“I don’t have time to do it now,” he said. “It’s not a five-minute summary. That’s not how parenthood works. When is your next day off? Or I can send you an email with highlights.”
It sounded cold even to him, but it wasn’t as if he expected her to follow through with this. Ten minutes of his time to type something up would leave him a nice paper trail if he ever needed one.
“I won’t be home until tomorrow night. We are staying in Barcelona for a few hours to sleep before we fly back.”
He knew she’d sleep some on the long flight. She always did and they rotated to be available for passengers.
“Then call me on Thursday night,” he said.
“I have to work again,” Rene said. “Can’t I call you Thursday morning when I get up?”
“No,” he snarled. “I’m working.”
Alana lifted her head at his sharp words.
He didn’t understand why Rene couldn’t comprehend this. She couldn’t talk when she was working, why did she think he could always stop and talk during his day? A five-minute call, sure. But a lengthy discussion about his daughter was completely different and it’s not as if this was an emergency.
Rene huffed out a large breath. “I don’t know why you’ve got to be so difficult all the time.”
“I’d hardly say it’s all the time,” he argued. “We barely talk and it’s always on your terms. In the past twelve months you’ve seen Becca twice and both times were less than three hours. This is the first you’ve reached out to talk about her on the phone. I don’t know where you’re going with this, but I’m done bending over backwards to have you ghost out again for months on end.”
Enough was enough in his eyes.
He’d been trying to hold a relationship between his ex and his daughter together for over three years and it wasn’t his responsibility anymore.
Or he wouldn’t have it be one.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rene argued. “It’s hard with my job. You know that. It’s why we agreed you’d take primary custody.”
“Oh no,” he said. “Don’t even go down that road. There was no agreement. You fucking moved out of the apartment when she was six weeks old and left her.”
Alana’s head snapped up. He was being a dick, but it was called for.
Some things riled him more than others and the treatment of his daughter by her mother would always be a trigger button easily pushed.
“I had to go back to work,” Rene said. “You know that.”
“No, I don’t know that. You didn’t have to go back. You could have taken more time off. I was paying for everything anyway. You’re the one who can’t sit still.”
Which Becca definitely got from her mother.
“Fine,” Rene said. “I’m pregnant.”
His jaw dropped.
This seriously happened again with his ex.
“Do you know who the father is?”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Rene shouted.
He wouldn’t get into a shouting match. Least of all at work or in a room with his girlfriend.
“I think it’s a reasonable question, all things considered.”
“I knew you were the father. The condom broke. I didn’t need one after.”
He wanted to vomit over this conversation and the thought that popped into his head. It was all about pregnancy prevention for her, not diseases.
