“Come here,” he says gruffly. He pulls me into his arms and buries his face in my neck. “I just need to hold you for a minute.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on tight. I can only imagine the thoughts running through his head right now.
When he finally pulls back, he kisses my temple. “You think we should let her meet, Lexi?” he asks.
I want to scream no, but I believe her, she doesn’t want to be a mom, not right now anyway. “I think giving her the option would be nice. She’s had a rough life from the sound of it, and she did the right thing. They have no case now.” That also means our agreement will be up. A few more weeks, I would say for appearance’s sake, and then I will be leaving. I push that thought out of my mind for now.
“I wanted to ask you before I offered,” he tells me.
“It’s your choice, but I think the offer would be nice. Who knows when we will see her again, and Lexi is too young to remember her.” I know that sounds mean, but psychologically on Lexi, this will mean nothing, but it could mean everything to Misty.
“Will you call, Aaron? I’m going to have her come and make a plate, if she will,” he adds as an afterthought.
“Yes.” I kiss his cheek and he hands me his phone.
I dial my brother. “Hey, bro, everything good?” he asks.
“It’s me,” I say into the line. “Everything’s good, but it’s a long story. I hate to ask this, but can you bring Lex back? We have pizza,” I say to sweeten the pot.
“She still there?” he asks.
“Yes, but it’s really all good. I’ll explain when you get here. We are going to let her meet Lexi,” I tell him.
“Okay, I’ll wrangle her away from Mom and Dad and be right over.” The line goes dead as Evan and Misty enter the kitchen.
“Aaron is going to wrangle her away from my parents—his words not mine—and be right over,” I tell Evan.
“Thanks, babe,” he says.
Fifteen minutes later, Aaron and Lexi join us. She sees Evan and grins, reaching out for him. “Hey, baby girl,” he says, taking her from Aaron. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” Lexi just pulls at his lips, not a care in the world. He pulls her hands down and turns to face Misty. “Lexington Rae, I would like you to meet Misty. She’s a friend of Daddy’s.”
I can see him flinch slightly at the word friend, but what else is he supposed to call her? Not that it matters, because Lexi won’t remember this meeting, but for the four other adults in the room, this will be hard to forget.
“Hi.” Misty waves awkwardly. I can see tears pooling in her eyes. “Evan, she’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. She’s a good baby. Hardly ever cries.” His eyes find mine and he winks.
I set my plate of half-eaten pizza aside and reach for Lex. “What do you say we go show Misty your room?” I ask her. Misty looks relieved at the suggestion. The awkward silence was killing me. “You two finish eating while we girls take a tour,” I suggest.
Evan leans down and kisses me. “Thank you,” he whispers only loud enough for me.
I lead the way upstairs and into Lexi’s room. I sit her in the middle of the floor on her play rug and scatter some toys around her.
“How long have you been married?”
“Two months.”
“I’m happy for him, for both of you. You have a happy family.”
What am I supposed to say to that? I decide to go with manners. “Thank you.”
We spend about twenty minutes in Lexi’s room. Misty stacks blocks and Lexi knocks them down. She could play this game for hours.
“Da da da.” She points toward her bedroom door.
“You’ve been up here for a while,” Evan says in greeting.
“Just playing with blocks,” I tell him.
He smiles. “She could do that for hours.”
“Did Aaron leave?”
“Yeah, just a few minutes ago.”
“I need to be going too.” Misty stands from her spot on the floor. “I already called my parents’ attorney, who is no longer mine. I hired my own as well. You should be receiving a call within the next twenty-four hours letting you know the case has been dropped.”
“Thank you,” Evan says sincerely.
“You’re welcome. She bends down and pats Lexi on the head before turning back to Evan. “Take care, Evan. Thank you for being the father that little girl deserves.” Then, surprising me, she turns to face me. “McKinley, thank you for loving her like your own. Thank you for giving her what I know I never could.”
I nod. Words are not possible at this point. Lexi starts to fuss, causing Evan to scoop her into his arms. She rests her little head on his shoulder.
“I’ll walk you out,” I manage to croak.
“Take care of them,” she says when we reach the door.
All I can do is nod, again. My heart is breaking for her, and for me. My time is up. They no longer need me.
Chapter 54
Evan
Misty was right. The next day, I received a call from Mr. Fields that said the case was dropped. However, Child Protective Services would be by sometime within the next five days for their final visit. Turns out, they have to open their own case and, due to the suit being dropped, the home visits were dropped to one more. Apparently, at this visit, we will be notified if they too will be closing the case with their department.
McKinley cancelled all of her shoots for the week. She didn’t even bat an eyelash. She said she needed to be here when they showed up. I didn’t argue with her. My mind has been too pre-occupied with all that’s happened in the last few days. I’m not worried about the home visit. I know we’re good parents, my house is safe, and she’s healthy. They have nothing. No, what worries me is that once this is all said and done, McKinley will be leaving. Our agreement was for her to stay until we were sure they could not take Lex from me. That time is now.
I fucking hate it.
I want her to stay.
I too decided to let my crew handle things this week. We’ve spent all week together, the three of us, soaking up as much time as we can. We don’t talk about it, but we both know that’s what’s happening.
Lexi is asleep in her pack-n-play while McKinley and I are curled up on the couch watching television. Well, it’s on, but I’m not paying much attention. The doorbell rings and she sits up. “I’ll get it,” she says so quiet I barely hear her.
I turn off the television and stand. I hear Kinley greet Mrs. Allan, the social worker. Their voices grow louder as they move down the hall.
“Mrs. Allan,” I say, offering her my hand, and she takes it.
“Mr. Chamberlin.” She looks over my shoulder and sees Lexi asleep. “She’s such a good baby,” she comments.
“She is.” McKinley steps beside me and wraps her arms around my waist.
“Well, I’ll make this quick. My department is closing its case. We’ve found nothing that would make us think the two of you are anything but good, capable parents. I just need you to sign off on this document stating that and I will be on my way.”