Loving Kate (Acceptance #3) (23 page)

Kate’s laughter pulls me from my thoughts. “Jess is so excited. She said she’ll be here in five with
Frozen
and popcorn with M&Ms”

Typical Jess. She’ll be Hailey’s princess watching friend ‘til the end. “Hailey, some of Daddy’s family is coming over. Do you want to meet some more aunts and uncles?”

She claps. “Yes!” I swear everything she says is happy.

“Your Auntie Jess is coming over right now and she’s bringing
Frozen
and popcorn.” This time she claps and kicks her feet she’s so happy.

She kisses me again. “Muah, Daddy, yay Elsa!”

Of course, Kate is “awwwing” because the muah thing is just too cute. Then Hailey jumps off my lap and leans over Lucas in his seat and kisses him too. “Muah, Lucas,” she says and when he smiles at her she giggles like crazy.

Jess busts in the front door with the movie, a pack of candy, and two bags of microwave popcorn and then stops dead in her tracks when she sees Hailey. She looks at me then drops to her knees as Hailey runs up to her.

“Auntie Jess
Frozen
!” she squeals out and hugs Jess then runs away with the movie. It’s rare when Jess cries but she’s crying now. Hailey gives the movie to Kate and they go put it in.

“I don’t even know what kind of twilight zone I just walked into, but I don’t ever want to leave this cornfield. That little girl is the cutest little version of Michael Matthews that has ever walked the planet.”

Then she walks into the kitchen and starts making snacks. No questions, no nothing. That’s one of the things I love most about Jess; when it’s important, she waits until you’re ready to talk. This is my life and these are the people who love us and Misty doesn’t have anyone. I need to keep remembering that so when I see her later and we get a chance to talk, I don’t say all the horrible things I want to tell her. So I don’t run first thing Monday morning and file for full custody and I know I can get it. I need to stay calm and talk this out with them after Hailey falls asleep or goes home, whichever happens first.

After Jess makes the popcorn, she whispers in my ear “What’s her name?”

I whisper back, “Hailey,” and she smiles. She walks over to where Kate and Hailey are sitting down watching the movie and sits next to them.

“Princess Hailey, would you like some popcorn and candy?”

“Candy?” Hailey turns to me and I nod, knowing Jess won’t give her too much, and then she nods yes at Jess.

So freaking adorable.

“It’s a crazy feeling, isn’t it?” Daniel asks and I know he means being a dad.

“Yeah, it really is. Especially since it’s something I wanted for so long, but this just isn’t the way I ever thought it would happen. But the love that was fucking instant…how is that possible?”

After he’s done laughing, he finally answers, “I don’t know, man, but when you figure it out you let me know. Do you think Kate feels for Lucas what we do for these kids?” I bet this has been troubling him for a while and now he has someone he can ask.

“I’m sure she does. She carried Lila for six months so she knows what it’s like to love like that already and it was taken from her. As much as she used to rub Vanessa’s belly and talk to Lucas while he was still on the inside, there’s no doubt in my mind she loves him as much as she did Lila. None, Daniel, so don’t get hung up on that and let it keep you from the greater things.”

“Thanks,” he says as Connor bursts in.

“The party’s here and we brought some beer,” he sings out.

Jess pauses the movie and walks over with Hailey, but she’s a little shy and runs into my lap. I love the identical look of shock on all three of their faces. I stand up and walk over to them with Hailey in my arms.

“Hailey Mae, meet your Uncle Connor, your Uncle Jake, and your Auntie April.”

They all instantly look from my eyes to hers and nod up and down. Under any other circumstance it would be hilarious.

“Hi!” she says and wiggles down. “Auntie Jess,
Frozen
again?” and Jess takes her right back to finish watching the movie.

“Holy Hell, who would have ever known you’d be cute as a girl?” Connor says and Jake slaps him.

“Such a fucking moron. Congratulations, man, I think?”

