Chapter Nine
Timothy
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I SAT IN THE GARDEN , staring at the fountain lost in thought. Things were strained between me and Catherine. I wanted to explain the situation to her, but she wasn’t interested in hearing any of my explanations. She just wanted to make it clear I could never try to tell her what to do again. It wasn’t like I was trying to boss her around. I was trying to protect her. I knew Henry was a piece of shit. He clearly had set his sights on Catherine. Henry took what he wanted. He didn’t ask.
Catherine had not slept over since the incident at Henry’s house. I knew she was still pissed. We talked and texted, but I hadn’t seen her. I missed her. I missed holding her. I’d called her earlier, but her phone went straight to voicemail. I had no idea how to proceed. If I pushed too hard, she was going to go in the other direction. But if I didn’t stay front and center in her life, she might forget about me.
While falling into a dark rabbit hole, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I hoped it might be Catherine. I glanced at the caller ID and was surprised to see Regina’s name flashing on the screen. I groaned, dreading the idea of talking to her. Rather, it would be her screaming and yelling at me for one reason or another. But it could be about Paisley. I hesitated for a moment before answering, my heart pounding in my chest as I brought the phone to my ear.
“Regina?” I answered, guarded and prepared for an onslaught of insults.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Timothy, I’ve made a decision,” she announced, her tone clipped and to the point.
I frowned, furrowing my brow in confusion, unsure of what she could possibly be referring to. “What decision?” I asked with a sigh. She was probably debating how she was going to fuck me over again.
“I’ve decided to let Paisley come and live with you,” she declared, her voice firm.
I felt as if the ground had been pulled out from beneath me, my mind reeling with disbelief. I jumped to my feet. “What?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I was almost afraid she was going to say she was just kidding or fat chance.
“Your little girlfriend convinced me of it,” she replied curtly, her tone dripping with bitterness.
I stood in stunned silence for a moment, trying to process what she was saying. Paisley was coming home. My daughter was coming home. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked again.
“I’ll be putting Paisley on a plane as soon as I can,” she said. “That child is too much. I blame you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you’re the one that put the idea in her head she could live there,” she hissed. “She hates me because she thinks you’re some big hero. You’ve turned her against me.”
“That was never my intention,” I said. “I’m only trying to do right by her.”
“You and your little whore,” she hissed. “You two think you’re so much better than I am at parenting. Rich coming from two people that have never actually had children. I can’t wait to watch the two of you fall on your face.”
I wasn’t going to get into a war with her. If she was serious about sending Paisley, I would keep my mouth shut. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll buy the ticket. Is she in Italy or Germany?”
“I’ve already bought the ticket. I’ll send you the flight information. And you tell Betty-the-builder to leave me the hell alone. When she’s begging me to take that girl back, I’m going to laugh my ass off. You guys wanted her so bad; you deal with her bullshit. I’m done.”
The line went dead. I couldn’t believe what she had just said. Was she serious? She sounded serious. And what was she going on about with the Catherine situation? When did Catherine get dragged into things? I walked back into the house, still reeling from the phone call. I hoped like hell Regina wasn’t just fucking with me. She could be cruel, and I wouldn’t put it past her to play games with me.
I poured myself a drink and thought about what the future would look like. If I did get Paisley, my retirement was a definite and not a maybe. I had to be home. I couldn’t leave a teenage girl alone. She’d get up to no good. I would have to get her enrolled in school and do the school shopping thing.
Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound. Catherine’s truck. I put my drink down and walked to the door. She hopped out of her truck and walked toward me. “Hey.” I smiled.
“Hi.”
“I didn’t know you were coming by,” I said. “I called you earlier.”
“I know,” she said with a serious expression on her face. “We need to talk.”
Normally, those words would strike fear into any man that was feeling a little out of sorts in his relationship. But for me, it was actually good news. Before I told her I knew she’d talked with Regina, I wanted her to tell me her version.
“Come in,” I said. “Are you hungry? Can I get you a drink?”
“A drink would be nice,” she said with exhaustion in her voice.
I nodded, beckoning her inside. She followed me into the kitchen. I could feel the dread coming off her. She looked like someone who had been fighting battles, and it made my heart ache.
“I did something,” she said.
“Oh?” I asked with my back to her. I poured her a glass of vodka, something I knew she preferred.
