Abby blinked away from him nervously. There was no point in obfuscating. “Yes.”
He swore into the silence of the penthouse. “I will never forgive you for this.”
She blinked at him, her heart straining.
“My daughter was, what? Six feet away from me? And you let me walk away.You let me walk away.” He enunciated each word slowly, like an accusation in its own right.
“I was caught off-guard.” How had she landed on the backfoot? “I have always done what was best for Charlotte.”
“No, you’ve done what was best foryou, and tried to dress it up in selflessness by writing me as the villain.”
“That’s not true!”
“Isn’t it? You didn’t think I deserved even a chance to prove myself to her? To you?”
“I’m here now.”
“Sixteen months too late, at least.”
“But Iamhere now. Can’t we just focus on that?”
“Why? What do you want? You clearly weren’t expecting me to show any interest in meeting Charlotte. Did you think you could come here, drop this bombshell in my lap and walk away again? Absolve yourself of guilt and carry on with your life as though a part of me isn’t out there, with no fucking idea I so much as exist?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, completely unprepared for this tirade. He’d never once raised his voice at her. He’d never once raised his voicenearher. He’d always been laid back, relaxed, charming, kind.
Then again, she’d clearly misjudged what a child would mean to him. His anger was completely understandable. If the shoe were on the other foot, she couldn’t even imagine how she’d react. The idea of not being in Charlotte’s life was like acid burning her skin.
“I truly thought this was what you’d want.”
“You’ve kept my daughter away from me. I know nothing about her. Not how she sounds, how she laughs, what her smile’s like, if she walks, what makes her cry, what comforts her; nothing. I know nothing. Do you really think that’s what I would want?”
“I –,” The truth was, yes. She had thought that. It was only just hitting Abby how wrong she’d been. A hypothetical baby was very different to an actual pregnancy and child. He might not have liked the idea of one in theory, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t step up to the plate when the time actually came.
“You should go now.” He walked towards the lift, pressing the button, standing there with his arms crossed, his gaze focused resolutely on the wall opposite.
“Go?”
“Yes. Go. I need to think.”
She bit down on her lip. “I’m sorry, Gray. For what it’s worth, I really did think –,”
“There is no apology you can offer than will make this okay.” He turned to glare at her. “I’ll speak to my lawyer and be in touch.”
Lawyer?Panic set in. Tears sparkled on her lashes. “Please, don’t –,”
He held up a hand to silence her, as the doors pinged open.
“If you so much as think about leaving Manhattan, I’ll have a judge grant me sole custody in the blink of an eye. Got it?”
Chapter5
EVERY SINGLE WALL IN Abby’s life was tumbling in around her. Somehow she got home, spent the afternoon with Charlotte, fed her, bathed her and got her in bed, going through the motions while completely numb from the argument with Gray. The only outward indication she gave to things not being completely normal was a frequent checking of her phone, to see if he’d called or messaged.
But he didn’t.
He was probably too busy with his lawyers. Working out how to take Charlotte away from her.
Once Charlotte was asleep in bed, Abby stepped into the shower and finally gave into her fears and grief. She cried with her forehead pressed against the tiles, until all her tears were spent and sadness and worry gave way to a sort of resolve. She’d raised Charlotte on her own for sixteen months. She’d endured pregnancy on her own, including chronic lower back pain, swollen ankles, navigating her patchy insurance policy, gone head-to-head with the hospital administrator, given birth, nursed until her nipples were cracked and bleeding, then hunted down the best formula she could afford and grappled with sterilizing bottles and teats. She’d worked, she’d found good care for Charlotte, and she’d stopped her from banging her head into every sharp edge they’d passed.