Page 4 of Fake To Forever

I’m moving to Blue Ridge to give Oliver a better life, away from the chaos of the city, just like I said, but I’m also trying to protect him from Theresa and her schemes. I can’t believe I once loved her… or, at least, thought I loved her. I’m not so sure anymore. When we’d first met, she’d seemed so sweet and naive, but her true colors came out in the end. By then, she was pregnant, and I wasn’t going to walk away from my kid.

I wish I could say the same about her. She didn’t have a problem walking away from Oliver after he was born. Which is something I’ll never fully understand. Now she’s trying to waltz back into our lives, thinking she can reclaim Oliver like he’s a piece of missing luggage.

Fuck that. It’s never going to happen.

Shaking my head, I try to banish all thoughts of Theresa from my mind and focus on preparing this room to be packed. The sooner Oliver and I are out of Houston, the better.

As I’m arranging a pile of books on my desk, the office door opens behind me, pulling my attention. Glancing over my shoulder, I’m surprised to see my father standing in the doorway. His aged eyes stare at me with curiosity.

“Christian,” he says with a nod.

“Hey, Dad,” I reply with a small frown. “What are you doing here?”

The last thing I was expecting today was to see him. He enters the room like a man on a mission, stopping just in front of my desk.

“I wanted to talk to you about this move,” he starts, causing me to let out a small sigh as I scratch the back of my neck. “Are you really sure you’ve thought this through? That you’re not just doing this to get back at Theresa?”

Fucking hell, not him too.

Exhaustion fills me hearing him speak. Between him and Theresa, I’ve had enough of the conversation. I don’t understand why they both seem to have it in their head that I care about how Theresa feels in this situation. She burned her attempt at being a mother years ago.

Shewas the one who chose the path she wanted. Not me.

“No, Dad. I’m not doing this to get back at Theresa. I’m doing this to protect Oliver and to keep him out of the spotlight.”

“Protect him from his mother,” Dad clarifies.

While that is also true, it isn’t to the extent he and Theresa seem to think.

“Essentially,” I snap. “Protect him from Theresa, among other things. You and I both know she’s only come back into his life because she’s trying to preserve her image now that the world knows about Oliver. She hasn’t given a damn about him for three years and now she’s petitioning for custody! You can’t expect me to sit back and do nothing.”

I’m sure there’s even more she’s after, but I don’t know exactly what it is yet.

Money maybe?

Theresa is never one to pass up an opportunity to gain something for herself. Money, position, influence… she’s like a shark smelling blood in the water when it comes to her own self-advancement.

My dad shakes his head, his brows furrowed. “No, I don’t expect that, son, and I understand why you want to protect him now. It wasn’t right for Theresa to insist that you keep Oliver’s birth a secret, or to abandon him the way she did, but the boy needs a mother.”

“Theresa is no mother,” I counter. “Just because she gave birth to him doesn’t mean she can do whatever she wants with him. She didn’t want to be his mother when he was born, so why should she get to change her mind and upend his entire world now? He doesn’t even know who she is.”

“Christian, I understand.” Moving around the desk to stand next to me, my dad puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not saying I think Theresa has any right to do what she’s doing, but I want to make sure you aren’t doing any of this to be vindictive towards her. Oliver deserves to have a mother, and if she’s willing to try…”

“I’m not sure she is,” I grumble. I check my silenced phone and already have several missed calls and threatening texts from her, just as I predicted.

Typical shit.

“If you really think this is what is best for Oliver, then I support your decision, son,” my dad replies, looking resigned. He is rather traditional when it comes to family, so it makes sense that he would be much more willing to give Theresa the benefit of the doubt than I am. He just doesn’t understand everything I went through with her. He wasn’t there to see all the ways she gutted me and messed with my head.

And he won’t either. It’s no one's business but mine.

“Thanks, Dad,” I murmur.

“Why Blue Ridge, though?” he finally asks with a sigh. “I don’t understand why you are going to that town in particular. There’s nothing really out there.”

“Exactly. It’s quiet. Plus, Garrett lives there, and the company’s got an oil field just outside of the town, so I’ll be able to continue overseeing operations, even though I’m not in the city.”

“I see.” Dad nods, idly picking up a crystal paperweight shaped like a lion’s head, weighing it in his hand. “At least you’ll have some sort of foundation to build on.”

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