24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tyler
A s soon as I was out of the hospital room, I turned on Laura. “You can’t even be supportive for one minute. She just had a baby. A baby .” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this angry with someone. The gala, that reporter. Anyone who was attacking Mia was attacking me, too. “You come waltzing in talking about some bullshit parenting cycle?”
“She’s twenty-one. You’re temporary. I don’t need to answer to you for anything.” She shoved her finger into my chest. “To think I thought you were a decent guy.”
“Yeah, ’cause raising my daughter is so indecent.”
“Letting Mia keep the baby is indecent. That’s the indecent part.” Laura shook, meeting my rage with her own anger. “You’re ruining her life. You’ve trapped her.”
“Cut the shit, Laura. The only thing you’re worried about is the gravy train coming to a halt.”
“You think all I care about is money? I had her at eighteen. I know how hard it is to be a young parent, to see your friends out partying, to want to go places and do things and realize there’s this impossible weight bearing down on you. Sure, at thirty-something parenting seems great to you. You’ve done all those things I just named. She hasn’t, not really.” She rolled her eyes. “What the fuck do you know about babies and breastfeeding and sleep deprivation? Talk to me in two months, three months, when you’re so out of your mind from lack of sleep you can barely string together a sentence. Then you’ll know what you’ve done, how you’ve saddled her with impossible choices.”
What Laura didn’t know was that Mia had already made her choice, months ago. I pressed my fingers into my forehead, and then felt around in my pocket for a lollipop.
I needed a cigarette. Maybe a whole pack. Parts of today had become such a fucking disaster.
“If you want to come back here,” Katie said from the other side of the nurses’ station, “I can show you what we need filled out.”
Ignoring Laura, I circled the counter to stand shoulder to shoulder with Katie. I stared at the papers, but I wasn’t focused. Back in the room, I’d been so close to asking Mia to reconsider, telling her she didn’t have to go, asking her to stay.
I couldn’t decide if Laura was right and asking her would be selfish. Would that make me just as bad as her? Only willing to consider what I wanted?
“Tyler?” Katie stroked my arm. “You okay? I don’t think you heard a word I just said.”
“I didn’t. Sorry. It’s…I…does Mia need to fill out any of this?”
“Well, yes, at least some of it. Your circumstance is unusual. Did you two talk about that?”
I shook my head. Any time I’d brought up details about the baby, she’d stonewalled me. A lot of things hadn’t been decided, including the baby’s name. Although, I had an idea, if she’d let me use it .
At least the baby’s room was ready, but even that was in my house, not the train station. Since I’d started preparing for the baby, she’d refused to go there.
Maybe she’d come home with me, and maybe she’d return to the train station without us. I’d loved the little bubble we’d built so much I hadn’t wanted to ask or imply anything that would burst it.
From the counter, I gathered up the papers and snatched a pen. Ignoring Katie, I stormed past Laura to the entrance of Mia’s room. We should be happy—this should be a happy day. Instead, it felt like my life was falling apart in front of my eyes. From the moment Mia had turned up at the shop to announce she was pregnant, my life had been chaotic and strange; but at every turn, it had been better because of her. Life had been better, and I feared my world was about to become wonderful with the baby and awful without Mia at the same time. I couldn’t reconcile how both realities could be true.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, but I didn’t make it past the doorway. In the bed, Mia was hunched over the baby, tears dotting her cheeks as she tenderly traced our daughter’s features.
The door clicked shut behind me, and Mia glanced up, wiping her face with her free hand.
“Do you need me to sign something?”
I stared at her, trying to decide the right thing to do. Stay with us. Don’t go. We can make it work.
Laura’s biting words clung on. Was it selfish to ask her to choose me when she was still so young? Twenty-one. At her age, none of this would have been on my radar. I rubbed my face with my free hand and wandered over to the bed.
“How are you doing?” I locked eyes with Mia .
“I’m a fucking mess.” She laughed softly and tucked some of her hair behind her ears. “She looks like you.”
“Does she?” I peered into the blanket and ran my fingers along her puckered forehead. My daughter. Our daughter. “It’s funny. All I see is you.” I leaned down and kissed Mia’s forehead. “Maybe we look for the traits we want to see.”
A beat of silence filled the room, heavy with things unsaid.
“What have you got there?” Mia tipped her chin at the papers and sniffed.
I passed her a tissue from the box, and she gave me a small smile. “We need a name.” I dragged the chair close to the edge of the bed. “Can we talk about it?”
“Yes.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“I think we should name her Victoria Anne. Victoria for your grandma and Anne for mine. But if you’ve got something you want—”
“It’s perfect.” Mia’s words were garbled around a sob. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“What? Hey. Hey. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I probably ruined all this for you. All the excitement. All the planning.” She covered her face with her free hand. “You wanted to be a dad. You deserve someone who wants to be a mom.”
