“But I do worry, Evan.”
“Look, I’m not going to speak for my friend, but she’s not interested in your brand of saving. She loves that little boy.”
“As your father, I’m allowed to worry that this…woman might try to string you along. You’ve got a good job with benefits, a house, and needs.” His idea of benefits had me snorting.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, and I’m also an adult. Back off.” I snarled. This conversation was over. So many times when I needed him, he wasn’t there. What made me think he’d be any different now.
“Don’t curse at me. At least come over and visit your mother this week.” We hung up at the same time. Conversations with my dad always ended up like this. Me pissed off and him disappointed because no amount of soul-saving was going to get me to be anything like him. I wasn’t a liar first off. I pocketed my phone, letting the words go. I would visit Mom, but I’d pick a night Dad was teaching bible study so I didn’t have to see him.
On my way inside the hospital, I stopped by the gift shop to pick up a little blue lion because I figured every kid needed one. His momma was fierce and he would be too. As I got ready to pay, a silver necklace charm shined inside the case.
“Can I see those, please?”
The lady, a volunteer, wore an apron with the hospital logo over her clothes. She placed a tray of charms in front of me. Nothing fancy, just some silver charms in the shape of animals, hearts, and letters. I saw a small letter e and a lion. It was perfect. I got them both, one for Ethan’s name and the lion because Remi would be one badass mother. I wasn’t big on purchasing jewelry, but they were delicate and reminded me of her. I figured she should have something nice on a necklace. I told myself I wouldn’t be upset if she didn’t wear it, but I thought I would be. Jewelry was personal and we were…something.
I hurried to the elevator and rode it up to the maternity ward. I breezed by the nurses’ station and entered her room to find there was someone else in there with her boob hanging out feeding a baby I didn’t recognize. It was definitely not Remi and Ethan.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry.” I backed out of the room with a hand over my eyes amidst a few chuckles from the mom, dad, and a set of grandparents.
“Sir?”
I turned around, peeking through my hand to the nurse speaking to me. Her nametag read Paige and she was familiar to me. “Yes?”
She took my arm and directed me down the hall I’d spent many hours pacing days before. She said gently, “Your girlfriend is downstairs in the lobby, waiting.”
“What?” I was confused. She called Remi my girlfriend, and obviously she was not there.
She winked at me. “Honey, get it together. You’re a dad now. They’ve been discharged.” She walked me back to the elevator bay and patted my arm with a smile, pushing the button and then directing me inside. I took the elevator down to the lobby and walked around. I saw Remi at the curb by the hospital entrance I didn’t come in. Ethan was fast asleep in his car seat in her lap. The car seat base and the bags filled with baby stuff were next to her wheelchair. It looked like someone had just left her there, and I didn’t like the feeling it sparked in my chest.
“Remington?” Her head turned and I walked over. “Sweet girl,” I said to her, clucking. “Whatcha doing out here?”
“Waiting for a taxi.” Exhaustion and worry creased her forehead as she stated it like it was the most logical answer in the world, but it wasn’t. She had a ton of people who would be happy to have her call them and give her a ride home. Remington Kennedy had to be the most stubborn, difficult, and independent woman I had ever met. Already, she dispelled those myths my dad tried to fill my head with. If she was looking to get something out of me, it wasn’t by ignoring me and trying to do everything on her own. I would have been happy to bring her home, and the thought made me take a step back. Whoa.
“The hell you are.” Picking up the seat base and bags, I maneuvered them so I could still push her chair to my car parked right up front.
“Evan, what are you doing?” She clutched Ethan, frantically looking around.
“I am driving you home. Why didn’t you call me?”
“I don’t have your number,” she whispered softly.
I stopped for a second and realized how weird this all seemed. Of course she didn’t have my number. She wasn’t my girlfriend. I felt like an idiot, gripping the handles of her wheelchair hard.
“Well, we’ll fix that, but first we need to get you two settled.” I got the car seat installed and snapped the little man inside, placing the lion at his feet. He slept with his hands fisted, face calm and wearing a mini velvet blue suit I was sure one of his aunties bought him because it looked expensive.
I helped Remi into the car, her body hunched like a little old lady. I didn’t tell her this because I thought it would upset her. Instead, I slipped the seatbelt over her vanished belly and clicked it into place. My hand hesitated, wanting to touch her at what was probably the most inappropriate time.
“Here, something for mommy too.” Handing her the small box, I went around to my side of the car and got in before starting it up.
“Evan, this is… It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever given me,” she murmured with glassy eyes and pinched lips I wanted to kiss, again.
And that right there gutted me that this sweet girl hadn’t been given anything nicer than cheap silver jewelry from a hospital gift shop before. I bet that dick Ryder West never bought her
flowers, dinner, or sexy panties. All he did was leave a little gift that was going to eat and poop for the next eighteen years, taking zero responsibility.
I didn’t blame the baby. He was an innocent bystander as much as his mother. It was nothing for me to have paid fifty dollars for the charms and the thin sliver chain while her son’s father just got a multimillion dollar contract to play football according to today’s local paper. He couldn’t even be bothered to take care of the life he created and the one he messed up by leaving.
Fucking Asshole.