“But you’re still going to pay the amount, right?”
“Of course. I’ll just have you sign something that states that you’re not going to use the fact that I wasn’t there during the pregnancy and after against me. We can approach the parenting discussion on equal footing.”
Relief washed over her. I didn’t want to be too cynical, but I was getting the sense that the money, and not Gage’s future, was the main thing on her mind.
“Oh, sure, sure. Then, what are we waiting for?”
Dr. Thorne returned a few moments later, handing me the official paternity paperwork and sending me off with one more smirk. Once in the lobby, I fired off a message to my lawyer, David Brandt. I had him on retainer, so he had no issue typing up a quick something and meeting us at my bank.
As I drove over, I couldn’t shake the strange way that Ashley had talked about the money. It was almost as if Gage wasn’t in the room with us. On top of that, there was still the matter of how she’d left him with basic strangers for hours the day before.
I pushed all of that out of my head as I pulled into the parking lot of my bank. Ashley was there, waiting with Gage in his stroller. I spotted David’s signature dark green Porsche in another spot, and together we found him inside.
It all went without incident. Ashley barely paid attention as David told her about the upcoming plans to discuss visitation, her ears perking up, however, when we reached the subject of money. She quickly signed on the dotted line while I spoke with a bank clerk to transfer the money from my savings account.
David produced copies of the agreement for me and Ashley, leaving us with an appointment for a meeting on Friday where we could begin to lay down the groundwork for Gage’s future. Ashley seemed detached during this part of the process. I was beginning to suspect that her mind was only on the money, and where she was going to go after the boring legal business was attended to.
Fine. All I cared about was Gage and the rest of my family, a family that seemed to be growing by the day.
David left, and I felt comfortable with where we were in discussions. The moment we stepped out of the bank, however, Ashely made a beeline for her car in a strange, hurried manner, leaving Gage by my side.
She opened the trunk, taking out all kinds of baby supplies—bags, toys, boxes of diapers and formula , and setting them on the ground. Curious, I grabbed the handles of Gage’s stroller and pushed him over to the scene.
“What’s going on?” I asked, regarding it all with confusion.
“Just giving you what you’re going to need.”
“Huh?”
Without responding, she stepped over to the back passenger-side door, opening it and going to work on the baby seat. Gage, as if sensing that something strange was going on, began to cry.
“Ashley, what the hell are you doing?”
She grabbed onto the seat and, with a grunt, yanked it out of the back.
“See these slots here?” she asked, pointing to two different spots on the seat. “You slip the seatbelt through here and fasten it here.” She pointed to another spot. “That’s how you secure it in the car.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Ashley set the seat in front of me, then sighed, putting her hands on her hips.
“Raising the little man,” she began, “it’s been hard. I’ve been on my own, waking up three or four times a night to feed him, taking time off work, wondering when the hell I was ever going to get my life back.” She pointed to me. “Now, it’s your turn. You’re going to take him for a while, give me some time to get my life back. Understand?”
“You’re leaving?”
She smiled. “For a while. You seem to have a knack for kids, Valentino, you'll figure it out.”
Ashley started toward the driver’s side. Pushing Gage’s stroller with one hand, I made my way over to her.
“You’re not just leaving like this.”
She pulled open the door. “Yes, I am. I’ll be in touch. Bye, Valentino. Time you learn what it’s like to live on your own with a baby for a while.” Ashley leaned over the stroller and planted a quick kiss on Gage’s face, the baby still sniffling and crying. “Mama will see you again soon, OK?” She turned back to me. “If he’s crying, he’s either hungry or wet or tired. Your job is to figure out which of the three it is.”
Without another word, she got behind the wheel and started the engine. My mind raced, having a hard time wrapping my head around what was happening. Part of me wanted to step in front of the car to prevent her from leaving. Instead, I watched as she pulled forward out of her spot and drove away.
Gage stopped crying, regarding me with those big green eyes that certainly weren’t mine.
What the hell just happened?
