Sebastian’s silent for a long time. “We spoke to Cami’s mother,” he says eventually.
Shock stabs me. I stare at him.“What?”
“When we were in America.” His face is cold and inscrutable. “She’s out of rehab. We all Skyped her. With Cami.”
I mean, if he wanted me to stop crying, it definitely worked. Mostly because I can’t even breathe anymore. I gulp. My fingers clench into fists at my sides. “No,” I whisper. “No, no.”
He doesn’t respond. Cami looks between us, her eyes wide, then cuddles into her dad’s chest. My heart breaks. He’s going to leave her. He’s going to give her back. “No,” I repeat. “Youcan’t.”
“Beth—” Jack starts.
“You’regetting rid of her?” I’m shouting now. “Howcould you?!”
Sebastian raises an eyebrow, likeI’mthe one being unreasonable. And not him, the man who is literally abandoning his child with a woman who left her on a doorstep like a motherfuckinghamper.“We’re not getting rid of her—” He starts.
“Oh, shut up. Of course you are. Let me guess, you’re going to schedule weekend visits. Then they’ll become bi-weekly visits, then monthly, then yearly, until in a few years’ time, the only contact she’ll have with you is the occasional birthday card, when you remember that she exists. Iknowhow this works, Seb, I’veseen itover, and over, andover again—”
“We’re. Not. Getting. Rid. Of. Her,” he says again, enunciating every word slowly. “We had to talk to Anisha. She’s clean. She’s doing better. And, like it or not, Cami is herchild.”
“She doesn’t deserve to be! I’m sorry, but abandoning her baby on a stranger’s doorstep isn’t exactly evidence of great childcare!” I shake my head. “Cami could’ve died! It was cold outside! Why the Hell would you let that woman anywhere near her again? How could youdo thatto yourdaughter?”I look between the other men, my eyes blazing.“Is that it? You go on one work trip, you get one amazing offer, and suddenly, you’re ready to abandon your whole family because you figure your bloodygamecompany is more important?”
Seb steps forward. “We’re not getting rid of her!” He barks.“How many times do I have to say it?” His cheeks are red with anger. “For God’s sake, what the Hell have I done to make you think I would just give up my daughter?!”
“You talked about putting her in care!”
“What?” Cyrus says.
Seb’s face is thunderous. “That was before. Beforeyoutold me all the shit in my head was wrong, and I could be a good father to her.” His jaw locks. He’s breathing hard. “You said I coulddo this. You werea hundred percent sure.”
“I still am. You’re a great father.”
He laughs, but the sound is hollow. “I’m obviously not, if you think I’ll give my child to the woman who abandoned her.” Cami pats his cheek, smiling, and he takes a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself down. “I called Anisha because I wanted to make sure she was certain. I needed to know if she’d ever come back and try to take Cami away from us.”
That takes the wind out of my sails. I look at him, breathing hard. “What did she say?”
“She doesn’t want anything to do with her. She’s willing to sign away custody.” He looks down at his daughter. “Cami’s mine.”
My head is whirling. “But what if she said she wanted her back? What would you have done then?”
“Then I’d call my lawyers. And fight like Hell for our daughter.”
My stomach sours.“Yourdaughter,” I point out. “I’m not her mother. I’m her nanny.”
His eyes narrow on me. “She might be my child, but she loves you. For God’s sake, Bethany. I don’t understand how, after everything you’ve been through growing up, you’d let her fall in love with you, and then leave her.”
I blink. “What?”
“Bill said that you were moving to Bristol.” A muscle tics in his jaw. “You can’t just bloody abandon her,” he snaps. “What the Hell, Beth? I understand if our… relationship makes you uncomfortable. If you don’t want to be with us, that’s fine, but you should’ve justsaid.” He points at Cami. She starts sucking his finger. “This little girl will always be more important than us. She is our first priority. And you just want to up and leave her for some other job as soon as things get difficult? Does the other position pay more, or something? You want a raise?”
I scowl. “Oh, piss off.You’removing, too. Bill told me. You have no right to be mad at me.”
Seb’s eyes flash. He opens his mouth to argue, but Jack glares up at him, taking my hand.
“We’re not mad at you,” he says softly. “We just want to understand. Why would you want to move?”
His gentleness melts away the anger burning inside me. I sag against the couch cushions. “It wasn’t a proper plan,” I whisper. “It was a… safety measure. I needed something. Just in case...” I trail off.
“In case of what?” He asks quietly.