“You know what? I’ve had enough of this conversation already. All I needed was a yes or a no. That’s it.”
“Well, the answer is no.”
“And there’s not even room for discussion?”
I leaned against the wall. “You didn’t say that. You just said yes or no.”
Her voice grew harsh. “Since when did you start being such an asshole?”
“Since you started assuming that you could go out and prioritize yourself while still dropping in whenever you wanted to in order to play Mom. Do you know how much you’ve turned my life upside down because you can’t do what’s best for Asia? Do you know how much I’ve had to sift through and how much I’ve had to plan just to get regular help for her so you can go gallivanting off and play the card of ‘single working mother’ while I’m back here actually being a parent?”
She hissed at me. “Well, I also take these jobs because I’m more than just a mother. My career is just as important as yours.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, and if you really wanted to co-parent, we should have talked about this before you even took the damn contract in the first place. But, you didn’t think about that, did you? You just thought you could call, make demands, and talk me into changing my mind when you knew the answer would be ‘no.’ So, why are you wasting my time?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure who’s on the phone, but if you could put my Gavin back on, that’d be great.”
I growled at her. “I haven’t been yours in a while, and I never will be again. We co-parent, but that’s it. Understood?”
“You really are a piece of work, you absolute shithead. I’m done talking about this. I shouldn’t even have to discuss my career moves with you when you don’t even do that with me.”
I felt my voice rising. “I always talk about my career when it takes me out of the damn country, Marissa! I’ve talked with you about it every single time! And every single time it comes up, you come up with a damn good reason why I shouldn’t go, so I don’t. Do you know how much that has stunted my career? But, I willingly do it to keep the peace between us and to try to provide some sort of stability for Asia. Do you not care about any of that?”
There was silence on her end for a long time. But, when she spoke, her words were sound and calm, which told me just how angry I had made her.
“If you can yell at me like that, then you’re obviously yelling at our daughter like that, and I won’t stand for it.”
Disbelief filled my veins. “And what I won’t stand for is my daughter having a selfish mother who calls her an accident right in front of her, dumps her into my lap when it’s convenient for her, then goes around lying to me about small things like firing some nanny I hired that actually had to quit because she got pregnant.”
She shrieked at me. “And we wouldn’t even be having this argument right now if you weren’t absolutely insistent on the fact that I keep our child in the first place!”
Her words spun my head, and I lost control of my mouth. “Well, then I guess you’ll be hearing from my lawyer when I file for sole custody. So, be on the lookout for that paperwork.”
“Gavin, wait. I’m—”
I hung up the phone on her and pinched the bridge of my nose. I drew in deep, sobering breaths, trying to calm myself down from my raging high. My hands quaked. My knees felt weak. The world spun around me, threatening to make me sick. But, above my head, I heard the pitter-patter of feet before my daughter’s and Eva’s giggles flooded down the stairs to my left.
I decided to put a pin in my issues and go be with the only two people important to me right now. After all, we had a date with the open waters to keep.
16
Eva
Istood behind Asia while Gavin commanded the wheel up at the top of the yacht. As we eased away from the shoreline, with the entirety of the ocean stretched out before us, I knew I’d never experience anything more powerful or more peaceful than being in that moment. The ocean breeze kicked up, wafting my hair behind my shoulders as Asia leaned against me. And with her head tucked just below my bosom, her tiny little hands settled on top of mine.
As we watched, the island came into view.
“I see it! I see it! Look!” she exclaimed.
I smiled. “I see it, too. Our own little island, just for us.”
“Daddy!” she shrieked.
“I’m pulling closer, princess!” Gavin yelled down.
I stroked my fingers through her delicate, soft tendrils as the ocean parted for us. Waves sloshed against the boat as we pulled up to the island, stopping less than thirty feet away from the shoreline. Asia and I peered over the edge, taking in the clearer waters. We watched all of the little rainbow-colored fish swim beneath the surface. And as Gavin dropped the anchor, I breathed in the salted scent of calm and peace, a feeling that surrounded me as the boat finally stilled.
“So,” Gavin said as he leaped down the stairs, “who’s up for a bonfire and roasting marshmallows.”