She took the glass and a big drink. “I spoke to Regina. I’m sorry. I got her number from your planner, and I called her. I wanted to talk to her. She told me we could meet today in the city. That’s where I was when you called. I talked to her.”
“And?” I asked, showing no emotion.
She chewed her lower lip. “Well, she doesn’t like me, that’s for sure. But she did say she would let Paisley come back. I don’t know if she’ll do it. And I’m so sorry if I ruined things. I thought I could appeal to her woman to woman.”
“I know.”
She gave me a funny look. “What?”
“I know,” I said. “She called me.”
Her face paled. “Are you angry with me?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “I’m sorry. I should have known she would never listen to me.”
I shook my head, feeling a surge of gratitude wash over me. “No, Catherine,” I replied, my voice choked with emotion. “I’m grateful.”
“You are?”
“I just got off the phone with her,” I said.
“She called you?”
“She did.”
I pulled her into a tight embrace. “Paisley’s coming home.”
Her eyes widened. “What? How do you know? Did she tell you? When?”
“In a week,” I replied. “She bought the ticket already. She’s coming from Italy, and we will be picking her up at the airport.”
She stepped back from me, her face mirroring the incredulity in her voice. “But why the sudden change of heart?”
I shrugged, unsure of how to word it without sounding unkind. “She’s done dealing with Paisley and thinks that we’re biting off more than we can chew. She basically wished us failure.”
Catherine stared at me for a moment before breaking into a wide grin. “Let her think what she wants. We’ll prove her wrong.”
Her determined tone was contagious. “We will,” I agreed, matching her grin with one of my own.
Paisley’s return was going to change our lives. It was going to be hard, trying, and undoubtedly chaotic. But as I looked into Catherine’s eyes, full of hope and resolve, I knew it would also be worth it.
“I hope Regina follows through. It’s the best thing for Paisley.”
“I think she will,” I said. “There was something in her voice. I think she’s fed up with Paisley’s rebellion. Regina is the one that bit off more than she can chew.”
We went to the kitchen to look for something to eat. I popped some leftovers in the microwave and moved back to pull her into my arms. “Thank you,” I said. “I think that took a lot of guts to meet with her. That’s like meeting a barracuda face to face while wearing a meat suit.”
Catherine laughed. “She was prickly, but once I’ve had to deal with her a couple of times, it’s not so bad. She can insult me all she wants.”
“Was she awful?”
She grimaced. “She wasn’t kind.”
“I can’t believe you managed to convince her to let Paisley come back,” I said with total admiration.
“I don’t know how I did it,” she said with a shake of her head. “She was pretty dug in.”
“Thank you,” I said again. “Thank you for putting up with her shit and doing what’s best for Paisley.”
“Anytime.” She smiled.
We ate our dinner and talked a bit about what I needed to get done for Paisley. As Catherine prepared to leave for the night, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. Her presence had become a comforting constant in my life. The thought of her leaving filled me with a sense of longing. I had become very used to her sleeping beside me.
“Are you sure you have to go?” I asked, keeping my hands on her waist.
Catherine paused, her gaze meeting mine with a soft smile. “I really should,” she replied, her tone apologetic. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
I nodded, forcing a smile despite the twinge of disappointment that gnawed at me. “Okay,” I replied. “But I don’t like it. I like you in my bed.”
She chuckled. “I like being in your bed, but I do have my own.”
As she turned to leave, a thought occurred to me. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your house?” I asked casually.
Catherine hesitated for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought. “Not really,” she admitted. “I’m keeping my options open for now.”
I nodded understandingly, trying to hide my disappointment at her response. Deep down, I hoped that she would choose to sell the house and move in with me, but I knew that I needed to respect her decision. Things were moving fast. I didn’t want to pressure her into doing anything she wasn’t ready for. We had time.
“Well, just let me know if you need any help with anything,” I offered.
Catherine smiled. “Thanks, Timothy,” she replied.
With a final kiss goodbye, Catherine left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. As I watched her drive away, a sense of uncertainty settled over me. With Paisley coming home, I knew that I needed to focus on getting her settled before broaching the subject of Catherine moving in. Things were already changing pretty quickly for all three of us.
Deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted her to be a permanent part of my life. I hoped things would continue to grow between us. I knew she cared about Paisley. Hell, anyone that went to bat for Paisley against Regina was someone that obviously cared for the kid. And Paisley liked Catherine. She respected her. With time, I knew the three of us could be a family unit.