“Nice of you to show up,” he says.
“Yea, what are you doing here?”
“Rose was scheduled to be picked up at five, but Willa didn’t show, which is unlike her. I used to pick her up in the afternoons, so they called me.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell this asshole that I’m in the picture now and his pick-up days are over.
But he’s not an asshole, much as I hate to admit it. And he’s been there for Willa and Rose. And honestly, we’ll probably need his help again at some point since Willa’s going back to school, and my spring semester is packed.
“Shit. That’s what she meant by five,” I mumble. “Thank you, seriously. Willa fell asleep, and…”
Ian looks me up and down, taking in my wet hair and disheveled clothing. It takes him about two seconds to put things together. I avoid his knowing gaze and open Rose’s cubby to get her hat and jacket. Ian takes them from me and helps me put them on her, his voice soft and cheerful, no doubt for Rose’s benefit, as he says, “If you hurt them, if you even think about hurting them, I’ll kill you and they’ll never find the body.”
This guy doesn’t look capable of killing a spider, much less murdering me, but love runs deep and friendship means something. My boys are my family and I get that kind of love, so I nod. “Message received. Look, I know we’re not exactly besties, but we both love these two girls, so we’ll find our way. And I swear to you, they’re my whole world. I’ll never hurt them.”
He zips Rose’s coat, boops her on the nose, and kisses her cheek. “See that you don’t.” With that warning, he turns and walks out. I thank the teachers, grab the little bag of goodies from Rose’s holiday party, and assure everyone we’ll see them in the new year when school resumes.
Chapter 22
Willa
“Hey,pretty girl. You ready for more pasta?” I tear apart a few pieces and set them on Rose’s highchair tray. She’s babbling away to me when Knox comes in from class. He’s got his phone to his ear, and he’s chatting away with someone.
“Yea, man, eleven is perfect. That gives me plenty of time...yea, right...looking forward to it.”
Eleven? He’s going out tonight? I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He hasn’t gone out since we’ve reconnected, but Knox never could resist a party. And we definitely haven’t made any commitments to each other, but tonight? Without letting me know?
Well, what did I expect? We really are just sharing space. My instincts were right—I need to get back to Ian’s.
I turn back toward the staircase, determined not to care that my baby daddy is heading out to a party in a couple hours, while I stay home, waiting for our baby to wake up so I can feed her and rock her back to sleep.
But Knox’s next words stop me in my tracks.
“Right. You just bring yourself, dude; I’ll bring the booze and the strippers.” He laughs and I lose my mind, changing direction and walking right into the living room.
“Strippers? What the hell, Knox? What is wrong with you?” I’m shouting and he pulls the phone from his ear, looks at me, and mutters a quick goodbye to whatever bro-ski is on the other end.
“Willa,” he walks toward me, but I side-step him.
“No. You don’t get to say my name like that. Just go. Go to your party and your strippers. Jesus. Go. Have fun. But we’ll be gone in the morning. Rose is still your daughter, but...the two of us? You and me? We don’t exist, except as co-parents. This afternoon was a huge mistake and—”
“Willa,” Knox says, standing before me and gripping my hands gently in his. “It was a joke.”
“A joke? Really?” My voice is thick with sarcasm.
“Yes, I swear. I’ll call Jensen back. He can tell you. Holy shit, I was joking, I swear. I’m doing community service for the whole bar fight thing. Well, Book hooked me up with the youth group at his parents’ church. We’re doing a holiday meal at a local senior center tomorrow, starting at eleven. I made a joke—a bad joke—about bringing strippers and booze to an old folks’ home.”
My face flames with embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, but…”
“But what?”
“Nothing. It’s just…”
He places his hand on my shoulder just as I turn back toward the kitchen.
“It’s obviously something. You’re pissed, I get that much. I just don’t get why? It was a joke. A bad joke, yes, but I apologized, and you’re still upset with me, but I don’t know why.”
“Knox...this is going to run its course, ok? You’re in college. It’s completely normal for you to want to hang out with your friends and go to parties and meet girls. But that’s not where I am. I’m not at the party stage. Maybe it’s better that we acknowledge how different our lives are now, instead of waiting until one of us gets hurt.”
