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Suddenly, I wondered if her mom’s words would change things between us. What if Erica decided not to be with me after what her mom had said to her? She had been worried that I would push her away, but a relationship took two people, and what if she didn’t want to be with me anymore? It had taken me so long to open up to the idea that I was falling for her. If she left now, it would shatter me.
“I appreciate you trying to be there for me,” Erica said, interrupting my thoughts. “But could you please leave? I would rather be alone.”
I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to ask her why she was pushing me away, and if this meant it was the end. But I wasn’t going to be paranoid. So I nodded, kissed her on the cheek without trying to pull her against me, and I left her apartment. It was hard to leave when Erica looked so miserable, but I would respect her wishes.
It hurt to be kicked out. After she had told me that she was pregnant, I had told her I would be there for her, and I wanted to do what I had promised. But she needed space. It was a lot to deal with, and I understood that.
How could I help her?
I had an idea. I phoned Susan and asked her to find me Katherine Donovan’s number. Even though it was Sunday, Susan called me back with the number a short while later.
I called Katie.
“I need Cynthia Hudson’s address,” I said.
“What do you want her address for?” Katie asked suspiciously.
“Because I need to talk to her. You know what she’s like. She really did a number on Erica after she found out she was pregnant, and I want to talk to her.”
“Yeah, she told me she told her mom. You know going there will be your funeral, right?”
“I have to try. This can’t carry on. We have to make it work.”
“Yeah, okay,” Katie said. She gave me the address.
“Wish me luck,” I said.
Katie chuckled. “Luck? It would be better if I wished you sense.”
I ended the call and climbed into my car. I drove to the address Katie had given me.
Cynthia Hudson lived a short distance out of the city in a quaint little house with a neat garden. I parked in the driveway and climbed out. I took a deep breath and walked to the front door. When I knocked, Cynthia opened almost immediately.
“What do you want?” she asked when she saw me.
“I would like to talk to you,” I said.
“Give me one good reason why I should let you into my house after everything you did to my daughter.”
I thought about it for only a second. “Because whether you like it or not, I’m going to be a part of your daughter’s life.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and I expected her to shut the door in my face, but she opened it wider instead and stepped aside to let me in.
We sat in a clean, minimal living room. I sat on a love seat, and Cynthia was perched on the edge of an armchair opposite me. Her feet and knees were pressed together, her hands were folded in her lap, and she looked at me with dark, accusing eyes.
“I want to talk to you about your daughter,” I said.
“There’s nothing you can say to me that will redeem you in my eyes.”
“Please, just hear me out.”
Cynthia nodded curtly.
“Erica means more to me than you know. I love her. I don’t know if you saw or heard about the press release where I went public with my feelings for her.”
“I know all about public displays for the sake of moving your business forward.”
I shook my head. “This wasn’t a business move. In fact, I risked losing the company as a result.”
Cynthia narrowed her eyes at me. “But you didn’t. So, how do I know that you took that risk for Erica?”
I shrugged. “You’re right. You have no reason to believe me. From what I’ve heard, you’ve had a terrible experience with a man who broke all kinds of promises to you, and I understand how that could be scarring. No one should have to go through what you went through.”
Something flickered across Cynthia’s features, but it was too quick for me to catch, and her iron mask was back in place almost immediately.
“I’m here to tell you that I love Erica and I’m not going to ditch her. I’m not going to walk out of her life and force her to take on the obstacles of raising children alone. Her job and her future are secure with me. I’m not like Erica’s father. She can try to push me away, she was insistent on doing it on her own. The world can turn its back on me. But I’m not leaving her. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
