Chapter 48
U sually, the sight of Drew would send a shiver of joy and nervous anticipation within me. Since we’d started steps towards rebuilding our marriage, there was never a time that I didn’t want to be near him, that I didn’t want to see him or hear from him.
Until now.
He was the last person I wanted to see.
I was a wreck. I was angry, pissed, hurt, and embarrassed. I wanted to drive to Kansas City and wring a certain college boy’s neck for what he’d put me through. He was lucky Alani was too young to know what was going on. But this exact scenario was exactly what I feared would happen. I felt stupid.
“If you’re here to yell at me again, don’t bother,” I flatly told him.
“No. Baby, no.” He immediately stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. His warmth and scent enveloped me, and I sank into his embrace, welcoming his comfort. “I was being an idiot. I’m so sorry. Please don’t cry."
It took a moment to register the meaning behind his words. Oh, no, Drew thought I was crying over our argument? Sure, I was upset; pissed, even. But I also understood the difficult array of emotions he’d been going through. He and I needed to have a tough conversation at some point. But right now, I had other things to worry about.
I pulled out of Drew’s arms, shaking my head. “No. It’s not that.” I paused and let out a choked sob. “He didn’t show.”
His brow furrowed. Even though I’d pulled away, he still kept his hands on my hips. “Who?”
“Carlos. We were supposed to meet at eleven today at the park so he could meet Alani. I had her all dressed up and told her we were meeting a special friend.” I knew she hadn’t a clue what I was babbling to her about, but she could sense we were doing something new and exciting.
“Eleven AM came and went. But still, I waited for him. I thought he was running late or couldn’t find the park…I should’ve fucking known when I didn’t hear from him all day that he was going to do this. But I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, you know?” Luckily, Alani loved the park, so it was just another fun day out for her.
“Two hours I waited for him, and he never answered his phone or texts.” And that fucker had read them, too.
Drew ran a hand through his hair, dishevelling it. “Fuck. Frankie –”
“So go on. Say I told you so.” I was being a bit of a bitch, I knew. But the heat of embarrassment that I’d stood strong on business, determined to give Carlos a chance, was hitting me full in the face.
Drew shook his head and picked up my limp hands. “Christ, baby, I’m not going to say that. I’m not even thinking that. I didn’t even know you were meeting him today. I only came over here to apologize for being such a dick yesterday.”
I shrugged, evading his eyes. “Yeah, well. Turns out you were right.”
“I don’t want to be right. Not about this. Frankie, I’m so sorry he hurt you. I’m pissed that he hurt you. You and Alani don’t deserve this.”
I bit my lip and glanced away. His words soothed an ache, and part of my anger seeped away. He cupped my cheeks, bringing my eyes to his. He looked stricken. For me. “It’s his loss.”
“I just really believed him, you know?” I whispered. “If it weren’t for Alani, for the future questions I knew she’d ask me, for the father she may miss out on, I wouldn’t try this hard. Part of my fear was that he was going to be the type of dad that would flit in and out of her life until he just…disappeared.”
“Like my father,” Drew gravely declared.
I glanced up at him, horrified that he’d made that correlation. “Drew –”
“No, it’s okay. My dad was a deadbeat, and I let his shit affect me, sometimes without realizing it. But I know that I’ll never be like him because over my dead body will I let anything touch or hurt Alani. Nothing will hurt that little girl—not Carlos and not me.”
Tears pricked my eyes at his words. He meant them, too. I knew he did. He had that murderous look in his eyes that I recognized. It was the same look he got during our good years, the many good years we had, where he would go full Alpha whenever he thought something would ever hurt me.
“I’m so sorry for what I said yesterday. I was jealous and resentful. I love both you and Alani, and it fucking hurts to think that I’ll be near this guy for the foreseeable future.”
I knew that already. I understood it, too. “I don’t want to hurt you, Drew.” Even though he’d hurt me beyond all hope, I never, not once, wanted to retaliate.
