Page 9 of It Never Happened
She’s right. We were essentially growing up with each other, learning and changing and not knowing what each other needed because we still didn’t know what we needed alone. I was a twenty-year-old kid obsessed with money and sex. She was a beauty on my arm and older investors took notice. They liked the stability I had in my life, not knowing that the stability was fake. It got me lots of jobs and investments, but in the end, it cost me everything.
I knew seeing her again would ignite everything inside of me. I’m not proud of what I did, but staying in the city when she left was the only answer for both of us. But only seeing my son at Christmas is the second worst thing I ever did. Now it’s time to make things right. But will she hear me?
“I want us to try, Courtney.”
“You’re going to give up your work?”
“I can’t give it up if it means taking care of you both.”
“No, you won’t, and I would never be the one to ask you to do it. But I will be the one to do the right thing for what my son needs though and make those decisions.”
“And he doesn’t need his father in his life every day?”
“He does need that, but you weren’t there before, so he doesn’t know what he’s missing. Don’t come in now if you’re not going to see it through. A week here and there is not going to make things better. If anything, it will make it worse, because he’ll come to depend on and need you all the time.”
“And you? What do you need?”
“It’s not about me anymore, Jack. And that's the difference between you and me. I gave up wanting anything for myself the minute Joey was born. You didn't.”
“I can want the woman I loveandhave my son.”
She scoffs. “You don’t love me. You love the idea ofus. There’s a big difference.”
Just then, a horn beeps twice from outside. She doesn’t move, only says, “Sounds like Larry is here. Don’t keep him waiting, you're probably his last call for tonight.”
I stand. “This conversation isn’t over, Coco. We have lots to still talk about.” I kiss her on her head, leaving my mug on the table and walking down the hall. Stepping into my boots and coat, I head out into the cold night wishing I could stay here instead.
Chapter 5
Jack
Iwalk into Doreen’s Diner, the same old diner that's been here for years. The smell of bacon is strong no matter what time of day it is, and the round stools at the front counter are always taken by kids wanting to spin until they get dizzy.
“Jack Fristoni, is it time for your annual visit for your son?” Her tone is sharp.
“I’m here on busines?—”
“Of course you are?—”
“…and to see my son. He’ll actually be coming back with me to New York for a short time.” Not that it’s her business, but I need to put Miss Doreen in her place.
She raises her brow and leans on the counter. “You’re taking him from his mama?”
“I’m taking him to spend time with his father in my home.”
“Thisis his home. You left, not the other way around.”
I scrub my hand over my face because there is no winning with this woman. She’s the same one who used to chase me out of the diner kitchen for stealing cookies whenthey came out of the oven. She’s the same woman who always had a stern look and chastised me for walking the wrong way on the sidewalk. And when I started dating Courtney, she had lots of warnings for me. So I imagine Courtney returning with my son and without me has made for quite a few years of built-up tension. As is par for the course with the rest of this town.
She leans even closer. “Let me tell you something, Jack. Someone else may not, but I will. You luring that girl away from here, away from her home, only to force her back herealoneis an unforgivable act. If you are the manyou sayyou are, you’re going to step up now and erase these last five years that you have missed.”
I try to speak, but she cuts me off again. “If you’re the manI thinkyou are, I bet you’ll leave town tomorrow without doing the right thing because you’ve never done the right thing. Right down to stealing those cookies from my kitchen. I’m onto you and your game.”
I know I’m not getting a bite of food here today, so instead, I tell her thank you for the warm welcome home. She purses her lips and raises a brow, daring me to say more. I leave the diner knowing she’s right. I did lure Courtney away from this town. Even though she wanted to follow January, I had big ideas and plans for both of us, but somewhere along the line, her plans changed and mine didn’t.
And I did not adapt to anything she needed. I thought I was doing enough, working endless hours a day to give her things she could not have gotten here in Montana. But once I got a taste for success and the lifestyle of the big city, there was no going back, no matter what was at stake. I wanted more, I wanted to give it my all, but I couldn’t stop even when it was all falling apart.
Chapter 6
