The One and Only: A Single Mom Second Chance Romance (Heart of Hope) Ajme Williams (books for new readers TXT) 📖

protect my child and myself. Cade had made it clear that I didn’t belong in his life or yours. And after this phone call, and the way you’re talking to me, the assumptions you made about me—I see no reason to have my mind changed.”

Melinda was quiet for a long time again. When she spoke, her tone was even and contemplative. “I…I see. I…apologize for my assumptions. I should…I have to go.”

She paused, “You’ve given me…quite a lot to think about. But I would like—I would very much like to meet my grandson. Please. I would like you to consider letting me meet him.”

“I’ll think about it, and let you know,” I replied.

“You can reach me at this number,” Melinda said. “I’m…sorry about the reporters. I’ll see what I can do. Have a pleasant day.”

“You as well.”

I hung up and my legs gave out, sending me sinking to the floor.

Thank God that Drew and Caitlyn were out back. Neither of them could see me as I shook and took deep breaths to try and calm myself.

At least Melinda didn’t seem to hate me…right? She had willing listened to me as I’d ranted away. She’d seemed affected by what I had said about Cade and her behavior to people who were not in the same elite circle as her. If Cade was convinced that going away was the answer but Melinda wanted to see her grandchild, maybe she could convince him to come back.

Maybe I could be a little hopeful, after all.

31

Cade

The moment I set foot back in D.C., I regretted my decision.

I missed Laura terribly, like I was missing a limb, and my heart ached from my desire to get to know Drew more. D.C. felt gray and dull—it didn’t have a heart and I didn’t know whether I should stay or turn around and fly back.

But what would flying back do except confirm for the reporters that Drew and Laura were people to keep an eye on? I would never forgive myself for not controlling my temper at the gallery that night and for allowing reporters to invade their life.

My head was full of these depressing thoughts as I travelled back home, where my parents jumped on me the second I set foot in the house.

“What are you two doing here?” I blurted out. This was my townhome.

“How else are we supposed to get to the bottom of this?” Dad snapped. “I want to know exactly what happened. Is she lying about the child? Did she entrap you? Is she demanding money?”

A guilty look crossed Mom’s face and she turned away, looking out the window instead where various reporters were hanging out trying to pretend that they weren’t waiting for a chance to jump on me like a pack of jackals.

Anger flared up inside me. “You know, this is why Laura never came to us about Drew. Because she knew that you’d react exactly like this.”

“Like what!?” Dad demanded. “Like concerned parents who don’t want their son’s career ruined?”

“It wasn’t like that!” I snapped. “Laura was my girlfriend in the senior year of high school. I loved her. I wanted to go to college with her. We had made plans and everything. But the more you talked about your plans for me, the more I realized that you were never going to tolerate our relationship.

“Laura grew up poor with a single mother. She wasn’t what you’d have wanted for me. I knew that you wouldn’t accept her. And I was a coward, so I broke up with her, and I did it in the meanest way possible so that she wouldn’t try and fight for me because—because she’s strong and she’s a fighter. I knew she’d come after me and try to convince me that we could overcome anything because that’s the kind of person she is, and so I had to break her heart and make her hate me so that she wouldn’t do that. So that she wouldn’t meet you.

“And I get your anger,” I admitted. “I too was angry at her for hiding my child from me. At first, I didn’t understand why she’d do such a thing. I was angry that she’d keep that secret and that she didn’t come to me, because it meant that I’d missed out on my child’s life—and I thought that I had a right to know about him. But the way I’d treated her…I realized how much I had hurt her and more than that, I’d made it so that she couldn’t trust me.”

Mom frowned thoughtfully. “You could have told us about her.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I couldn’t trust that you’d understand. You’d say that it was just young love and that I’d get over her. You’d break us up and assure me that she was just like every other girl and I’d find and fall in love with someone much better for me when I was older.”

Mom opened her mouth, then paused as if realizing that there was some truth to what I’d just said. She turned her gaze away from me again.

I’d never seen my mother so contemplative or quiet. Usually, she liked to be loud, to take up a whole room. To have her act withdrawn was disconcerting.

“Besides,” I added, looking over at Dad, who looked gob smacked, “if she had shown up pregnant, what would you have done?”

Dad spluttered. “A pregnant woman showing up is just as bad as—this is terrible publicity—but if she’d come to us then—”

“Laura brought up that you’d try to take the kid from her, or try to buy her silence,” I said. “At first I was angry and didn’t want to believe that about you. But I’ve had time to think on the flight here, and I think she’s right. I don’t think you would have stood up for me becoming a husband and father before I even went to college.”

I glanced over at Mom. “I know you two want to be grandparents someday. You’ve always dropped