally speaking. Okay?”

She smiles at Shane and glances back at me once more.

I’m the one wearing my heart on my sleeve and Shane is right. This isn’t about us. I step out of the car without a word and walk to the passenger seat to help her out.

When she moves to step away, I pull her into an embrace and kiss her still damp head.

Her body relaxes in my hold.

We follow silently behind Willow through the hospital until we reach a long corridor and Shane taps my arm, drawing my attention up to someone walking toward us.

It’s Tray.

His eyes land on Willow and he doesn’t break his stride to acknowledge us. She’s a few feet in front of us and he waits until he passes her to make eye contact with us.

He shakes his head, telling us he doesn’t have Dale yet, and keeps walking in the direction we just came from.

By the time we reach the ward where Annie is staying, Willow is tense again.

The nurse seems to recognize her instantly and stands, moving quickly from around the desk and toward us.

“They’re in the meeting room at the end of the hall.” She speaks over her shoulder as she walks briskly toward a closed door.

---