Page 87 of Broken Vows
She stares at me frostily. “What would you like to talk about?”
I open and close my mouth, flailing for any ofthe words I prepared before walking in here today. And then, before I even know I’m going to, I blurt, “I never got Angelica pregnant.”
After Angelica forced her way into my motel room all those weeks ago, she wound up in the bathroom the next morning, wailing about a miscarriage. I panicked for a minute or two, but after she refused to go to the hospital, I got suspicious. When I broke the lock on the bathroom door, I found her sitting on the closed toilet, fully dressed, not a goddamn tear in sight. She’d been sending selfies to her friends, lips pursed, winking into the camera.
The truth came spilling out pretty quickly after that. Angelica was never fucking pregnant. She had been waiting for me to get divorced. For some crazy reason, she thought that after “losing” the baby, I would still stay with her and be her cushy sugar daddy. That dream had died a quick death when I informed her that I had no fucking money. Apparently, that was all I needed to do to get rid of her, because I hadn’t seen her since.
“I know,” Lynley says slowly, eyeing me like I’m stupid. “Grafton and I are aware of what his niece is up to…not that we have anything to do with her.”
Sweat beads across my brow. “Right. Grafton.” My throat feels too tight, and I reach up, tugging at my tie. “I needed to talk to you about… About the kids. I want to see them.”
Lynley lets out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. “And I’ve told you, try calling them once in a while. It’s not my responsibility to maintain your relationship with them, Christopher.” She looks at me like I’m a cockroach she wants to squash. “No one is stopping you from being a father. Nobody except you.” The words are a dismissal as she turns away. I rush forward, grabbing her arm. She goesstill under my hold, slowly turning around to look at me again, her eyes dead. “Let me go.”
I drop her like she’s burned me, desperation making my chest feel tight. “Lynley, please. If I could take it all back, I would. I want my life back.Ourlife. I want it back.”
“Well, I don’t,” she tells me firmly, just as the bell rings behind me, and I hear Ginny call out.
“Mom! Look!” She rushes to her mother, not even noticing me, lifting a plastic tumbler in her hand. “It’s purple, and when you shake it, it sparkles!”
Lynley smiles down at our daughter, running a hand over her head. “That’s amazing, sweet girl. And I hope you used your manners.” She raises a brow, and Ginny’s cheeks immediately flush with color. Before she can answer, the bell chimes again.
“Little Dancer, I’m sure I told you not to run ahead.”
Ginny’s cheeks deepen in color, her shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles. “And thank you for my tumbler.”
Grafton walks straight past me, acting like I’m not even standing here, and presses a hand to my daughter’s shoulder. “You got excited, huh? That’s okay, but we’ll try to remember next time.”
Ginny grins up at him, just before her eyes finally come to me, confusion knitting her brow. It takes a second for it to register who I am to her, and that second is like a knife to the heart. The knife is twisted when she shuffles closer to Grafton, half-hiding behind his legs.
“You alright, darling?” he asks Lynley, and she flashes him a warm look.
“Why isn’t she in school?” The question is loud, too loud, and by the time I realize it’s me saying it, it’s too late to pull it back.
Lynley sighs wearily. “There is no school today. Don’t come in here and try to throw your weight around, Christopher. You don’t have any stakes in this game anymore.”
There’s a beat of silence, and then a sullen voice demands, “Why is he here?” I whirl around, not having even realized that Mase walked in with Grafton. My son is glaring at me darkly, nothing but hatred in his gaze. “You should go away.”
“Mase—” Lynley starts, but he shakes his head.
“No. It’s not fair. He doesn’t come around when he’s supposed to be our dad, and that means he can’t just show up when he’s not anymore.”
“I’m still your dad, Mase,” I choke out.
His expression doesn’t change. “A dad comes to baseball games and dance recitals. A dad plays catch outside when it’s sunny, and builds forts in the living room when it’s wet.” He glances around, like he’s just realizing everyone’s watching him, but he’s on a roll. “A dad lets Ginny put bows in his hair, even when it makes him look stupid.”
There’s a deep noise of protest from my throat, but I don’t look away from Mase.
“And a dad doesn’t forget his kid’s tenth birthday,” he says, voice cracking. “So, you need to leave us alone. We don’t need you anymore.”
Lynley holds a hand out to him, and he darts around me, running for her, wrapping himself around her legs with a shudder. When he turns his head to the side, his face is dry, eyes glittering with residual anger. Grafton and Ginny move closer, supporting him, and I fall back a step.
I’m not part of this.
They aren’t mine.
They’re his.
“I…” I blink rapidly, trying to form words with a tongue that suddenly feels too big for my mouth. “I’m leaving town. I just…I wanted to say goodbye.”
