Page 67 of Entirely Yours
Elaine nods. “Such is life, my cabbage.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. My ex was… well I’m beginning to realize that he was an emotionally abusive asshole. It still makes me nauseous when I think about his complete and total rejection of Chloe and me.” I take a deep breath before continuing, everyone content to give me the time I need to collect my thoughts. “Right after Chloe was born, I remember thinking there was no way he could say no to her adorable little face. Surely now that she was here, he’d take one look at her and fall as madly in love with her as I had.
“I called him from the hospital to update him. Tell him he had a daughter and I was willing to let him be a part of her life.”This next part hurts, a dull ache that has never quite faded. I turn my head and see Jules has stopped working and is watching me intently. His attention soothes that never-ending ache, little by little.
“Anyway, when I tried to call, I couldn’t get through. He knew I had kept the baby… I can only assume he knew I’d call when she was born so he preemptively blocked my number.” I shrug, attempting to convey a nonchalance that I do not feel.
“Bastard,” Bex whispers, a tear trailing down her cheek. She pulls Molly close, gazing adoringly down at her sleeping baby. “I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to know their child.”
“But you have to know Jules isn’t like that, right?” Cole asks.
Elaine looks my way, giving me a knowing smirk. “She has to figure that out on her own now, doesn’t she?”
“C’mon, the man is head over heels in love with her, dammit. It makes even my shriveled up ovaries hurt,” Cole challenges.
Love. No, that’s way too much. Too fast.
“He’s not—no, we aren’t?—”
The three knowing stares are back, and I have no idea what the fuck to do with that.
Abruptly, I stand up, eager to get away from this—this ambush, or whatever it is. “Well, it’s been… fun isn’t the right word. I’ve got to take Chloe home. Bedtime. You know how it goes. See you later, bye.”
Finding Chloe, I haul ass out of the coffee shop like a complete coward.
As Thea hightails it out of the coffee shop, I wipe the paint off my hands and rush over to the table where my mom, my sister, and Colette Russell are sitting, looking guilty as fuck.
“What happened?” I growl.
I had been watching, contemplating whether or not to jump in. Obviously, I should have jumped.
Mom is the first one to speak up. “Oh, she’ll be fine,mon chou. She just got a little spooked, is all.”
“Don’t cabbage me. I’ve been working for months trying to get Thea to trust me, and you three just fucked it up in mere minutes.” I’ve never spoken to my family like this, but I’m fuming.
Bex sighs. “JuJu?—”
“No.” I slam my hand down on the table, causing all three of them to jump. “She’s it. I?—”
The guys rush over, Anders putting a protective hand on my chest. “Woah, take a breath.”
My hands come up, and I look around to see that everyone is as surprised by my reaction as I am.
“Julien, come walk with me.” Dad says it with such finality, I go.
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I barely contain the aggravated groan I want to let out.
We walk down the sidewalk in silence. It only takes a few moments for me to regret the way I handled that. “I should go apologize,” I say.
“You will,” Dad assures, coming across in a way that shows me he knows I will apologize because it’s the right thing to do, not because he’s telling me to do it. “But first, let’s talk. What’s going on? You’ve been on edge all night.”
My hands come up behind my neck. “Fuck. I don’t know. The stress of getting the shop up and running I think, and… I’m so fuckingterrified.”
“Of becoming a father?”
“Of losing her.”
Dad hums and tucks his hands in his pockets. “Do you know what happens when you hold onto something too tight?” he finally asks.
