Page 80 of One Southern Summer

She glanced at Pax.

He studied her. “Is that—”

“Cole Whitaker, director of a local nonprofit, Imari’s Place.”

“Is that all he is to you?”

“Does it matter?”

He smirked.

Her stomach curdled. Maybe eating that candy was a bad idea. “Why are you here, Pax?”

His expression sobered. “I told you I was concerned when I heard that your grandmother fell inside my parents’ church at an event where I was speaking. I wanted to be doubly sure that she’s okay. Since you didn’t text me or answer my calls, I thought I should see for myself.”

She plucked her phone from her purse and glanced at the screen. He had texted her twice and called twice. “I’m sorry. I don’t think the reception is all that great in here. It’s nice of you to stop by. We’re waiting for Nana to get a CT scan.”

“Oh, wow.” Pax tugged at the knot on his tie then pushed his hand into his hair. Tried to anyway. It was gelled and sculpted within an inch of its life. “Since we’re alone, I think now would be a good time for a candid conversation. Don’t you?”

She picked at the label on her water bottle. “Conversation about what?”

“Life. Hayes and Addison. Your plans for the rest of the summer. We’re divorced, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the kids or what’s going on in your life.”

Where was all this coming from? She opened her mouth then closed it. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Overhead, a woman’s voice came through the loudspeaker, paging a doctor. The doors slid open and closed. Footsteps came and went. She stared at him.

His brows scrunched together. “Avery, are you all right?”

Oh, how she wished Cole hadn’t left. “I’m...confused, Pax. What are you up to? Why are you saying all this? Why now?”

“All valid questions.” He huffed out a breath then leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Look, I didn’t go about this in the right way at all.”

She dug her nails into her palms. Her whole body flashed hot then cold. “You don’t say.”

“I realize now that my decision to leave you when you were expecting was irresponsible, to say the least, and not to mention incredibly selfish. I own that.”

“Don’t forget you left your daughterandyour son. Also, our business caved, I had to move back in with my parents, and we haven’t heard from you in a year.” Her voice trembled. Okay, that probably wasn’t what she should’ve started with. But if he wanted to have a candid conversation, she wasn’t about to pretend he hadn’t hurt them.

“A year? That’s a bit of a stretch. I’ve checked in from time to time.”

“Pax. Checking in—” she quoted the air with her fingers “—that’s what former college roommates or childhood friends do. You are their father. Trey is your partner and one of the most important grown-ups Addison had in her life. And you both vanished. Hayes never even met you before this week. How can—”

“I know, I know.” He pulled his tie off completely then dropped it in the chair beside him. “You’re right. Look, I’m not here to fight with you. I came by to make sure your grandmother was all right.”

“So why are you asking about my summer plans and suddenly pretending to care?”

Misery dragged his mouth into a frown. He hesitated, rubbing his palms on his pants. “When I walked in and saw you sitting here, I thought I should take the opportunity to apologize.”

Oh. She leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest and fixed him with her most pointed stare. “Let’s hear it then.”

“I’m sorry.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “There’s no excuse for leaving you the way that we did. Trey and I deeply regret how we’ve handled our relationships with you, with the kids, and I—we—want to do better.”

“Define better, please.”

“To be honest, we’ve been ridiculously self-absorbed. The thrill of creating a successful show, building a thriving business so quickly and having a beautiful family all went to my head. Yet I felt so trapped. So hopeless. I had everything a man could possibly want. But I struggled with my attraction toward Trey and felt strongly I should be committed to our marriage.”

“So you decided to cheat and then leave me with a house and two kids to manage all by myself?”

Okay, that wasn’t kind. Or probably even necessary. But the weeks and months of Pax and Trey roaming free with barely any responsibilities, while she slogged through single motherhood and fielded criticism at every turn, had drained her emotionally and physically.

---