“After everything we shared, all you can say to me is that maybe I’m not a complete sociopath? Really, Nia?”
“I warned you about speaking directly to my client, Mr. Paradise,” Audrey says.
“Ms. Nash, with all due respect, you can take your warning and shove it.” I stand. “Nia, can I speak with you alone for a few minutes? Please,” I add at the end.
“No, you may not,” Audrey says. “You will not bully my client into whatever—”
“It’s fine, Audrey,” Nia says before she turns to me. “You have two minutes. Follow me.”
“Audrey and I can get to know each other better,” Wyatt says, grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 10
Nia
I make sure to keep him from either my bedroom or Carter’s. I take him to the other side of the house to the kitchen. I don’t bother to offer him a chair at the table. I lean against the wall and wait to hear what bullshit will spew from his lying mouth.
“You believe those things about me?” he asks. He almost sounds a little hurt.
“It’s in black and white, not to mention the meetings I had with your father on your behalf. It’s not a matter of belief. They are facts.”
“You think I was only sleeping with you because I wanted to try a black woman? You really believe that?”
“That’s what you said.”
“Only I never said that. You’re the one who broke up with me. You were working at Paradise one day and gone the next. You broke up with me with a text message and—”
“Are you insane? How could I break up with you when we weren’t in a relationship? We slept together for a year and—”
“That’s bullshit. It was way more than sex, and you know it. I was never with anyone else that entire time. I was with you every night. We spent almost every weekend together. The night I got your text I was—”
“I didn’t end things. You did. You said you had grown bored and you had moved on. You went to Berlin for work, and you said you met someone you could have a future with, and I wasn’t it. I was terminated from my position a few weeks later. There was no warning. A few of us in my department were let go, but I know they were collateral damage. If you want the proof, I can show you the email ending my employment.” What I don’t tell him is that I was already looking for another job.
“You’re damn right I want it. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about or what’s going on. I didn’t break up. I didn’t want things to end, and if I had known there was going to be a baby, I would—”
“You would have what? Why are you here rewriting history?”
He holds up his hand and shakes his head. “We can discuss that later. I want to see Carter, Nia. I want to see my son. Please.”
His eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I’m transported back in time, and all the feelings I had come flooding back. I wouldn’t admit them then. Or maybe I was scared that I wouldn’t fit into his world of privilege, so I never voiced my wants. The truth is, I wanted more. I wanted so much more. I cared about him, and I was only with him. I wanted the world to know, but being with the Paradise Heir was never one of my goals, and it came with heavy responsibility. In the end, I didn’t think I would fit or be welcome, and my instincts proved right. I wasn’t even in his world, and I was kicked out.
I turn around and give him my back to get away from his eyes. I hear his footsteps. I hold my breath while I wait for his next move. I don’t have long to wait. His hands land on my shoulders and slowly turn me to face him. He grasps my chin and forces me to look at him, and in this moment, everything comes back. Every kiss. Every touch. Every smell. Every moment we were together. I thought those feelings had left me, but I realize now they were never far away. I only did a half-ass job of burying them. I avert my gaze, but the feelings don’t abate. They’ve always been just under the surface, only dormant, and now they’ve resurfaced.
“I could never, Nia. Never.” Whether he could or not doesn’t matter. The fact is he did, but I know that won’t matter in a court of law. Not when he has endless funds and access to the best lawyers. In the end, I’m the one who might be without her child. I could never let that happen. “Can I come by and see him tomorrow? I’d wait here all day for him, but there are some personal things I need to take care of first.”
I can feel the tears starting to build up, but I refuse to let them pool into my eyes. At least not in front of him. My throat goes dry, and I swallow three times while I weigh my next words.
“Not tomorrow. I’m going to—” I take a deep breath, and my emotions betray me. I swipe away the tears, but the more I swipe the more they fall. “I’m going to need some time to tell him. Can you give me until Sunday?”
His hand lets go of my chin, and I let out a shudder. I don’t know if it’s from relief or disappointment. “I’ll be here at ten o’clock.”
Once I agree, he leaves the kitchen, and I’m grateful to have a few minutes to calm down. As if on autopilot, I plop myself on one of the chairs and let the tears fall.
I sit there until Audrey comes in and holds my hand. She doesn’t say a word, but she’s never had to. She’s three years older than I am, and she’s always been like a big sister to me. Whether it’s helping me with my homework or handling bullies for me on the playground, she’s always had my back.
“Come on,” she says. “It’s going to be okay. You’re the best mom any kid can have. Carter’s not going anywhere, and he’s always going to love you. Nothing can change that.”
Chapter 11
