Page 41 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

I didn't think this was going to be an easy night for either of us, and based on how she was sitting, and how her shoulders were tense, I could sense she thought it wasn’t going to be an easy evening either. There was too much to talk about and so much water that had washed away the bridge that I didn't know how we were going to fix it.

As I pulled away from the house, she reached over and turned up the radio, meaning there was no chance of us talking on the way to my home.

That was fine with me. I didn’t know what I was going to say or where I was going to start.

When we got to my house, Haley quickly got out of the truck and headed up the stairs to the front door. She didn’t bother to look back at me as I hurried up the stairs and unlocked the door. She walked into the house like she owned it, making her way straight for the couch.

Haley sat on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her and leaning back into the cushions. I watched as she shifted her weight around, running her hand through her hair and looking around the room.

I didn’t say anything as I sat down on the couch across from her, not wanting to be the one to start the conversation. She was the one who had demanded the meeting. She should be the one to say something first.

Haley sighed and uncrossed her legs, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

“I don’t want to tell Trinity that you’re her father yet,” Haley said, her tone firm as she looked at me. “I can’t go that far yet, but I want you to know that I am thinking about it and want to get there before Christmas.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“I have. I also thought about what I want to talk about tonight, and that’s about it. I want her to know that she has a father. I want her to know that you’re her father and you love her a lot, but I think we still need to take this slow.”

“What does slow mean to you?”

“Slow is getting to know you again. Letting you into her life as my friend and then moving forward from there.”

“So, how are we going to get to know each other?” I asked, leaning forward.

A few thoughts were flying through my mind about how we could get to know each other again, and all of them involved no clothing and various surfaces in my home.

“My dad and stepmom invited us for dinner tonight. They want to see you again, especially now that they know you’re Trinity’s dad.”

I sighed and stood up, my plans of spending time alone with her ruined.

“Alright,” I said, holding out a hand and helping her to her feet. “Let’s get going.”

The last thing I wanted to do was go sit with her family and watch them judge me for a choice I hadn’t even known I was making.

***

Even though I was a grown man, walking into Haley’s dad’s house gave me the same feeling it did when he found out that we were dating all those years ago.

“Dad is going to be fine,” Haley said, leading the way into the kitchen, where I could hear her father singing along with the radio. “It’s Kirstie you need to watch out for.”

“I resent that,” Kirstie said as she came flying into the room and pulled me into a tight hug. “Tyson, it’s good to see you again after all these years. I always thought that you and Haley would find your way back to each other.”

My cheeks were warm as she peeled herself away from me before pulling Haley into a hug. The two women disappeared into the kitchen together while I stood in the hallway, looking at the framed photos on the wall.

There were pictures of everybody with Trinity, laughing and smiling. My stomach twisted as I looked at yet another part of her life I had missed out on. If I stared long enough, I could pretend I had been in those pictures with them. I could pretend that we were a happy family.

I could remember a time when those pictures did hold family pictures with me in them.

“Welcome back,” Harold said as he walked into the hallway, wiping his hands on a towel. “I have to say. I was surprised to find out that you’re Trinity’s father.”

“I was pretty surprised too.”

Harold nodded, staring at me for a few moments. “I hope Haley hasn’t made it easy on you. Although, I doubt she has because she’s always given you a hell of a time.”

When he started laughing, I knew everything would be alright. They didn’t blame me for getting their daughter pregnant and leaving. Not that I had known that she was pregnant, but I had no way of knowing how they would have taken the news either way.

I didn’t want to be stepping back into a family that hated me.

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