Page 42 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

Thankfully, Harold and Kirstie didn’t seem to have a problem. Both were as warm and welcoming as they had always been. Walking into their house felt like coming back to my second home.

“Come on,” Harold said as he led the way into the kitchen. “I’ve been making your favorite roast. It’s almost ready.”

“Well, since you made roast, how could I ever say no?”

When we sat down around the table together, I was transported back in time to the weekly dinners we used to have when we were younger. Most weekends, I came over Sunday night to have her dad’s roast and talk about what happened that week and what was coming up the next week.

Now, the conversations revolved around what had happened in the last couple of decades. He picked my brain over the business while Kirstie questioned me endlessly about life in New York City.

Both seemed to be making up for lost time. They kept the questions flowing, and each time Haley tried to change the topic, they both waved her away. I grinned at the familiarity of it all, loving the feeling of finally being home.

By the time dinner was finished, I was already worried about Trinity.

When I thought about my future with a wife and kids, I never thought I would be the kind of father who worried about their child when they were left with a trusted friend. Bret had been in Trinity’s life since she was born, and he was trusted with her.

More trusted than I was.

“I think I’m going to go call Bret,” I said after dessert. Haley’s parents were in the next room, relaxing while she and I cleared the table.

Haley looked up at me with a smile. “You’re acting like this is the first time you’ve ever left your child alone. She’s fine. She’s with Bret.”

“I know. I just want to call and check-in.”

“Relax,” Haley said, her grin widening. “It’ll get easier to be away from her.”

“You know,” I said, lowering my voice so her parents wouldn’t hear us. “You think it’s easy because you’ve been through this. You got a chance to go through this years ago. However, this is my first time dealing with these emotions because you robbed me of the opportunity years ago, so excuse me if I’m worried about our daughter.”

Haley pressed her lips together and leaned away from me. “Fine. Go ahead and call him. Talk to Trinity and see how she’s doing.”

I stepped away from the table, heading outside. Instead of calling Bret, I paced around the yard. I wanted to call him, but doing that would seem like I didn’t trust him. I knew I trusted him with my daughter, but there was something in me that kept telling me to check on her.

My hand drifted to my phone, but I stopped myself at the last minute and shook my hands out. I didn’t need to be disturbing their night. It was getting late, and Trinity should be in bed sleeping.

Agitation was flowing through my body as I walked. I was restless, and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn’t know what to say or how to fix anything.

There had been no chance to get used to the feeling of Trinity being with someone other than Haley and me. I hadn’t been able to get used to that feeling over the years.

Even though I knew she was safe with Bret, I couldn’t help all the worst-case scenarios that circled through my mind.

“Are you alright?” Haley asked as she came outside and sat down on the front step.

“Nope,” I said, my tone short as I turned on my heel and started walking in the other direction. I turned again and paced back toward her. “I hate that you find this amusing. That you find my worrying about our daughter amusing.”

“I’ve just been there. I don’t mean anything horrible by it, Ty.”

“Yeah, and that’s what makes it worse. You got to be there while I couldn’t be. You were there for everything; I had no clue that she even existed. It’s a lot to work through, Haley.”

“I was doing what I thought was best for her.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I asked. “All I can think about is what’s best for her and what’s happening now. And then I’m more worried about her when I remember someone is stalking you!”

Haley paled as she looked at me. “I never thought that you would be worried about that.”

I stopped in front of her, standing between her legs. “Of course I’m worried about that. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I didn’t think you would see it as a problem since you’ve put that security system in.”

“I talked to the cops as well. If that makes a difference. Do you need me to talk to them again?”

---