Page 20 of Make You Stay

Every word hurts my heart, especially the subpar treatment from the man who was supposed to love her. “Damn. He wouldn’t even consider it?”

Chloe shakes her head, a sad smile on her mouth. “He claimed he had his family already. So, I relegated myself to being their stepmom, and it worked until his ex-wife came back, and Charlie reconciled with her.”

“Holy shit. How long had she been gone?”

“Six years. The kids barely knew her when she came back. She was a picture in a frame. A ghost. But Charlie wanted them to be a family again. Arealfamily, per his words. I begged him to let me stay in touch with the boys, but he claimed it would confuse them. I wrote them each a letter, telling them I loved them, but I haven’t heard anything since.”

If I ever see Charlie, I’m punching the piece of shit in the throat. “I’m so sorry, sweets. That is awful on every level.”

“By then, I was thirty-three, and most men were divorced with kids or married with kids or playing the godforsaken field and trying to recapture their youth. The next few guys I dated either had kids and didn’t want any more or didn’t want any to begin with. So, I decided to have a child myself.”

Her last sentence jerks me upright. “You’re having a baby?”

Chloe nods, intent on clearing the dishes. “That’s the plan.”

“When?”

“I was seeing a doctor in New York. He was going to inseminate me in January, but then this whole situation happened and threw me a bit of a curveball.”

I click my tongue against my teeth, unsure what to say in response. Why does Chloe’s plan to have a baby on her own feel so wrong to me? She’s successful and financially independent, with a huge heart and love to share. Plus, tons of women raise children on their own every day, with no issue.

Still, it doesn’t sit right with me.

Not one bit.

Chloe must pick up on my unease, cocking her head at me. “I take it you don’t approve of my decision?”

With a shake of my head, I return to the moment. “It isn’t that. You surprised me, that’s all. It’s not easy being a single parent, Chloe.”

“I know, but it’s not easy being alone, either.”

“I know.” Our gazes hold, and somehow, we intrinsically get one another. Our situations are different, but deep down, we’re both lonely.

It’s the first time I’ve admitted that fact, even to myself. I stay busy with work, the girls, my friends, and the occasional date, but in the early morning hours, I wake up alone.

The idea never bothered me before, but somehow Chloe’s brutal honesty forces me to reflect on the state of my own life. It’s not nearly what I hoped it would be. Despite what many might think, I long for that deep-seated love and companionship, too.

But I won’t settle for just any woman. I want something magical, and magic is pretty damn hard to come by.

I see Enid’s car pull into the driveway and glance at my watch. What’s up with the early drop-off?

“Why don’t you call it a day?” Chloe offers, joining me at the window. “Go spend time with the girls. You haven’t seen them in a couple of days.”

She’s right, I miss them terribly when they’re not at home, but I also don’t want to leave Chloe, particularly not after she dissected her life for me, showing me all the skeletons hiding in her closet.

Every day it gets harder to leave her side. The knowledge that she’s so close and yet so far away is driving me mad.

“I have an idea. I made barbecue.”

Her brow furrows. “I thought you couldn’t cook.”

“Most things, but I make a mean barbecue. It’s been smoking for two days out back.”

“That’s what I’ve been smelling. Well done, you, another bullet point for your list of positive attributes.”

“Have dinner with us. The girls would be thrilled, and then we can all watch a movie afterward and pass out on the couch.”

The smile on her face falters. “I’d love to, but I have a date tonight.”

---