“Seriously?” April asks him. “Who’s the moron now?” She kisses me on the cheek. “Congratulations, Mike. She’s adorable but I’d love to hear the story behind it.”

Once again the movie is paused and Hailey tugs on my shirt. “Daddy, milk please?” She goes to the diaper bag and pulls out Bob and her sippy cup.

“I’ll get it, Mike” Kate says and walks her to the refrigerator. Once she has her milk, she takes her cup and Bob and goes right back to Jess’s lap.

Connor passes out the beer, and for the first time ever, I question myself if I should have one.

“One won’t kill you, Mike,” Kate says, sensing my inner conflict so I take one, too.

Jess raises her hand and waves me over. Hailey is asleep on her lap. Carefully, I lift her up and lay her down on the far end of the couch and cover her up. This is the first time I’ll ever kiss my little girl goodnight, but it’s
not
going to be the last. After kissing Hailey, I help Jess up off the floor and she gives me a big hug.

“I don’t care what Misty thinks, this little girl is my new best friend.”

Misty better watch out because Jess isn’t joking. We need to get this resolved quickly.

“Alright, so what happened today from when you guys left the house with your freshly fucked glows until now?”

That’s a fair starting point. I backtrack a bit and tell them how Misty had a secret and Kate had picked up on it. They all agreed she was definitely off last night. So I catch them up on what I said at the hospital.

“Oh, Mike,” Kate sighs, shaking her head. “No wonder she freaked out. I mean, you couldn’t know about Hailey, but by offering to help her, she probably internalized it as her being a bad mom. She couldn’t explain that to you, though, so she lashed out instead.”

I never even thought about that, but then again, I haven’t really thought about our argument at all since meeting Hailey. So I continue telling them about the beach and going back to the diner to be nice and what I found when I got there.

“So you knocked her up the night of the graduation party. Did the condom break?” Connor asks and I shrug because I honestly have no idea.

“That makes her…” Jess is ticking off months in her head.

“She turned two on Valentine’s Day,” I say proudly.

“Oh I love she was born on a day created for love,” April says, and of course, Jess and Kate agree whole heartedly.

“Alright, so right now Misty is at the hospital alone while her grandma is in ICU?” Kate asks, concerned.

“Yeah, I guess so. She doesn’t have any other family other than Hailey and her grandma.”

She jumps up, kisses me on the cheek and Daniel on the lips, and grabs her purse. “I’m going to the hospital. She shouldn’t be alone.”

Oh hell, I’m not sure if that is going to make things better or worse.
“Kate, maybe you shouldn’t.”

She shrugs. “Maybe not, but I’m going anyway. See you guys in a bit.”

“Your woman is something else.”

Daniel laughs. “Maybe, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

“Alright so what are you going to do now? It’s obvious you and Misty need to have a serious heart to heart.” Lucas starts to wake up and April bounces him back to sleep like a pro while waiting for my answer. Poor Jake. The look in his eyes right now as he watches her, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if her birth control and the condoms got lost on the honeymoon.

“I’m fucking pissed and I don’t know how to talk to her without saying things that can’t be taken back. But then again, why should I even care if I can’t,
she
did this, not me.” The room gets so silent you can hear a pin drop. “What? Come on just say it.” They all have something they’d obviously like to get off their chests.

“Look, Mike,” Daniel starts looking around for support, “I’m not condoning what she did because if she wanted to she could have easily found you. It’s not like she didn’t know where you lived.”

“Exactly!” Maybe they
are
on my side.

“But,” Connor cuts in, “Dude, you totally blew her off. Which is cool with random hook ups that try and lurk later, but she was your friend. Like your best friend you had made of the opposite sex since you left home. I’m sure she was pissed off at you, at herself for being stupid because she knew you were a manwhore, and probably figured you’d tell her to get an abortion.”

“I’d never…”

“But she didn’t know that, did she, Mike?” Jess asks, but she’s not taking sides, more like stating the obvious.

