Page 72 of Her Ex's Father
I don’t add the thought that has been nagging me since Hugh started uprooting Derrick’s games: that there’s areasonhe was looking, something solid he wanted to find. Something that could ruin me.
I nod and brush past Hugh, my footsteps heavy on the stone floor. The house feels cavernous, every shadow pressing closer. Like it did right after Georgiana passed.
The library door is ajar. I push it open.
She’s there, curled in the armchair by the fire. A book lies open in her lap, forgotten; it’s John Muir’sMy First Summer inthe Sierra,which makes my heart lurch with love for her. The flames light her hair in shades of amber and gold. She looks fragile, younger, as though the weight of this house has pressed her down into something smaller.
“Maddie.”
Her head lifts. The smile she gives me is polite, empty, the kind you’d offer a neighbor in passing.
“You’re back.”
The words cut. NotI missed you. Notthank God you’re here. Justyou’re back.
I leave the suitcase by the door, close it softly behind me. “I am. And Hugh tells me the appointment went well.”
Her hand slides over the book, closing it, and she holds it against her belly as if it’s a shield. “We’re having a girl.”
The world stops.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. A girl.My girl.
“A girl,” I repeat, the word cracking in my throat. “She’s healthy?” A surge of love, fear, anxiety, regret washes over me.I should’ve been here.
“She’s perfect.” Her voice doesn’t tremble. It should be radiant with joy, but it’s flat, subdued.
I sink into the chair opposite her, elbows braced on my knees. My hands are shaking, and I lace them together to hide it.
My mind flashes back to another dim room, decades ago, when a nurse handed me Derrick’s first ultrasound. A blur of sound, a flutter of motion, and I’d been struck dumb with pride. I thought it meant I’d get it right, that love was enough to keep us whole.
And yet here I am. My son hates me. His mother is gone. And now another child is coming into this fractured house.
“That’s… Maddie, that’s incredible.”
She studies me, her eyes unreadable. “Is it?”
I flinch. “Of course it is.”
Silence folds between us, filled with the hiss of the fire. I want to cross the room, press my face into her hair, tell her I’m terrified and thrilled. But her posture is rigid, her expression carved from stone.
“You left me,” she says finally. Not accusing—just stating the truth. “You knew what today was, and you still got on a plane.”
“Maddie—”
“Don’t.” Her eyes flash, brown irises burning in the firelight. “Don’t give me business and legacy and contracts. I’ve heard all that before. None of it held my hand when the doctor turned the screen so I could see her. None of it sat beside me when the room went so quiet I could hear my own heart. Meredith was there, at least.”
The words slice me clean through.
“You’re right,” I manage, my voice raw. “I should have been here.”
She lets out a brittle laugh. “That’s all you have?”
The dam breaks. “I went to Sweden for you.”
Her head jerks. “For me?”
“Yes. For us. For what comes next.” I stand abruptly, pacing to the window. Moonlight stretches out in silver plains, pure and untouched, mocking me. “Bronson Estates is consolidating. Every resort, every property under one events division. I want you to lead it. Starting with the Sweden opening.”