“Nothing you’ve done could hurt me. My actions have hurt me, and it’s an issue that I’m determined to work through. With your help and patience, if you’re willing.”
I picked up his hands and placed a small kiss on each hair-roughened knuckle. His breath shuddered.
“Everything that’s happened is the result of my actions. And no matter how hard it will be, baby, I’m all in. That means if I have to share Alani with her bio father and family, then so be it.”
My mouth trembled at his words, and when he bent his dark head and brushed my lips gently with his, I willingly sunk into the kiss. Bit by bit, the anger and disappointment flooded out of me until all that was left was the warmth and comfort from my husband.
“Where is Alani?” he whispered against my lips.
“My dad took her out for donuts. I was too upset.”
He hummed in sympathy. “Go lie down, baby. I’ll wait for your dad to come home and spend time with Alani. I hate that I left yesterday without seeing her properly.”
I wanted to protest, to stay awake and spend time with Drew. But the emotions of the day were starting to catch up with me. I’d been awake since 6 AM in a bundle of nerves over Carlos meeting Alani. All for nothing, it turned out. I knew at some stage I had to deal with Carlos but right now, a nap sounded good.
***
Drew
Thirty minutes after I’d ushered Frankie to her room and tucked her in, I crept back in to check on her. A soft smile touched my lips at the sight of my wife. A blanket was pulled to her chin so only her dark head showed.
My poor love. She was totally exhausted. No thanks to that prick. Although, for now, I had to put my fury at him aside. I had to put my pride and feelings aside. A chubby-faced angel came to mind, and it was the strength I needed to do what I needed to do.
I carefully picked up Frankie’s phone and entered her password, praying it remained unchanged. A soft click had my heart mending. It was still our wedding date.
I went to her text messages and pulled up Carlos’ thread. My anger boiled to the surface again when I spied the many worried and then angry text messages from Frankie. But I pushed it down and focused on what I needed to do.
“Hello?”
I bit back a scoff. Typical that he now picked up for a number he didn’t recognize.
“Is this Carlos?”
“Yeah, who’s this?”
“My name is Andrew Locke. I’m Frankie’s husband.”
There was a shocked pause before he stuttered, “H-husband? Frankie told me that you two split.” His tone was accusatory. Something I wouldn’t stand for.
“We did. But we’re in the middle of reconciling.” He didn’t need to know everything, only that I was firmly back in the picture now. Permanently.
“Well, this is awkward.” Christ, he sounded young. I could see why Frankie was willing to cut him some slack—at least temporarily.
“Listen. I don’t care how Alani got here—the point is, she’s here. She’s beautiful, and she’s innocent. If you don’t want to be in her life, then you need to grow some fucking balls and tell Frankie. Making her and Alani go out of their way to meet up with you—a meeting you insisted on, might I add—only for you to bail on them is real low-shit behavior.”
I heard his breath suck in at my words. Good. I hoped they punched him in the fucking face. “I’m sorry –”
“You need to say sorry to Frankie. They’re human beings who shouldn’t be jerked around by you. If you don’t want Alani in your life, you need to tell Frankie and tell her real quick.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“But I have to tell you,” I continued, my tone a lot softer but not by much, “that you’ll be making a huge mistake.”
“Huh?”
“You’re her father,” I implored. The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but they didn’t make them any less true. “And as someone who’s spent time with Alani, let me tell you that you won’t find a more happy, gorgeous, funny little human being than your daughter.” My nose tickled red at the thought of my little buddy.
“If you choose not to be a part of her life, I can guarantee you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. But by the time you realize that, it’ll be too late.” When Carlos remained silent, I continued.
“Frankie’s a generous person. I certainly don’t deserve her. Despite what happened today, she’ll still keep space for you. But that space is limited, and it will sure as heck close real soon if you don’t get your shit sorted. So you need to make a choice,” I warned. “But whatever you decide to do, you better not fuck my family around again.”
And with those parting words ringing in his ear, I hung up.