Instead of that lessening the calls and texts from him like she’d hoped, he seemed to be getting more relentless. Though she didn’t answer or respond to them all, she did want to stay on his good side, so she responded every now and again. Today she’d responded to a message saying it was his travel day and he’d be in town. He wanted to see her. He said he needed to discuss something he thought would be better if they discussed in person. Clair had been an afterthought as usual.
“Maybe you could bring Clair too, and we can finally formally meet.”
Out of the question.
Addison was still holding out hope that it would never be necessary. For that reason, she agreed to meet him alone, using Clair’s still delicate condition as an excuse for why she couldn’t come along.
They were meeting at Lou and Mickey’s again. It just felt safe for the same reasons she’d explained to AJ when she’d had to come clean about meeting him the first time. It was the only good thing about not being with AJ anymore. She didn’t have to feel guilty about sneaking around, nor did she have to think about having that dreadful conversation with him again. The promise was that she’d keep him in the know if she planned on letting Fred into Clair’s life. So far it didn’t appear she’d need to. It’s why she was here tonight in hopes of negotiating.
The waitress had just dropped off her tea when Fred arrived. Addison had made her concern of being spotted very clear on the phone before meeting him. They were in one of the furthest-to-the-back and darkest booths in the place. She also made sure to get there earlier than she said she would so there’d be no danger of being seen arriving together. It had nothing to do with her not wanting this to get back to AJ.
Since the news broke about Clair being rushed to the hospital, the speculation of who her father might be started up again. It was another thing that had rubbed Fred the wrong way. AJ had since answered the question everyone was asking. His statement had been, “If that amazing little girl was my daughter, I’d be an idiot to keep it to myself. I’d want the whole world to know it.”
Fred had taken it as a jab. “That asshole’s calling me out,” he’d said in an angry message he’d left Addison.
Again, Addison had to scramble to assure him that wasn’t the case. He also suspected that AJ knew who he was. Addison assured him with all certainty that that wasn’t true either. Still, it was beginning to feel like she was losing the battle to have Fred keep his identity under wraps. She was hoping tonight she could regain some ground.
She glanced up at him and smiled as genuinely as she could. The evening was chilly and he wore a beanie, but she was sure it wasn’t because he was cold. It wasn’t that cold yet. He’d also dressed down in a black jeans and a black tight T-shirt. She’d asked him to be as inconspicuous as possible and, thankfully, he’d obliged.
The man wasn’t bad-looking by any means. Admittedly, aside from him being an up-and-coming ballplayer, it’d been initially what had attracted her to him. He’d only grown into his own over the years, filling out very nicely. She was sure it was why he’d worn the T-shirt that showed off every bit of his impressive physique.
He sat across from her and ordered a gin and tonic, making sure, as usual, it was top-shelf gin. “You look amazing,” he said as soon as the waitress walked away.
Addison took an extra-slow sip of her tea in lieu of a thank you. She’d dressed just as inconspicuously but purposely dressed down as much as she could in jeans and an old baseball T-shirt with her hair in a ponytail and baseball cap. There was nothing amazing about the way she looked tonight, and they both knew it.
“Can you please explain what it is you need to discuss with me that can’t be done over the phone?”
“There’s something I wanna show you, but I thought we could have a few drinks and talk a little first.”
“This is all I’m drinking,” she said, pointing at her cup of tea.
“That’s fine.”
“It’s not what I’m here for, Fred. I’m not here to socialize. You said you needed to talk to me. The only thing you and I have in common is Clair. She’s the only reason I’m here.”
“Why do you have to be like that?” he asked, sitting back in his seat and thanking the waitress when she dropped off his drink. “We have a kid together—”
Addison shushed him, glancing around completely annoyed. Fred laughed, picking up his drink. “You really think you’re gonna be able to keep my identity a secret forever?”
Feeling the panic sear through her, she toned down the annoyance in her words. “I’ve managed to this long, haven’t I? As long as you don’t say anything, no one will ever have to know. It’s what you’ve always wanted too, right? I’m not trying to be a bitch or anything. I just have a lot of work I need to get back to, and I need to be home for Clair. She’s still not a hundred percent, and I don’t like leaving her for too long.”
“All I’m saying is,” Fred said, sitting up, “can’t we just try being friends. Try being social? Don’t you remember you did like me once upon a time?”
He smiled at her, tilting his head sideways, the twinkle in his eyes reminiscent of the way he used to look at her so long ago. It was probably something that still worked for him with the girls, but at the moment, all Addison felt for him was disgust. Didn’t he get it? Clair was her world. She just mentioned needing to get back to her, and he still had yet to ask her so much as how Clair was doing. He was doing it again, showing exactly what the only thing he was interested in was. He’d use Clair to get Addison to agree to things like this—being here with him now—agreeing to be friends. Yet, he was too stupid to realize if he showed even an iota of interest in the most important thing in her life, his daughter, that maybe he’d have a better chance of getting in her good graces. Instead, it only made her hate him more and remind her how special AJ was.
She stared at him, desperately trying to squelch the temptation to tell him to go to hell. “I don’t have time for a social life. I’m sorry. It’s why I broke things off with AJ. Clair requires my full attention.”
“Fair enough,” he said, taking another sip of his drink, then smiled. “But being that I am her father, it seems it would only be fair that I help alleviate some of that burden you’ve been carrying all this time on your own. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your life, Addi.”
Addison glared at him, trying desperately to refrain from throwing her tea in his face. How dare he call himself a father! And how dare he refer to Clair as a burden! He knew nothing about sacrifice. He was only after one thing and they both knew it. Even then, a part of her questioned whether or not it was his inflated ego behind his newfound desire to be a part of their lives.
Before she could calm herself enough to say something less abrasive than what she was thinking, he put his drink down and laid his arm down on the table palm up.
“Look,” he said, with a smug smile.
Addison glanced down at the heart tattoo on the inside of his lower arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the name inside the heart with angel wings: Clair.
“It’s my tribute to my little girl.”
Not only was his calling Clair his little girl as ridiculous as his calling himself a father, it felt contrived. The tattoo looked new. The skin around it was still bright pink. The placement of it was so that it’d be very visible not just now but when he’d be on the field.
“Why would you do that?” she asked, unable to pull her eyes away from it, her heart thudding in her chest.