“No, hey, no. Mia…” Where had all this come from? The last few months would have definitely been different if we’d both been excited and looking forward to the delivery, but she hadn’t ruined anything. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do this with anyone else. I can’t…the last few months have been the best of my life.” I swallowed and stared at the papers clutched in my hand. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t decide if they were the right ones, the fair ones. Words coul d be weapons, and I never wanted Mia to feel I backed her into a corner. If she even hinted she might stay, I’d go for it, say something, lay myself bare.
“I’ve been sitting here thinking. Thinking. Thinking. Thinking. You know?” Mia sniffed and grabbed another tissue from the box I passed her.
“What have you been thinking about?”
“Knock, knock!” David said as he wheeled in a bassinet. “Things have been a little crazy. Sorry to interrupt. I need to get you stitched up, and then we’ll have someone in here to talk about feeding and other care essentials. If everything is good, we’ll have you on your way in two days.”
“On our way?” Mia paled. “On our way?”
“Home.” David grinned. “We don’t keep you hanging around too long if there are no complications. Everyone is healthy and doing well. Katie will be checking in with you both once you go home.”
Inside, I cringed. The reminder of Katie hovering wasn’t what we needed. A few minutes alone together, to sort all this out before we didn’t have a chance anymore, that’s what we needed.
“Katie, huh?” Mia slid me a look. “Will she really be checking in with us at home…or somewhere else?”
So, she’d seen a photo of us at the gym. Great. Fantastic. Let’s wedge another problem in there. Hopefully, she knew me well enough to realize I wouldn’t have approached Katie.
Without missing a beat, David said, “At home. I know how important privacy is for you. Though your mother yelling at some lawyer on the phone outside isn’t particularly private.”
“I’ll talk to Laura.” I set the papers on the nightstand beside Mia. We’d gotten this far without the press catching wind of the baby. If Laura blew it all to hell in the hallway of the hospital, I’d never forgive her, even if Mia could.
“Lawyer?” she asked, cocking her head. Beside Mia, her phone buzzed.
On instinct, I accepted the baby when she shifted to grab her phone. The pieces surrounding Laura’s visit were clicking together, and I wasn’t sure I was keen on the picture forming. Her mother had something else she needed to talk to her about. She was arguing with a lawyer on the phone in the hall. The mention of Kenny Connors earlier…
“Who is it?” I didn’t like the frown creasing Mia’s brow.
“Taryn. I sent her a photo of the baby. She’s congratulating me.”
“I feel like there’s an ‘and’ there.”
“Yeah, there’s an ‘and’ all right. I need to talk to my mother. Can you send her in? Alone. I need to talk to her alone.”
“Luckily, not too many stitches,” David said. “I’ll send Katie in to get you fixed up with everything else you need.”
“Sure, yeah. Can you give me a minute alone with my mother? Everyone. Just like…leave us alone for a minute.”
“Mia, what’s going on?” I asked.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she sniffed. “I was hoping I could stay for a while, maybe. But I think I might need to leave. I’ll…I’ll talk to you after my mother and I have a chat.”
“You’re not done with the album yet.” Though we hadn’t confirmed how long she’d stay, I’d never thought she’d leave this quickly.
“I know, but…I just need to talk to my mom.”
“Can I stay in the room when you talk to her?” It had to be about Kenny. That was the only time she acted like this, shut down, shutting me out .
Mia shook her head, and my heart sank. If she’d been thinking about staying and I left her alone with Laura, I was sure her mother would win. I placed Victoria in the bassinet, hoping she might be enough of a reminder of me, of us, of what could be.
“I’ll send her in.” I took the birthing documents and pen off the nightstand and headed for the door.
“Tyler?”
“Yeah?” I half-turned, my gaze traveling over her, hoping this wasn’t really the end.
“The last few months have been the best of my life, too. Okay? I just…I wanted you to know that.” Her voice cracked, and she broke eye contact, looking away.
That sounded too much like a goodbye. We didn’t end like this. We couldn’t. I wasn’t just going to accept it. “Stay.” I stormed back to the bed. “Stay here, in Little Falls, with me. Don’t go back.” I searched her face, looking for any sign I should press on.
“Oh, Tyler,” Mia breathed out the words. She switched her focus to the bassinet, and she shook her head. “I…I—”
“The doctor said you wanted to see me?” Laura stood in the entry to the room looking frazzled. “Did you name her yet?” she asked, nodding toward the baby.
“Victoria Anne,” Mia whispered, shock and indecision coated her face.
Leaving this room felt like nailing our relationship shut. Whatever Mia wasn’t telling me was pulling her away. The shift in her had been immediate.
“I meant what I said.” I linked my fingers with hers.
“I know.” She stared at our hands. “I just don’t know if I can.” She didn’t look up when she said, “I need to talk to my mom.”
Walking away felt like someone had put boulders in my feet as I shuffled to the door. Laura slid me a sly smile as I went past. I had to remind myself that strangling her would be wrong.