17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Later that night, as I tuck Leo in bed, his small voice breaks the silence, tugging at my heart.
“Mommy,” he murmurs, his wide eyes fixed on mine, his little brows furrowed. “I don’t think Grandpa and Grandma like me.”
I freeze, my hand hovering above his blanket as I process his words. “Why would you say that sweetheart?” I ask softly, kneeling beside him.
“They don’t hug me or smile at me,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.
A pang of guilt and sadness tightens my chest. I force a smile, brushing a curl away from his forehead.
“Oh, baby, that’s not true,” I say, keeping my tone light despite the ache in my heart.
“They love you in their own way. Sometimes, grown-ups aren’t the best at showing it, but it doesn’t mean they don’t care. ”
He stares at me unconvinced, his small fingers clutching the blanket. “Really?”
“Really,” I say firmly, even though I’m not so sure myself. I press a kiss on his forehead. “You’re the most lovable little boy in the world. They just don’t know how to show it as well as they should. Okay?”
He nods, his lips twitching into a small smile. I take the opportunity to tuck him in tighter, smoothing the blanket over his chest. I hum softly, stroking his hair until his breathing evens out, his lashes resting against his cheeks.
When I finally slip out of his room, quietly closing the door behind me, I let out a shaky breath. My heart is still heavy with the weight of his words, and I can’t help but wonder how long he’s been thinking of something like this.
My phone buzzes on the counter, and when I pick it up, my stomach twists at the sight of the name of the sender.
Ethan: I’ve got you right where I want you, Hailey. The papers are in motion. My legal team is more than confident. Leo will be ours soon enough. He belongs with us, not you.
The phone trembles in my hand as the words blur together. The room feels colder and smaller, the air stifling. I sit on the couch, staring blankly at the screen as I call my lawyer.
The thought of Leo being away from me forever scares me. It suffocates me, and after the call ends, I can feel the panic rising.
I need air…something, anything.
Before I know it, I’m grabbing a bottle of wine and heading next door. My knuckles rap softly against Matthew’s door, and his eyes immediately scan me when he answers. A frown tugs at his lips, easily detecting my mood.
“Hailey?” he asks, glancing at the bottle in my hand.
I hold it up, forcing a weak smile. “I come bearing wine. Can I come in?”
Matthew steps aside, concern etched on his face. “Always.”
I walk past him, ignoring how heavy my shoulders feel. He closes the door behind me, and for the first time all day, I feel like I can finally let myself breathe.
I head to his kitchen and grab two glasses, filling one after the other, before handing one to him.
He comes into the light in the kitchen, accepting the glass while staring at me as I lean against the island.
I close my eyes, sighing as the sweet tangy liquid flows down my throat. “Oh, that’s good,” I mumble, downing the rest of the wine.
“Leo thinks my parents don’t like him,” I say, breaking the silence between us, as I refill my glass. “He senses hostility. I had to convince him otherwise, but it broke my heart to hear him say that.”
Matthew sips quietly, listening intently without interrupting.
“Before Leo, I always wanted to have kids,” I admit, swirling my glass and watching the wine slosh back and forth.
“I always wanted to be a mother. I always promised to fill my kids with so much love that it’d be too much for them to receive it.
I wanted them to grow up in a completely loving family.
“I wanted them to get all the love and attention I didn’t get as a child.
I loved Ethan and I turned a blind eye to many red flags when we were teenagers.
I wasn’t ready when I got pregnant, but I loved Leo when I saw those bold red lines on the stick.
I wasn’t prepared for Ethan to become what he is now.
I thought we loved each other, but things just went sour and I blamed myself for it.
One moment, we were happy and in love, and the next, he was returning late, reeking of alcohol, and screaming in my face. ”
Matthew looks away, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he stares at the floor, like he’s trying not to interrupt me.
“When he abandoned us, I realized I had failed in many aspects when it came to raising Leo, but I don’t regret it.
Giving birth to Leo changed my life,” I admit, my voice growing shaky.
“And the fact that he doesn’t feel wanted or loved by own parents makes me feel like I’ve done everything wrong.
I’ve done nothing but suffer these past few years, and it gets worse every time.
Ethan’s back with his lawsuit threats and I just… I don’t know what to do.”
