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“He’s improved so much since you’ve been in his life.”
“Does he know it wasn’t my choice to stay away from him all those years?” I ask.
“He knows. But he doesn’t understand everything about it. I just told him I’d explain it to him when he’s older.”
“What matters is that you’re allowing him to be with me now. We still have a lot of years together,” I say. “But I do think he’s going to need some help to get through all this so he’s not stuck with childhood trauma that he has to sort through as an adult,” I say. “How would you feel about starting family therapy?”
Amanda nods. “That would be wonderful.”
“I’d be willing to pay for it, of course. And Amanda…”
“Yes?”
“If you need anything financially, medical bills, whatever, please let me know. Hayden is my son, and he lives half his life with you. I want him to be well provided for. So if you need help to come in and cook and help with Hayden, I’m more than happy to hire someone to provide that.”
And here I was, just a few short weeks ago, accusing her of being a gold digger. But this is different. This time I’m happy to provide the assistance. She hasn’t asked me for anything, and I realize now that I’ve misjudged her. If anything, she’s the opposite of a gold digger.
“Thank you, Langston. I’ll think about it, but I’ll most likely be taking you up on that offer. Money is very tight for us.”
The fact that she’s saying that has shown that she’s grown since she first came here. Maybe she’s just realized that it’s too hard to do it on her own. Or she’s gotten a taste of what it’s been like to have me help out with Hayden, and now she’s realized that it’s a relief to have help once in a while. “Money doesn’t have to be tight for you. I owe you years of back child support. If I want my parental rights, I’m going to need to pay it to you.”
Amanda gasps. “I never expected anything like that from you.”
“I’m only doing what the court will dictate. This is coming straight from my lawyer. My paternity test came back positive, which we both knew would be the case.”
Amanda nods. “I feel bad about arguing with you about Hayden going to public school. He’s really struggling there. I’m happy to explore options about tutoring, if you’re willing to let me be a part of the process.”
“Of course. He’s your son too.”
Amanda looks like she’s just had a weight taken off her shoulders. “Thank you. I’d better get back inside and check on Hayden.”
“Sure.” I wave goodbye and put the car into reverse as she heads back into the house. Peace washes over me as I realize how much anger and hurt I’ve been holding onto. I roll down the passenger side window, and she turns to face me. “Amanda? I need to tell you this. I forgive you. I want things to be good between us. That will be best for Hayden.”
A grateful smile crosses her lips, and she raises a hand to wave at me as I continue to back out of the driveway.
19
JENNI
The doorbell rings, and as I open it, the first thing I see is a blur of brown dashing into the house.
“Oh, you brought Sausage. I’m surprised he can run that fast with such a huge belly. You’d think he’d get rug burn from it dragging on the ground.” I step on my tiptoes to kiss Langston.
“Mmm. I can get used to this.”
“I hope you don’t,” I say.
“What?” Langston furrows his brow.
“I hope this always feels fresh and new. Just like it does today.”
Langston smiles.
My heart flutters. “You don’t know what your smile does to me, do you?”
That makes his grin grow even wider. “No, tell me all about it.”
I trace a finger across his chest. “It makes me go weak at the knees, my breath catches in my throat, and my head starts to float.”