Chapter 190 Hey

Chapter 190 Hey
CALUM
I wake up to an ear-curdling scream and jump out of bed, eyes on the lookout for the danger. Cathy stands at the door, eyes wide open in horror. I reach her in five strides and grab her shoulders. She looks okay. I’m almost out the door to check on our son when she yanks me back into the room.

“Is Mace okay?” I whisper.

“What?” she sputters out. Her glossy lips purse as she tries to understand my question. “Yes, he’s fine. Why won’t he?” 

“I don’t know,” I reply, a bit disoriented. I place my hands on my hips, more confused than she is.

First, she scared the shit out of me. Second, she dragged me out of a beautiful dream, an alternate reality where we both have a happy ending. Three, she looks so pretty. Four, she smells nice. Five, I love her.

The blue eyes that narrow at me show she doesn’t appreciate my ogling. I back out of her space and drop down to the bed. 

“Why were you screaming?” I ask. 

“You’re naked, Calum.” 

I look down at my morning wood. Sleeping over was not the plan, and I couldn’t sleep in my clothes. 

“That I am, Cathy. Does it bother you?” I ask. Colour rushes to her cheeks. Jason is not her boyfriend, but Amelia’s letter didn’t say if she had been with other men. For my sake, I hope she hasn’t. I haven’t been with any other woman. “You’ve seen me naked too many times to count, superstar.” 

“It doesn’t bother me,” she snaps. “I came to invite you for breakfast. Put your penis away. I don’t want you to scare my son.” 

A smile grows on my lips. “Will do.” 

“Stop smiling,” she grits out. 

“Why not? It’s funny.” 

She stomps her feet. “It’s not funny.” 

I throw my head back as laughter escapes me. Underneath all her walls is my silly girl and I’ll bring her back to the surface. A pillow smacks me in the face, abruptly ending my laughter. Cathy stands before me with the pillow at her side like an armour.

“I told you to stop laughing, didn’t I?” 

“Yes, you did,” I answer, completely sober. I’m not sure what causes the shift between us, but she draws back and I point to the bathroom door. “I’ll get dressed and be out of your hair. We’ll figure out something.” 

Something that involves her talking to a therapist and giving me another chance. 

“I...you don’t...” She closes her eyes, her fists unclench and the pillow drops. I pick it up. “I’m sorry for hitting you,” she says. I pin her with a soft glare. She doesn’t look sorry. “Thanks for carrying me last night.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

Cathy makes a turn, and I grab her wrist. She freezes but doesn’t spare me a glance. I stand, my dick pressing into her ass as I hug her from behind. It’s not about sex. It’s the intimacy I miss. Being able to do this without fear that she will lose her temper. Use a gun or hit me with a pillow. I don’t want to be so anxious around my superstar.

When she doesn’t push me away, my arms lower to her belly. “I miss you, baby.” Her breath hitches so softly I almost missed it. “I know you think I’m the bad guy, but I’m not. I never received any of your emails.” 

Silence. I don’t know what I thought but I expected a difference in Cathy’s attitude knowing I lost my memory. This is tough.

“I thought you had moved on, Cathy. That you had a kid and you were happy with a new man. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know the kid was mine, that it was Mace.” 

Nothing. I spin her in my arms and lace our fingers. She’s compliant when I pull her in for a hug, curve a finger under her jaw so our eyes lock. She’s compliant but quiet.

“Do you forgive me?” Her lips disappear into a thin line. Right. I have more work to do. Did she hear anything I said? Does she believe me? I’ll never deliberately leave her and my son. I’ve done stupid shit but that’s a level of stupidity I’ll never sink to. “Do you need anything? Just say the word.” 

“I need you to put on some clothes.” I nod. Her palms wrap around my forearms and she shoves me gently. “Stop touching me.” 

My heart splits into two, then the pieces break into tinier pieces. I don’t bother to hide the hurt, I walk away from her and slam the bathroom door close. Alone with my thoughts in the bathroom, I fall to the floor and pull my knees under my chin.

What if I’m chasing shadows? That she’s in a secret relationship no one knows about. I clean up and change into my clothes from yesterday. Faced with the decision of telling her I took her underwear or going to the hotel with it, I choose the latter. I fold the sheet she gave me, place everything in the room in check. Stopping at the door, I give the place one last glance. 

I stop by her room first. It’s unlocked. I push the door open. It’s empty. My hand fists the panties, I do the honourable thing by dropping it on the pile of clothes in her wardrobe. Hopefully, she doesn’t notice it’s clean. She wouldn’t mind that I washed it, right? Either way, I won’t be here when she finds it. Before she kicks me out, I will leave. We need a better co-parenting plan. I will need to find a place. I can’t stay in a hotel forever. Maybe Caleb will let me squat in his place. He has too many empty rooms.

Mace’s crib is empty but there’s a toy in it. I touch the baby monitor on the table beside his crib. He has four teeth. Two sets on the upper and lower gum. I missed out on many aspects of his life, even Cathy’s. I missed her nineteenth and twentieth birthdays. 

I jog down the stairs to join them. Cathy is seated on a dining chair. She looks up at the sound of my feet slapping the floor. 

“Hey,” I greet. 

“Hey,” she replies.

That’s all.

Talk about familiar strangers and we will be first on the list. She used to love me like I was the air she breathed. I whisk those thoughts away. They won’t do me any good. 

“I’ll have to go to the shop later,” she says when I’m seated. There’s a glass of milk and pancakes. I frown. I already got them some groceries. “I need to get some things there.”