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“That day can’t come too soon,” I grumble.
“Agreed.” The long, pregnant pause tells me there’s more.
“Just spit it out, Jacob. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”
“He asked me to pass along a message. He’ll sign the divorce papers and whatever custody agreement you want if you let him see you and meet Peanut.”
“No,” Grayson says definitively.
“How do I know he won’t go back on his word?” I ask. Nausea sweeps through me at the thought of Chris interacting with Reina for even a moment, but if this could get him out of our lives for good…
“He said he’ll bring the signed divorce papers to the hospital as well as a signed agreement that he’ll accept whatever custody terms you set.”
Gray’s jaw is clenched so hard I’m worried he’ll crack a tooth, but I can see in his eyes that he knows we should do this.
I grip his hand. “Call Holt. We’ll talk to him about it first. If he says to do it, we will.”
My suggestion has Gray’s muscles relaxing. He grabs his phone off the charger and steps out of the room.
“Do you think I’m stupid for considering this?” I ask Jacob.
“You’re the furthest thing from stupid, sis. As much as I hate that fucker, I do think he genuinely feels bad for the way things went down. His desperation to get his life back on track took over, and he wasn’t thinking logically anymore. It doesn’t excuse what he did, but it’s an explanation.”
“The drug use puts a lot of things into perspective. What do I do about Mom?”
Jacob’s silent for a long moment. “You walk away. You move on with your life and leave her behind. After yesterday, there’s no reason to continue communicating with her. If anything, I owe you the biggest apology. I never stood up for you like I should have. It was easier not to, and there’s no excuse for remaining silent all these years, especially when it could’ve prevented this. She needs help, Ky. I’m going to do what I can to get her into therapy, but until she makes strides to do better, you have to walk away.”
I swallow hard. That’s the answer I both wanted and didn’t want to hear. “Yeah, I know.”
Gray comes back into the room. “Holt said we should do it. He asked to look at the papers first though, to ensure they’re right.”
I nod. “That would make me feel much better about accepting his proposal.”
“I’ll talk to Chris,” Jacob offers. “Tell him your counter, and if he accepts, I’ll tell him to go to the labor and delivery waiting room to meet with Holt.”
“Thanks, Jacob,” I say.
“Seriously. Thank you for handling all of this,” Gray adds.
“Happy to help. I can’t wait to meet the little Peanut.”
After we hang up with Jacob, time seems to go by in slow motion, yet the meeting time suddenly arrives before I’m ready. I’m just finishing feeding Reina when Gray tells me that all the paperwork Chris brought checks out. Holt took the originals and made copies of them to ensure Chris can’t renege on his deal.
And then Chris is striding into my hospital room behind Gray. His sheepish expression gives away his embarrassment about everything that’s happened. It reminds me of the man I married all those years ago.
“Hey,” he says with an awkward wave. The dark circles under his eyes are even more prominent now.
Grayson sits in the chair, keeping his stare locked on Chris while trying to give us a moment to say our piece.
I sit up, adjusting Reina so Chris can see her. “Chris, meet Reina.”
He stares at her for a long moment, unconsciously moving toward the bed with slow steps. There are tears in his eyes when he finally looks back at me. “She’s beautiful, Ky.”
Emotions clog my throat. “Yeah, she is.”
“Can I…” He shakes his head as if he doesn’t think he’s allowed to ask.
“Do you want to hold her?” It’s an olive branch to the man I once loved.
