Sean

“Where’s your phone?” I asked Jess.

Things had been tense for the last couple of hours because of that early morning conversation I had wanted to avoid but hadn’t been able to.

I hated the idea that Jess would think I would do something to Misty, but even more I hated the fact that I knew I would. I’d meant it when I said that this couldn’t go on, and unlike Jess, I didn’t have faith in Misty. She wouldn’t easily see the error of her ways.

Which left me in what could have been an awful quandary, but the choice was easy. I wouldn’t allow anyone, not Jess, and certainly not Misty, to get between my son and me.

And if my hand was forced, I would do what I had to.

“I have it here. What do you need it for?” she asked.

“Time to call Misty,” I said.

“She won’t answer,” Jess said, sounding forlorn.

“She’ll answer,” I said as I took the phone.

It hurt me that even after all this she still had faith in Misty, that she couldn’t see her for exactly what she was. Maybe that would come with time. But for now, I knew exactly what Misty was, and I was going to use that to my advantage and get my son back.

I dialed the number that Jess had programmed into her phone and put the device on speaker, the sound of the ringing phone filling the room.

“Jess! What took you so long? This kid has been crying for hours!”

Misty sounded exasperated, but I didn’t give a fuck about that. Jake was upset, so I was too. One look at Jess confirmed that she was as well.

“This is Sean. Put Jake on the phone,” I said.

“Sean—”

“Put him on the phone, Misty,” I said, my voice firm.

“Hold on.”

I muted the phone and looked at Jess. “You okay?” I asked.

She nodded, though her expression was haunted.

“Help me make Jake feel better, okay? We’ll have him back by the afternoon,” I said.

She nodded again, and a moment later Misty came back to the phone. “Here he is.”

“Hello?”

Hearing my son’s small, watery voice was heartbreaking.

“Hey, buddy. It’s Daddy and Aunt Jess,” I said.

“Hey, Jake!” Jess said, sounding normal, happy.

“I want to come home,” he whispered.

“I know. And you will soon. Just be a good boy for Mommy, okay?” Jess said.

“Okay,” he responded, his voice sounding even smaller.

“Put Mommy back on the phone for me, buddy,” I said.

“Here you go,” he said, his voice muffled.

“What?” Misty said when she came back on the phone.

“Has he had breakfast yet?” Jess said, the hurt and worry from before becoming anger.

“Yes, Jessica,” she said, “I fed my son breakfast.”

“Good,” Jess replied, not taking Misty’s bait, though I could see the words hurt.

“Misty, what do you want?” I asked, deciding that we had lingered long enough.

“Sean,” she said, the smile in her voice something I could hear over the phone, “what makes you think I want something?”

“It’s that or would you rather have me believe that you suddenly developed a new interest in motherhood?” I asked.

“You say that like it’s impossible,” she shot back. “You found your own new interest in fatherhood.”

“I have,” I replied. “And that’s something that’s going to continue. So what do you want?”

It sounded like Misty pulled the phone away, and I heard what sounded like a muffled voice in the background.

Probably Walker, which I had expected.

I wanted to lash out, but first things first.

“Sean, I’ve had to do this alone for almost five years. You owe me,” she said.

“What do you want?” I asked, my patience completely exhausted but the need to keep my temper at bay more vital now than ever.

“I think a hundred grand is a good down payment on what you owe me,” she said. Though her voice brimmed with bravado, I could hear the uncertainty in her tone. She was wondering how I would react.

“Jake’s coming home today,” I said.

“We’ll see,” she replied.

“When?” I asked.

“Eleven thirty. At this address,” she said.

“I’ll be there. And Jake had better be too,” I said.

I hung up the phone and then laid it down on the table gently, though I wanted to smash it against the wall.

“I can’t fucking believe her!”

I looked over at Jess, concerned at the anguished twist in her voice.

“What, Jess?”

She looked at me, her eyes watering, her expression one of shock and surprise.

“A hundred thousand dollars!”

Her voice was twisted and filled with fury.

I moved quickly and grabbed both of her hands with mine.

“Don’t worry. The money’s not a problem,” I said.

“It’s not the money. It’s not the money…” she repeated.

“What then?” I asked.

She dropped her head and pulled one of her hands away to wipe her eyes.

“I can’t believe I was so stupid,” she said.

“When were you stupid?” I asked.

She looked up, her tears still present, but her eyes now fiery, brimming with anger.

“You tried to tell me what she was. I saw it, too. But I tried to believe that some of her was still there. I was wrong. The Misty I knew would never hurt her son over something as fleeting and stupid as money. I should have seen it earlier, protected Jake better. And I didn’t,” she said.

The tears were flowing freely now, her anguish tangible. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“Don’t do this to yourself, Jess. This isn’t your fault. The only person to blame for this is Misty.”

“You really believe that?” she asked, her voice a whisper now.

“Not only do I believe it, I know it’s true. You did more for her than you had to and more than she had the right to ask for. Don’t blame yourself because she’s too stupid to see it.”

She stayed silent, and I squeezed her. “Promise,” I said. When she said nothing, I squeezed her harder. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” she said.

I didn’t quite believe her, but I didn’t have time to push the issue.

“Good. Now let’s go get our son.”