Chapter 44
Ashlyn
“I can’t believe she approached you,” Hannah says. “Considering the custody arrangement, I think I would have walked away.”
“It is a little unnerving,” Becca agrees. “But I kind of feel for her.”
“I guess I do too,” I admit. “I wanted to know what she had to say. I think another part of me was curious about who she is. What she’s like. I love her baby. I love him like he’s my own. But she’s his biological mother, so I was curious.”
“I guess I can understand that,” Hannah says.
We are outside on the playground with the four- and five-year-olds for their recess.
The other age groups are with Amy and Adrian, the other girls who work here.
We rotate who works with which kids each day so we don’t get burned out.
Honestly, I never feel burned out from any of these kids.
I’ve already gotten attached. No surprise.
“So, are you going to press charges?” Hannah asks. “For her sneaking around and taking photos?”
“I don’t think so. I think she’s just sad and lost. It can’t be easy,” I say.
“Miss Hannah?” one of the little girls tugs at Hannah’s hand to get her attention. “Miss Hannah, there’s a strange man over there,” she says, and we all swing around to look.
“Is it a bad man?” another girl asks. Meanwhile, we walk along the fence line to see who they’re talking about. “His car looks fast. He is probably a bad guy, and that’s his getaway car.”
“That’s not a bad man,” a little boy says. “That’s Zane Calloway. My mommy likes him. She buys my daddy his underwear. But my daddy doesn’t look like Zane Calloway.”
“It is Zane,” Becca says.
“He’s probably here to see me,” I say, walking over to the gate.
“Do you want me to make him leave?” Hannah asks. “I can call security.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say.
I make my way out of the gate, which uses a code to access for safety. It closes behind me. He’s standing next to a four-door Mustang, though, not his Corvette. He opens the back door and pulls out Bentley’s car seat, Bentley in tow, and my heart slams into my rib cage.
“If you thought bringing Bentley here would work to get me to talk to you, you’re only partly right.”
“I’m looking for childcare,” he says, walking over to me. “No other intentions.”
I nod, not believing him. Then I look down at Bentley and tears fill my eyes.
“You wanna go inside?” he asks. “We kind of have an audience.”
I look back over my shoulder towards the playground, and of course Hannah and Becca are watching with gaping smiles. All the kids are lined up against the fence watching too.
“Yeah, let’s go inside,” I say.
We head into Hannah’s office and close the door. Zane sets Bentley’s car seat on the desk, and I reach for the seatbelt buckle. Then I stop.
“Can I…can I hold him?” I ask shakily.
“Of course,” he says, and I take him out, cradling him and showering him with a dozen kisses.
“Hey Bubba. Oh, I missed you. You smell so good. You look handsome too,” I gush.
“You should’ve seen him an hour ago. Covered in bananas and cereal,” Zane says with a smile, and I smile back.
“I notice you’re not wearing your trademark burp cloth on your shoulder,” I say.
“Yeah, I switched his formula to sensitive stomach. He hardly spits up at all now,” he says.
“Your daddy is smart,” I say to Bentley, kissing him again.
“I had some help from a friend,” he says.
“I was going to say. You’re going to have to start modeling burp cloths too. You’d probably make a fortune,” I tell him, and he smiles.
“So, what are you really doing here?” I ask.
“I need daycare for the Little Man,” he repeats and I give him a look. He smiles and wipes his hand down his face.
“God, I’ve missed your sass, you know that?”
I swallow hard.
“And I’m serious. I need help with him. Nigel doesn’t love it when I bring a baby to work.”
“You took him to work?” I ask.
“Yeah. He kind of steals the show. Nobody gets anything done. It’s a real problem.”
“I can only imagine,” I say. “He has that effect on people.”
“So do you…” he says and my heart clenches again. “Listen, Ashlyn. I can’t do this. Not on my own. Nikki and I talked. She is surrendering sole custody to me.”
“I know,” I tell him. “I talked to her, too.”
“You did?” he asks.
“Yeah. We ran into each other.”
He nods. “The thing is…even if I thought I could do it alone, I wouldn’t want to. I could put him in daycare or hire a nanny, and I’m sure we would figure it out. But I don’t want to. I want to do this with you. I want to do everything with you. I just want…you.”
“I would never have betrayed you,” I tell him with a strain in my throat.
“I know. I know that now,” he says. “And I am ashamed I ever thought you would. I also feel bad for not believing you that you saw someone outside the windows and on the balcony. When I thought about who could have access to the house, I didn’t even consider that Nikki knew the door code. Honestly, we should press charges.”
“I don’t want to,” I say, and he shakes his head.
“Me neither. I think all of that has sorted itself out. And I’m hoping she will be in a better place now.
But all that aside, I needed to see you again.
To talk to you again. To ask your forgiveness,” he says, taking a step closer, and I can feel the walls around my heart beginning to rattle.
“I should never have doubted you, Ashlyn. I guess I’ve never been able to trust anyone before.
Outside of a few friends, this industry isn’t known for authenticity.
People pretend to be real, but once they get what they really wanted…
well. That’s not you. And I know it’s not.
I never expected to fall in love with you.
I also never expected to be an overnight dad, yet here we are. ”
“If it makes you feel any better, I never thought I’d fall in love with you either,” I say with a little sass, and he grins. “Supermodels aren’t even my type,” I add for the heck of it, and it makes him laugh.
“Paparazzi definitely aren’t my type,” he says. “Unless they’re cute and clumsy and smart and quirky, and exceptional mothers.”
I blink and tears stream down my cheeks.
“You are all of those things, Ashlyn. Those things and more. And I want to do life with you. Not just for Bentley’s sake, but for mine too.
I’ve never met anyone like you, and I know I never will again.
The world is funny that way, you know? I mean, you literally fell into my life.
And I almost lost you. But if you’ll have me… if you’ll have us–”
Bentley interrupts Zane’s speech with a whine, and we both laugh.
“I think he wants you to get to the point,” I say, and Zane steps even closer, wrapping his arms around both of us.
“My point is, I love you. You are my person. And I want you back.”
I laugh tearfully, smiling up at him. “You never lost me. You couldn’t. Because I love you too,” I say. And with Bentley squished between us, our lips find each other. The same way our hearts seem to keep finding each other. Over and over again.