“Time to man up, Greyson. Time to tell them to fuck off.”
And that was exactly what I was going to do. As soon as I figured out who the hell was sending the emails in the first fucking place.
33
Olivia
“You did what now?” Katie asked.
I took a sip of my water before I picked up another french fry.
“I quit my job this week,” I said.
“Why would you do that? If there’s any point in time where you need a job, it’s right now.”
“I quit because I finally told Brett about my pregnancy, and he was not happy at all. Like, not in the slightest.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, when I first told him, it sparked a fight. He was upset that you were the one to find out with me and that I had called into work to avoid him.”
“I mean, I don’t like Brett, but that is an understandable excuse for being upset with you. You shouldn’t have hidden it from him.”
“Shocking words coming from the girl that wants me to have nothing to do with him,” I murmured.
“He’s the father of your child. My personal opinion of him doesn’t matter. When a child is in play, it changes dynamics. It changes the way you should look at things.”
“Well, everything has changed now. He completely pulled away. We stopped sharing a room together on our business trip to Europe after our fight once I got sick in front of him and told him I was pregnant.”
“You got sick in front of him and he questioned you about it?”
“Yes, Katie. I get it. It was a shit move,” I said.
“Just making sure you understand that. Had I known you were volleying that back and forth, I would have told you straight up to have a conversation with him.”
“I thought you were rooting for this to happen. For Brett to react the way he did,” I said.
“What? Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because you can’t stand Brett?”
She reached over the table and took my hand, leveling her eyes with mine.
“I grew up in a broken home, Olivia. I know what that does to a child. I told you that if Brett chose to walk away, you were better off. A child is better off with one parent that loves them than two parents that constantly bicker over the other staying. But if telling him brought the two of you closer, I would have supported it. It’s always better for a child to have both parents in their lives who can have a kosher relationship with one another and coparent however they feel necessary,” Katie said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that,” I said.
“I love you, but you haven’t been thinking a lot of things through lately. You have to take a breath and remove yourself emotionally from all of this.”
“Really? I’m infamous for my emotional reactions, and you want me to get rid of those?”
Katie giggled. “When a child is in play, it’s always for the best.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He left. We flew back to Seattle on opposite ends of his jet. We took two separate cars home. He wouldn’t pick up any of my phone calls. We didn’t even speak until I walked up to his office Thursday and laid down my badge.”
“Did he try to stop you at all?” she asked.
“He did. Kind of. But the little bit of talking we did do still didn’t surround the baby. I mean, he made mention of the fact that I’d need the money and the health insurance, but that was about it.”
“So, you don’t think he wants any part of this child’s life. At all.”
I shook my head. “No. I really don’t think he does.”
“Who doesn’t what, Olive?”
I whipped my head around as Katie released my hand. I saw Daniel approach our booth, his eyes filled with concern and his lips set in a very thin line. My mouth dropped open as Katie postured, readying herself for whatever was about to come.
“Who’s this?” she asked.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m Daniel Wilson,” he said.
He held his hand out for Katie to shake as my eyes flickered over to her.
“Daniel? Wait a second Are you—?” Katie asked.
“Yes. I’m Olivia’s father,” Daniel said.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well, the very kind lady at the front desk told me this was the best place to come and get a burger and fries. I figured I’d try it out, and I heard your voice when I walked through the door. I’m sorry if I startled you,” he said.
“Would you like to sit down?” Katie asked.
She slid over, patting the seat beside her.
“Is that okay?” Daniel asked me.
“Um, yeah. Sure. Yeah, yeah. That’s fine. Sit with us. We just got our food not too long ago,” I said.
He sat down next to Katie as I reached for another french fry. An awkward sort of silence settled over us as the waitress came by to take Daniel’s food and drink order. Katie widened her eyes as she nodded her head to him, like she was trying to communicate her shock. Or maybe how impressed she was by him.