Chapter 6
“Mommy! Mommy! Come see what I made!”
Layton twisted her hair up into a messy bun, grabbing the stray toys that seemed to always end up in the hallway as she crossed into the playroom. “You need to keep your toys in here, sweetie. I almost tripped over them.”
Caroline held up two sticky, playdough-covered hands. “But look at my creation!”
“I am looking. And if you weren’t covered in playdough, you’d be picking up the things you left in the hallway.”
“Okay,” Caroline said with a frown. Her wispy blond hair was coming free from the pigtails she wore, and Layton smiled. Messy or not, her daughter was adorable.
“Daddy said he’s getting married.”
“Mmmm,” Layton said noncommittally. She’d suspected as much when her ex had mentioned purchasing a diamond as they’d exchanged Caroline a few days ago. It was a weird jab meant to remind Layton that she was very much single while he’d very much moved on with his life.
Her gaze fell on her daughter’s project, a little snowman family that Caroline had made from different colored playdough. “Those are very cute, sweetie. It’s time to go wash up for dinner. We can play more later on.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs.”
Caroline made a sound of despair. “But I wanted chicken nuggies! That’s not fair,” she pouted. “I don’t want to eat spaghetti!”
Shaking her head, Layton guided Caroline to the bathroom. “Wash your hands so we can eat. You already had chicken nuggets the other day, and I’m not making something else for you tonight.” Layton left her to get cleaned up, walking into the kitchen again and pulling plates from the cupboard. She could hear Caroline’s little sing-song voice from down the hallway, still pleading for her favorite food.
Layton’s phone buzzed on the kitchen island, and as she set the plates on the counter, she stared in disbelief at the text.
Tiny Dick: My lawyer will be contacting yours tomorrow.
Tiny Dick: We feel it’s best you have full custody of Caroline given Amber’s and my plans to start a family as soon as possible.
Layton bit back a curse. Once upon a time, they’d had a family. A mom, a dad, and a child. He’d shattered their world when she’d discovered his affair. Hands trembling, she texted him back.
Layton: And what about your daughter? Despite all your faults, she adores you.
She could see the three dots as he was responding.
Tiny Dick: Let’s keep this civilized.
Tiny Dick: You’ll have the advantage of no longer arguing with us about moving out of the area. Amber thinks this is best for our marriage. A fresh start.
“Augh!” Layton cried out in frustration. Best for them? Of course those selfish assholes would think that way. No need to consider the already living and breathing child. How on Earth was she supposed to break this news to her daughter? Despite her ex’s many issues, Caroline still thought the world of him.
Fuming, she crossed to the stove, pouring the spaghetti noodles into the colander, the water swirling down the drain. The steam rising from the cooked pasta felt like the anger rising from her head at the moment.
Full custody?
Abandon the fights? The shared holidays? The trade-offs every week as they shuffled their daughter from one home to the other?
Suddenly feeling woozy and nauseous, her hand landed on her abdomen. She’d been feeling off for a couple of days now. No doubt just stress, but this was just the icing on the cake. Glancing at the clock, she knew her sister was still at the office given the time difference between D.C. and Hawaii. She shot off a text anyway, telling her they needed to talk.
As the older sister, Layton should be the one in control. It hardly felt that way lately, though. Her entire world had crumbled apart, and just as she’d found her balance, things were shifting again.
Bile quickly rose in the back of her throat, and she ran to the kitchen trash can.