“You could have had me.”
“What?” I spit out.
“I could have been something that was all yours, but if you choose your job over a little girl who needs someone on her side, then you’re just as bad as he is. I didn’t know you worked for Thomas when I moved in. I didn’t know you were on the case until five minutes ago, but go ahead and assume the worst. You seem to be good at that.”
His eyes narrow and his lips form a tight line as he lowers his voice so only I can hear. “If I wanted to go through you to get what I wanted, I would have fucked you months ago. You’re right. Sunday night was a mistake. One I’ll make sure to never make again.”
Standing tall, he storms off.
“Can you fucking believe it? Thomas is trying to put Addison on Emily’s case.” I can’t go home, and I can’t go to the hospital, so I’m at the track, running myself ragged with Reed by my side.
“You knew she worked for the fucker.”
“She wasn’t on the case. Now she is.”
My lungs are beginning to burn and my legs are feeling the pain, but I don’t care. Addison wasn’t on Em’s case when I moved in, she wasn’t on her case when I decided I needed Addison in my life and I’m feeling a little sick inside at the fact that in addition to now working on helping Thomas out, she’s also emotionally farther away from me than I’d like.
“You should tell Addison why Thomas hates you so much.”
“That he thinks I killed Emily’s mom? I’m not telling Addison that.”
“I want to adopt her. Take over all her medical expenses and make sure she has the best care possible.” We are in a conference room at my attorney’s office, Thomas Feeley sitting across from me, and my personal attorney by my side.
“No.” Thomas is staring at me with complete hate in his eyes and I have no idea what I did to make him despise me so much.
Standing with such force that my chair falls over, I meet his dark beady gaze. “You can’t outright deny the request. I have the funds, I can take care of her.”
My attorney puts his hand on my chest and nods his head for me to quiet down, he’ll handle it. “Mr. Feeley, there’s no reason why we can’t come to some agreement on what is best for the child. Damian comes from a good family, and certainly has the means to take care of her.”
Feeley’s eyebrows rise. “I know how that accident affected your life Mr. Walker. You’ve only recently pulled yourself together. You’re not fit to take care of a sick little girl.”
“I’m not that person anymore,” I blurt.
He shrugs. “Maybe, but I can’t in good conscience concede to you adopting my client. I’ll allow you to visit her, I’ll allow you to pay for whatever you see fit with regard to her medical care. But I plan on finding a good home for Emily,” his dark beady gaze is locked onto mine, “one that doesn’t involve the person directly responsible for orphaning her in the first place.”
Fuck, he’s blaming me for Megan’s death? “I was cleared of any wrong doing in that crash, Mr. Feeley.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re innocent, Mr. Walker. You are not getting custody of Emily, and that’s final.”
I’d hated every single one of Thomas’s words, mostly because I knew they were true, but I wasn’t going to stop fighting. I know I’m not the best person to permanently adopt Emily, but I want her in my family, I want her in my life. And I will stop at nothing to figure out a way to make that happen.
“Damian! Stop!” Reed’s shouting at me, and I halt in my tracks staring at him. What the fuck is his problem?
He jogs towards me. “Man, you’re kind of freaking me out. You look like you’re about to lose it.”
Running my hands over my face and head, I shake like a wet dog. “I think I already lost it. Are you still seeing that girl from Starbucks?”
The way his face scrunches up in confusion tells me he’s not. “Good, we’re going out.”
“Going out and doing what?” He’s walking beside me as we head towards the car.
“Whatever the hell we feel like. I’m done playing the nice guy when it seems to get me nowhere.”
I assumed the let down in my moral compass would thrill him, but he’s looking very hesitant. “Dude, you’ve already woken up once this week knowing you royally fucked up, you really want to go through that again?”
I shake my head. “No, you’re wrong. I woke up once this week convinced I’d found the answer to life. So sure my future was living next door, only to discover, I don’t know shit.”
My mind is made up. I’m hitting the town, and Reed can either come with me or I’m going by myself, but I can guarantee you, I won’t wake up alone in bed tomorrow morning.
“Damian, can we talk?” My jeans are resting comfortably low on my hips, the top button yet to be secured. No shirt and water is still dripping off my hair and onto my shoulders. Addison is in my doorway, her eyes big and round focusing on my face and doing their best not to travel over my bare chest.
Not saying a word, my eyes roam from hers, down to her parted lips, eyeing her silken neck and resting on her breasts, which just days ago were nestled comfortably in the palms of my hands. Now they’re perched up in a workout top that is making my head dizzy. My body reacts to her, but I tamper it down.
Running a finger along her perfectly smooth cheek, I make our situation very clear. “I wanted to talk two days ago. I have plans tonight, so unless you need to borrow an egg or something, you best get back to your television, I hear it’s a great night on the Kardashians.” Resting both of my hands on her shoulders, I turn her and give a slight nudge in the direction of her own apartment.
Shrugging my hands off her body she looks back and narrows her eyes, her fists curled up on either side of her. I’ve pissed her off. Good. She can stew in her own anger for a night, I certainly have.
As I’m waving goodbye and closing the door, she sticks her foot in the doorway, preventing it from shutting all the way. My hand is shaking on the handle, my body tense and coiled tight. Sweat is trickling down my neck and onto my back as I resist the urge to throw open this damn door and pull her into my arms. I’m out of my league here and not sure how to react. There’s too much going on, my feelings for her, my feelings for Emily. I don’t want Addison working for Thomas Feeley, and I don’t want her calling us a mistake.
Not opening the door any further, I quietly say, “Addison, go home.”
She doesn’t move her foot. “No.”
The toe of her white running shoe shines brilliantly against the dark paint. I rest my head on the cool wood of the door as I hold it firmly in place, preventing her from opening it further.
“Take me running.”
Is she serious? “I already worked out.”
“That’s never stopped you before.”
Clenching my jaw, I move my foot to hers. With every ounce of inner strength I have, I nudge her toe back outside and close the door, sliding the lock in place.
Pretending that didn’t just cut a hole right through my heart, I grab a dark gray T-shirt from my closet and throw on a black hoodie. Reed and I settled on a dive bar at the outskirts of town. Nothing fancy, and somewhere we can be nobodies.
Pulling on my beanie, I throw on my best ‘I don’t give a shit attitude’ and leave my place.
She’s still standing outside my door.
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”