Blackjack

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Alex’s POV

I wake up to the sound of the doorbell. I look over at the clock, its 8:30am. Who could that be I ask myself? Getting up I throw on my blue plaid pajama bottoms and stroll down the hall to the front door. Pistol in hand I look through the peephole in the door to see Hayley standing there. I set my gun down on the desk behind me and open the door.

“Hi Alex” she says nervously

“Hey Hayley…what are you doing here?”

“I think we need to talk” she says

I show her into the kitchen and motion for her to sit at the table. I sit down across from her just staring at her. She still as beautiful as the day she left. Trying to break the awkward silence I ask “so how have you been?”

“I’ve been good and yourself?” she replies

“Same old stuff I always did, I’m the same person I was 10 years ago just older now” I say laughing a little. I get a small smile out of her and it brings butterflies to my stomach. The faint cries of a baby bring us both out of out daze we are in. I shocked look on Hayley’s face tells me she hasn’t heard about my son.

“I’m sorry Alex, maybe I shouldn’t have come. I don’t want to disturb you Sunday with your family.”

“Hayley it’s fine your not disturbing anything, give me a minute and I’ll be right back.” I say getting up from the table. I walk down the hall to Liam’s room and pick him up from his crib. After changing his diaper I head back to the kitchen to make a bottle and sit back down with Hayley.

“You have a son, he’s beautiful.” She says smiling at us.

“Thank you” I smile back.

“I should go I don’t want to make your wife or girlfriend or whatever feel uncomfortable” she stumbles her words clearly feeling uncomfortable at the thought of there being a woman in the house.

“Hayley, sit back down” I say gently. “There’s nobody else here.”

“Oh..ok” she says nervously

“This is Liam, he is 2 months old but I just brought him home from the hospital last week. His mother was doing drugs when she was pregnant with him and I didn’t find out until too far in. After I caught her I made her move back in here with me and told her she would stay under supervision until he was born and give up her rights or I would have her arrested for fetal abuse and she would spend the last month of pregnancy in prison and I would get custody when he was born. She elected to stay and give up her rights willingly.”

“Wow Alex I’m sorry that you and Liam both have had to go through that.” She says with a sad look on her face.

“Thanks I appreciate that but he’s healthy now” I say with a small smile which she returns.

“So what brings you here bright and early this morning?”

Hayleys POV

I let out a big sigh trying to figure out the best way to talk to him about everything.

“I’m sorry about Miranda yesterday” I say looking down at my hands, too nervous to make eye contact.

“It’s ok” he says letting out a low chuckle “though she left me very confused I have no idea what she was talking about.

“I called you after I left”

“You did?” he asks

“Yea I called you many times, until one day I called and you had either changed your number or blocked mine.”

“I’ve had the same number all these years.” He says

I look up at him confused. “So you blocked my number then?”

“What? NO I would never” he trails off

“After figuring out I couldn’t get a hold of you by phone I wrote letters, a lot of letters. Did you ever open them?

“I never got any letters Hayley, if I had known you were trying to get in touch with me I would have returned a call or a letter I swear.”

“I sent you 13 letters and you never got any?” I question

“I swear I’ve never seen a letter from you, what were they about?’

“At first they were just about how much I missed you……then I sent you a letter telling you that I was pregnant. I waited a hoped for a phone call or a letter back but never got one. I wrote you a letter every month of my pregnancy updating you on how things were going that the bay was healthy and how much I wished to see you. How much I wished for you to be a part of her life. The last letter I sent was the day I brought her home from the hospital I told you all about her and included a bunch of pictures. When I never heard from you after that final letter, I just assumed you wanted nothing to do with her.” I decided I would just let it all out. Tears are forming in my eyes as I wait for a response. He looks completely shocked.

“My mother….” He says with a very angry face.

“What?” I ask

“I bet my mother intercepted the letters and blocked you number, so I wouldn’t leave California.”

“Well that seems a little much to keep you from your child just so you would stay here.”

“Yea but my mother would pull something like that.”

I can see the hurt and anger in his face. We sit there in silence for a bit, I decide it was best to give him the silence and let him calm down.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” He finally says

“It’s ok, at least now I know it isn’t because you didn’t want to be.”

“Will you tell me about her?”

I smile looking at his genuine interest in learning about his daughter.

“Her name is Addie, Addison Grace. She’s 9 and she looks just like you” I say with a smile on my face. I can see the joy in his smile. I continue to tell him all about our daughter, before I know it we had been talking for 2 hours.

“I better get going I have to get back to Addie” I say looking at the clock

“Of course, I’m sorry I kept you so long. I’d really like to meet her.” He says with a hopeful look on his face.

“You will” I say before walking out the door.