Page 81 of Mending Hearts

“Do you want to see her?”

I shook my head. The tears wouldn’t stop falling, but I didn’t care.

With the baby secured like a football in his arm, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to mine, our gazes locked. “I want to know what’s going on in there.”

“Nothing. Nothing.”

“Neverto each other.”

Neither of us had brandished that phrase like a weapon in months. There’d been no need for it.

“I…I—”

“Knock, knock.” Laura stuck her head in the door and then wandered closer. “I saw the nurse walk past with a pink blanket. So, the cycle continues, huh?”

“Get out.” Tyler rose and pointed toward the exit. “Get out of the room. Get out of the hospital. Get out of our town.”

Laura’s gaze flicked over Tyler as though she could care less what he had to say. “Only if my daughter asks. My daughter and I have things to discuss before I’ll leave town.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Mother—”

“All ready to do that paperwork?” Katie asked from the door.

With a sigh, Tyler passed me the baby. I drew the bundle toward me but kept my face turned upward, toward Tyler’s departing figure as he ushered my mother out of the room, his shoulders filled with tension.

In my arms, the baby squirmed. I pursed my lips and focused on the door.Come back, Tyler. Come back. I can’t do this. Come back!

When the baby made a noise, my gaze dropped to the blanket. The sight of her tiny features tore at my heart, left it in tatters. Her eyes wereopen, and even though I knew she couldn’t see me, I felt more seen than I’d ever been in my life.

A baby. My baby. My baby with Tyler. She was…she wa—

“I’m your mom,” I whispered. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I’m your mom.” A sob escaped, and I clutched the baby tighter. “I didn’t want to love you. I tried so hard not to love you.” That same feeling I had whenever I saw Tyler had filled my chest when my baby stared back. How was it possible to feel this way?

Maybe it didn’t matter how. I loved this baby. I loved Tyler.

Now what?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tyler

As soon as I was out of the hospital room, I turned on Laura. “You can’t even be supportive for one minute. She just had a baby.A baby.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this angry with someone. The gala, that reporter. Anyone who was attacking Mia was attacking me, too. “You come waltzing in talking about some bullshit parenting cycle?”

“She’s twenty-one. You’re temporary. I don’t need to answer to you for anything.” She shoved her finger into my chest. “To think I thought you were a decent guy.”

“Yeah, ’cause raising my daughter is so indecent.”

“Letting Mia keep the baby is indecent. That’s the indecent part.” Laura shook, meeting my rage with her own anger. “You’re ruining her life. You’ve trapped her.”

“Cut the shit, Laura. The only thing you’re worried about is the gravy train coming to a halt.”

“You think all I care about is money? I had her at eighteen. I know how hard it is to be a young parent, to see your friends out partying, to want to go places and do things and realize there’s this impossible weight bearing down on you. Sure, at thirty-something parenting seems great to you. You’ve done all those things I just named. She hasn’t, notreally.” She rolled her eyes. “What the fuck do you know about babies and breastfeeding and sleep deprivation? Talk to me in two months, three months, when you’re so out of your mind from lack of sleep you can barely string together a sentence. Then you’ll know what you’ve done, how you’ve saddled her with impossible choices.”

What Laura didn’t know was that Mia had already made her choice, months ago. I pressed my fingers into my forehead, and then felt around in my pocket for a lollipop.

I needed a cigarette. Maybe a whole pack. Parts of today had become such a fucking disaster.

“If you want to come back here,” Katie said from the other side of the nurses’ station, “I can show you what we need filled out.”

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