I drink my second glass of wine in one go and sigh. Matthew places his glass on the counter, before staring at his hands.
“I felt that way after my injury,” he begins, his voice low and reflective. I sober up quickly, surprised he’s talking about this. Sometimes, I’m too consumed with my struggles to realize that he has his share of shit to deal with.
“It wasn’t just the injury. It was everything after. Watching years of work, of dreams, disappear in one split second. And then trying to figure out who the hell I was without football.” He gives a dry humorless chuckle. “Turns out I wasn’t prepared for that question.”
I study him, noting the way his fingers unconsciously graze the scar beneath his jeans. His words linger over us like a heavy fog, and suddenly, I feel selfish for thinking my problems are insurmountable.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I know you don’t like to talk about it.”
Matthew shakes his head, a faint smile pulling at his lips.
“Don’t be. I made it through…barely. But it took a toll on my mental health.
I was doing everything to distract me from what happened, taking different women to bed.
For a while, I didn’t think I’d find my footing again. But I did and you can too.”
He looks at me now, concern etched to his features. “Let me help you, Hailey. Spending time with you and Leo is the first thing that’s made me feel useful in a long time.”
I look away, my throat tightening at his offer. “You don’t have to do this, Matt. I’ll figure it out. I always do. I just needed someone to talk to.”
He leans forward, his gaze unwavering. “You shouldn’t have to do it alone. Fighting Ethan…it’s not just about being a good mom. It’s about having the right resources and the right people in your corner. And I know a lawyer―one of the best. Let me help.”
“I appreciate that, but I can’t,” I say firmly. “I need to prove that I can protect Leo on my own. If I can’t, then―then maybe they’re right, and I don’t deserve to have him.”
“Bullshit,” Matthew spits, his eyes darkened as his voice sharpens.
“That’s not true, and you know it. You’re his mother, Hailey.
If you don’t deserve him, who does? Certainly not that son of a bitch who pulled the abandonment card when you both needed him the most. No one has the right to take him away from you.
But this isn’t about deserving him; it’s about playing the game the right way. And they’re playing dirty.”
I bite my lip hard, staring into my wine glass. A logical part of me wants to accept his offer, to let him shoulder some of the burden I’ve been carrying since Ethan reappeared in our lives. But the emotional part―the stubborn, relentless part―refuses.
“I just…I need to do this,” I tell him quietly. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
He leans back, sighing heavily. “Fine. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
We fall silent, the quiet ticking of the clock filling the space around us. My chest tightens as I glance at him. The way he cares, the way he stands by me even when I don’t ask, even when I refuse.
Those strong emotions slam into me again. It’s just him and I, alone in this huge kitchen. And it’s hard not to give in to what I want. Which is him.
“Thank you,” I say softly, glad that he respects my wishes even though he’s not in line with them.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he says. “And Hailey, I know this might be the last thing you want to hear right now, but I think you have every right to know how much you drive me crazy.”
My heart beats two times faster. “In a good way or a bad way?”
He comes to stand in front of me until there’s barely an inch keeping us apart.
“Both. I’m a grown man, Hailey. When I see something I want, I go after it.
But you’re not something I want. You’re a woman I need, and I don’t know how long I can keep pretending otherwise.
If you’re not ready for something like that, tell me.
I’ll wait as long as you need me to. But I need you to know that I want you, Hailey. So fucking badly.”
Standing this close to him and listening to him confess like this, has my senses turning into mush. I can barely breathe.
“I thought you didn’t do dates,” I whisper. “Or do commitment.”
“I don’t,” he says, his eyes flicking from my eyes to my lips and back. “Not until you. You make me want to do everything.”
His hand curls around my waist, sealing the space between us, until our chests are pressed together. My nipples are as hard as diamonds, and I withhold a moan from how good it feels to have them pressed against his chest.
“So, tell me, Hailey,” he says, eyes darkened as they take me in. His fingers slip under my tank top, grazing the skin of my waist. “Do you want this? Do you want me?”
I tilt my head, my lips barely grazing his, a ghost of a touch that sends shivers down my spine. His hand touches my face, tracing the curve of my jaw as I lean in just enough to let our breaths mingle.