“I’m coming to celebrate my daughter’s birthday, like I do every year.” She stared at me as if she was completely stunned that she’d been the cause of Harper’s outburst.
“I told you that things are changing, and this isn’t working anymore. I should have put my foot down, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.” I shook my head. “This is Harper’s special day, and you showing up is not a good idea.”
“So, I’m not welcome to attend my own daughter’s birthday party?” She shrugged, her eyes watering because she was a narcissist, and of course she was going to make this about her. “She is my daughter, Charlie.”
“No. She’s my daughter, Caroline. You don’t even know her. You didn’t want to be a mom, and we didn’t know how to navigate all of this seven years ago. But this isn’t working.” I ran a hand down my face.
“Because you have a girlfriend now, and she doesn’t want me here?” She poked me hard in the chest with her long fingernail. “You don’t get to push me out when it’s no longer convenient for you.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? No longer convenient for me? You don’t call, you don’t check in on her, you don’t fucking know anything about her. You don’t know that she’s the best reader in her class. You don’t know that she’s artistic, that she’s got a wicked sense of humor, and that her favorite food is pancakes. I’ve been here every single day since the day she was born. You gave me a choice, and I chose my daughter. You had the same choice, and you chose your life. And I don’t judge you for it, but you don’t get to stroll in here and ruin her birthday party because you want to call yourself a mom one day a year. Do your parents even know you’re here? Does your fiancé know you’re here?”
She swiped at the single tear running down her cheek. “No. No one knows I’m here. I’m trying to do the right thing.”
“No, you’re not. You’re playing a part, and it’s not working anymore. If you looked me in the eyes right now, and you told me that you wanted to be a mother, that you wanted to spend real time with her. That you were willing to sit up at night with her when she’s sick. That you wanted to go to her school and meet her teacher and meet her friends? Hell, I wouldn’t deny you that. But you want to live your life and still call yourself her mother? It’s not right, and you know it, Caroline.”
“I’m not going to let some low-rent construction worker who knocked me up one summer call the shots,” she said, her voice laced with venom. “I have more money than you’d know what to do with. I could take you to court and destroy you. I could have her full time if I wanted to.”
A sharp pain hit my chest at her words, but I knew she was full of shit. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to keep our daughter. Her future husband didn’t even know she was here. She was trying to intimidate me, which was probably what she did all those years ago, when I’d agreed to this ridiculous arrangement.
“Good luck with that. Shoot your shot, Caroline. There isn’t a judge in the world who would grant you custody, considering you’ve been completely absent from your child’s life for seven years. You haven’t paid one penny in child support. You’ve been doing your own thing, while I’ve been showing up every fucking day. So if you want to come in here and threaten to take my daughter, you best be prepared, because this low-rent construction worker has a lot more money saved up than you can imagine. And I only have one thing to lose, and I promise you, you won’t take her from me. You don’t have enough fight in you to take on the wrath I would bring to protect my little girl.”
“I’m over this conversation. I came here to celebrate a birthday, not to debate who’s the better parent.” She grabbed her purse from the counter.
“There is no debate. You’ve never been a parent,” I said, my hands fisted at my side as I followed behind her when she stormed toward the door.
She whipped around to face me just after pulling open the door. “We had an agreement, Charlie. You said it was fine if I didn’t want to be involved.”
“It is. But you can’t show up and expect things from Harper when you aren’t in her life.”
“I could make your life very uncomfortable if I wanted to,” she said, glaring at me.
“For what, huh, Caroline? What is it that you’re so pissed off about? You had a baby that you weren’t ready for, and I happily raised her. I’ve loved her every day since the minute she came into this world. I didn’t fault you for your choices, so don’t roll into my home and threaten me or my child just because you don’t like the way things are going for you now.”
She glanced over her shoulder as a car pulled into the driveway. She’d hired a driver, obviously, because God forbid she drive herself or do anything on her own.
“Goodbye, Charlie. Let Harper know she can keep the necklace, even though she wasn’t very grateful for the gift.”
Those were her final words.
Very fitting in the grand scheme of things.
She stormed off and flashed me the bird, and then her car door closed and they pulled out of the driveway.
Two cars pulled in before I even had time to close the door. I took the platter of sandwiches and the bakery cake and set everything on the kitchen counter before making my way down the hallway to Harper’s bedroom.
I stopped in the doorway and found Violet sitting on the floor with a crying Harper tucked beside her as she held her close.
“Hey, we can’t have you crying on your birthday, Harps,” I said. “This is your special day. We aren’t going to allow anyone to ruin that for you, okay?”
“I don’t like Caroline, Daddy.”
“Yeah, well, she’s gone, and I don’t think she’s coming back.”
I just hoped like hell that was true.
Chapter Seventeen
Violet