“No, she probably couldn’t have. But that still doesn’t excuse what she did.”

Jake snorts and I know I’m about to get it from him. “Can we all be honest for just a fucking second here? Look, Mike, I’m not trying to be a dick here, but come on. We
all
kind of expected this to happen sooner or later. You were with at least three girls a week for over three years and
that's
being conservative in the numbers.” Jess gasps and I shrug sheepishly. “That's over five hundred girls, again on the conservative side here. Not every condom is effective and not every girl is on the pill as back up. What surprises me the most is you were lucky enough that it only happened once and it was with a girl you’re head over heels in love with now.”

Fuck him for being sensible while I’m pissed off like a motherfucker.

“Mike,” April says sweetly, “this royally sucks, we all agree with that. But if Misty had come to you then, with how deep in love you still were with Kate, would it have changed your outlook on things? Be honest because there’s no wrong answer here. Would you have let Kate go and embraced Misty and the baby? Would it have pushed you back to Kate sooner or would it have made you feel like you could never go back?”

Well hell. Well played, social worker. Well played.

They’re all looking at me, waiting for my reply. “I would have accepted the baby but not Misty. And I would have never even tried to make amends with Kate. And because I would have felt like I lost Kate
because
of Misty I most likely would hate my little girl’s mom, and I would’ve never been able to forgive her.”

Fuck.

“Mike,” Now’s it’s Connor’s turn. Do I get wisdom or sarcasm? “I know it’s cliché, but everything happens for a reason. You and Misty need to work past this. We’ve watched you waste over three years denying your feelings for Kate and in that time you managed to push your feelings for Misty away, too. You’re going to want to see Hailey as much as possible and that means seeing Misty. Do you really want to spend another four years being in love and angry only to realize you want her in your life after all?”

Jess hugs Connor and crawls into his lap.

“I missed two years of her life. How do I forgive her for that?”

“Well, for starters, you take it from the man who recently realized that being unforgiving still doesn’t change the past and that I’m a much better person with her than I am without her. And then you think to yourself that you weren’t the best version of you back then and you might not have been the best dad you could’ve been because of it. Hailey would have picked up on all that anger and resentment and that wouldn’t have been good for her. Last but not least, you make a vow never to miss another day, because you can’t change the past… but you can pave the road to the future with good intentions.”

I bust out laughing because that’s something Rick always says and we’ve all been told a time or two about our future and good intentions. I’m not sure I ever thought I’d hear Daniel quote his dad, but at least they’re laughing with me and not at me.

“You guys made some really good points. I hear you loud and clear. Misty didn’t do this alone, I was an ass who wasn’t ready.”
“Exactly,” Jake says and then looks down at Hailey. “Besides, that little girl is happy and seems pretty well adjusted. Not to mention cute as all hell. Misty is a single mom, going to school, and working a part time job. Give credit where it’s due, man, she’s doing one hell of a job.”

She’s doing an amazing job.

Kate

I hate hospitals, especially this one. We lost Grant and Vanessa here. But it doesn’t matter how much I hate them, no one should be here alone. On the way over, I stopped by Starbucks and got two lattes with sugar on the side. I really don’t know anything about Misty but Mike did make a comment one day about how much milk she puts in her coffee so I figured a latte would work.

In any case, Misty is family now and family sticks together. She’s got to be worried and bored, or just completely stressed out. You can only visit in the ICU ten to twenty minutes every hour and the rest of the time is just a waiting game. As I set down the coffee and my purse, Misty comes out. Looks like I have great timing.

She’s been crying and I pull her into a hug. At first she resists because I’m sure she probably doesn’t like me very much being Mike’s ex and the reason she lost out on him all those years ago, but we’re going to fix that. Finally, she gives into the hug and let’s go. This poor girl. I seriously don’t know how she’s done this alone for so long. When she pulls back, I pass her the tissues and take a seat. After she wipes her face and blows her nose, I pass her the coffee I brought her, and the sugar.