“What do you want, Zara?” I ask, my voice curt.
“Is that any way to speak to the mother of your child?” she asks, her voice like syrup.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t spoken to her since she walked out without even a glance back.”
She sighs. “I guess I deserved that.”
“Yeah, you did.” I pace up and down outside of the truck, dragging my free hand through my hair. “So, I’ll ask again, what do you want? Nothing has changed since this morning. I’m still in the US.”
“I want to see Jacob.”
I sigh, feeling like I’m banging my head against a brick wall. “Like I said, I’m in the US. When I get back, we can arrange something.”
“Why are you there?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but Libby is having a baby.”
“What about your job? How can you afford to just up and leave?”
“Zara, that’s got nothing to do with you.”
“I spoke to a lawyer.”
I frown, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “Why?” I ask cautiously.
“You should have asked me before you took Jacob out of the country. You needed my permission.”
“You’re fucking kidding me! You walked out on us, Zara. You forfeited all rights when you fucked off!” My free hand clenches tightly into a fist at my side.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I have as much parental responsibility as you.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor. “Yeah, right! You wouldn’t know parental responsibility if it smacked you in the face.”
“I want to see my son, Jack.” Her voice is calm, and I can’t help but wonder what’s going on. She’s shown no interest in Jacob for the past seven months, and even before she left, she wasn’t interested.
“Get on a plane, then, Zara. Wild Oak Ranch and Retreat, just outside Marble Falls in Texas. I gotta go!” I end the call and drop my body back onto the side of the truck. My head contacts with the metal and I close my eyes, breathing deeply. I’ve told her where we are, but there’s no way she’ll come. What I said to Aria this morning was right. She hadn’t bothered with him when we lived in the same city. She won’t fly halfway across the world.
When I’ve finally calmed down, I gently pluck Jacob from his car seat and hold him against me. He’s still asleep, and his head drops onto my shoulder. He’s my whole world, and as selfish as it sounds, I don’t want Zara back in his life, or mine. Pushing Zara to the back of my mind, I make my way across the car park to the arrivals hall. I stand and watch as people reunite with their loved ones. Jacob is going to be so excited to see my parents. I can’t wait to see his face when he spots them. He stirs in my arms and lifts his head, yawning as he looks around.
“Hey, Jacob. Did you have a good sleep?” He nods and drops his head back on my shoulder, his thumb going into his mouth. I chuckle as I hold him against me, dropping a kiss on his head. Another flurry of people drifts through from baggage collection, and I smile as I see my parents. They haven’t spotted us yet, and I lift Jacob onto my shoulders, putting him in their line of sight.
“Look over there, Jacob,” I say, pointing in their direction. It takes him a minute or so, but I can tell the second he spots them as he starts bouncing up and down on my shoulders.
“Nanny and Pops!” he cries excitedly. My parents see him and, smiling, they make their way over to us. I reach Jacob down off my shoulders and pass him straight to my mum, as she walks up to us, her hands out for Jacob.
“Oh, you’ve grown so much. Nanny’s missed you,” she tells him, kissing his chubby cheeks. My dad pulls me into a hug, patting me on the back.
“How was the flight?” I ask as I brush a kiss across my mum’s cheek.
“Long, but worth it to see you both. Libby hasn’t had that baby yet, has she?” my mum asks, and I shake my head.
“No. You haven’t missed it. Don’t worry. Let’s head to the ranch. Everyone’s excited to see you.”
An hour later, I turn down the oak tree-lined driveway that leads to the ranch. My mum hasn’t stopped talking since she got into the truck, and I can see how excited she is to see Lib. As well as their two suitcases, they’d brought another suitcase full of baby clothes and gifts for Libby. I know how much they missed her. To be here when their grandchild arrives means the world to them.
I park up in front of the ranch house, spotting Libby on the porch swing with a book. When she sees the truck, her face lights up in a smile and she eases herself off the swing and makes her way down the steps. My mum is out of the car before I’ve even turned the engine off, and she rushes to Libby and pulls her into her arms.
Climbing out of the car, I smile as I watch them both, tears streaming down their faces. I reach into the back seat and unclip Jacob’s seat belt.