I knew Asia would do better being with me the majority of the time.
The issue was convincing Marissa of that.
The two of us stood and made our way outside. My ex-wife grabbed the doorknob and closed the door until only a sliver of a crack was all that remained of the light inside Asia’s hospital room.
Then, she looked up at me with a determined gaze. “My job in Georgia’s going to keep me gone for another couple of weeks.”
I nodded. “I figured as much.”
“Hey, don’t take that tone of voice with me.”
I shrugged. “What tone?”
She put her hand on her hip. “You know the tone I’m talking about. The one that says, ‘of course you’d keep working. Why not? It’s all about you anyway.’”
“At least you understand, then.”
“And what am I supposed to do, Gavin? Huh? I can’t just back out of the contract. I already signed it, and in my contract, it stipulated that the job would take three weeks but possibly five.”
I blinked. “You didn’t tell me the ‘possibly five’ part.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I take it you’ve got some job or whatever coming up?”
“Does it matter? Look, we both know what’s going to happen. You’re going to win, you’re going to be gone for another two weeks, and then you’ll pick up Asia and drop her at my doorstep whenever you need to be gone for another month.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
I took a step toward her. “What’s wrong is you’re doing it when your schedule allows it. You’re not doing it based on what Asia needs. She needs a schedule. A routine. Something she can rely on.”
She glared up at me. “Which is why she’s got her mother.”
“Oh, is that what you call the half-assed job you put in of hiring a nanny who wasn’t even trained in how to take care of someone with asthma? Asia was standing on my doorstep for almost a fucking hour before I—”
She pointed her finger in my face. “Don’t you dare cuss at me, Gavin Lincoln. I’m not your wife anymore. I don’t need to take that shit from you.”
“Then do what you know is right for our child. Sit down with me, let’s come up with a schedule of rotating weekends where we get her, and she can be with me during the school year breaks.”
She leaned back. “Oh, so you can go off and work all through the school year, and I’m stuck at home doing the stay-at-home Mom thing?”
“If you didn’t want to be a parent and put your child’s needs first, then we shouldn’t have had a child.”
She scoffed as her voice raised. “Do you even know the definition of ‘accident?’”
The second I heard the sound of little feet scurrying away from the door, my face fell. Marissa gasped as I slammed the door open just in time to see Asia wiggle her way beneath the covers. I heard her soft cries, and it broke my heart. But, Marissa shoved me out of the way to rush toward her bed.
“Come here, sweetheart. Mommy didn’t mean what—”
Asia pulled away. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want you.”
Marissa jerked away like she’d been shot. “What?”
Then, Asia peeked out from beneath the covers and held her hand out to me. “Daddy, please?”
I walked over to her, sat down, and took her hand. “I’m right here, princess.”
I felt my ex-wife glaring at the profile of my face. “Thanks for nothing. I’m going to go get a legitimate doctor instead of talking to these thick-headed nurses.”
And when she stormed out of the room, Asia tugged me onto the bed.
