Page 48 of Protecting Addison
At that, Ricky stood up and began to pace. “No.”
“Ricky, he’s her father.”
“Is he?” he countered, stopping and staring down at her. “Was he there when she cried in the middle of the night? How many diapers did he change? He didn’t send you a dime, Addison. He up and left without one backward glance when she was a month old. Andnowhe wants to be a part of her life? That’s bullshit.”
Addison shouldn’t have been surprised at his animosity toward her ex, and yet she still kind of was. But that just showed what a good man she’d married. He’d been a father for such a short time, and yet he was more a father to her daughter than her biological dad had ever been.
“Ricky? Sit. Please,” Addison said, patting the cushion next to her.
She saw him take a deep breath before he returned to her side.
“I know. I thought all the same things as you. But heisher biological father. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t allow her to at least meet him?”
“Smart?” Ricky bit out.
Addison sighed. He was making this extremely difficult, but she understood. She did.
“Sorry, I’m protective of her,” Ricky said, running a hand through his hair. “And you. I don’t like this guy. I know I haven’t even met him, but what kind of man up and leaves his girlfriend right after she gives birth to his daughter?”
“A young, immature one?” Addison asked with a shrug.
“That’s no excuse. There are plenty of fathers out there who are young, or younger than your ex was, who have stepped up. They haven’t abandoned their children. I just question his motives. He could’ve reached out at any point. Why now? Was it really a coincidence that he saw you today? Did he know you were here in Riverton the whole time? Washehere? Wait, is he married? Does he have other kids?”
“I don’t know.”
It was Ricky’s turn to sigh. “Right. So what now?”
“I guess I need to sit Ellory down and talk to her. Tell her that her biological father lives here in town and wants to meet her. We can play it by ear after that. She’s a smart kid. If he has some ulterior motive, she’ll sense it. But if he’s genuine about his desire to get to know his daughter, I want that for her.”
“You gonna ask for child support?” Ricky practically growled.
“No.”
“You should.”
“Here’s the thing, if he starts giving me money, that gives him more of a right to see Ellory. If things don’t go well, I don’t want her to beforcedto see him. Yes, he could always take me to court, but I don’t see him doing that.”
“You don’t know the person he is now.”
“True. But still, I don’t want or need his money.”
“What do you need from me?”
That right there was one of the many reasons she loved and respected this man. It was obvious he wasn’t happy about Brady coming back into their lives, but he was willing to support her while they navigated this new wrinkle…and that meant the world to her.
“There’s no way I’ll let him be alone with her, at least to start. Will you come with me when we meet with him?”
“That’s a given. There’s no wayI’dlet you guys go by yourselves. What else?”
“Help me watch her? Look for signs that she’s meeting with him because she thinks it’s whatIwant, or something else is wrong. Listen to her if she wants to talk about it? I’m not sure she’ll talk to me about how she’s feeling.”
“I can do that. How areyoudoing with this?” Ricky asked.
“It’s not really about me.”
“Of course it is. This is a man you once thought you’d spend the rest of your life with. You had a baby with him. And then he up and left, and now he’s back out of the blue. Do you still have feelings for him?”
“What? No!Hell no. I’m a completely different person than I was when I was in my early twenties. Besides, why would I want him when I haveyou?”
