Page 58 of Falling for the Unexpected

Chapter 15

Simone

I watched Stella play with her grandparents. It was obvious Brad was going to miss another visitation. Everyone was having fun, but I was missing Kyle. He must have been missing me too because I heard a text come through on my phone.

Kyle:Hey! How’s everything?

Me:Everything’s fine. Brad bailed on visitation.

Kyle:I’m sorry.

Me:I don’t care but it makes me sad for Stella.

Kyle:How long are you going to stay?

Me:We’re having lunch with them so probably till 1. Do you want to meet at the apartment?

Kyle:Sure!

Me:Ok I’ll see you then.

I ended that text with a kissing emoji and immediately questioned whether I should have done that. After watching him with Stella this morning and knowing how he always tried to take care of me, I knew without a doubt that I was falling in love with him. However, I had no idea where he was mentally with everything and I was afraid of pushing him too quickly when it’d been my idea to take things slow. We were definitely on the fast track in our relationship, but, somehow, it didn’t feel like it was happening fast at all. It felt like a long time in the making.

I knew a relationship with me was a big undertaking, so he had to be into me at least a little to continue dating me with Stella as part of the deal. But I was all in and I wanted him to be as well.

Kyle:Is that emoji a promise of things I have to look forward to tonight? I sure hope so.

Well, thank goodness it didn’t freak him out. I tried not to react and make Marla or Jim curious.

Me:Maybe. : )

We left Jim and Marla’s after lunch. The plan was to put Stella down for a nap and then I could spend a few minutes getting ready before Kyle came over.

I got Stella out of the car and was climbing the steps to my apartment when I saw a man sitting next to my door. I stopped my ascent until I realized it was Brad sitting there. His clothes hung on him and it was evident he’d lost weight. Actually, he looked like he hadn’t showered for a couple days, either, and he had dark circles under his eyes. For a split second, I felt sorry for him, but then I felt a burning rage start to build up inside of me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, the anger in my voice clear as day.

He jumped up and I realized he hadn’t even noticed us coming up the stairs.

“Uh… hey.” He stood there awkwardly, nervous. Brad was never nervous. He eyed Stella when I put her down and she just stared up at him with no recognition of her own father. She tucked in close, hugging my left leg. I put my hand on top of her head, smoothing down her hair and letting the motion calm her, and me.

“Well?” I demanded, hand on my hip.

“I wanted to come and talk to you and to see Stella,” he said, quickly adding the part about Stella.

I glared at him, seething. “That’s why I was at your parents’ house earlier today. You aren’t supposed to be here.”

The Brad I knew emerged. He rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Simone, don’t be a bitch.”

“I’m being a bitch?” I yelled. I took a moment to calm down. This wasn’t any way for me to act with Stella watching me. “I haven’t heard from you in months and I’m just supposed to be nice to you when you decide to drop by?” I asked, quieter but no less angry.

“I’m sorry,” he said, not sounding apologetic at all. “Can we just talk for a couple minutes? Please.”

As infuriated as I was by his sudden appearance, I also needed to get Stella inside. I just wanted him gone. “Fine, I need to put Stella down for a nap. We can talk as soon as I’m done.” I opened the door, walked through, and waited for him to close the door behind us.

I put the diaper bag down next to the door and then walked Stella into her room. As expected, Brad made no effort to interact with his daughter, which ticked me off even more. My girl deserved to have a father who loved her more than anything.

Someone like Kyle. A man who took time out to play with her, read her a story, or just talk to her even if her vocabulary wasn’t stellar yet. A man who woke up in the middle of the night to calm her down when she was teething and then stayed with her so she felt safe and comforted. Why couldn’t the man with a biological connection to her do the same?