Page 137 of Payoff Pitch
“The urologist?”
I nod.
“Is something wro—” And then it hits her. “You’re finding out if you can have your vasectomy reversed, aren’t you?”
I blow out a long breath. “I am.”
“Assuming this is for Bailey?”
“It is.”
“I thought maybe you two started back up again but wasn’t sure.”
I shake my head. “We’re not together. It’s…physical.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
“Trust me, it’s purely physical this time. She won’t allow anything beyond that.”
“Allow?”
“Without going into much detail, let’s just say she doesn’t…stick around afterward.”
Fallon smiles. Widely.
“What are you smiling at? I thought you’d be pissed.”
“It’s your life, Tanner. I just think it’s funny that sweet, innocent Bailey Hart has you so fucking wrapped around her little finger that you’re considering this. She’s got you panting like a dog. Fuck, I respect her for it.”
My mouth opens in shock. “This conversation isn’t going how I thought.”
She shrugs with a bit of indifference. “What do you want me to do? Carry on like a crazy ex-wife trying to hold on? Divorce sucks. I don’t have the mental energy for ours to be anything less than the amicable way it’s always been. It’s not like I spent my life imagining myself as a middle-aged lonely divorcée, but here I am, living and breathing it every day.”
“You’re not middle-aged. I’m fucking middle-aged. That’s why I didn’t want any more kids.”
“I call bullshit. You got that vasectomy in your thirties, about five seconds after we split. It was an emotional, knee-jerk reaction to the way our marriage ended and what I did to you. You decided to never let a woman in again and that was your way of ensuring it wouldn’t happen. In comes Bailey Hart, slowly cracking the hard shell you built around that heart of yours. You fell for each other, but you always had your foot out the door. You were so wrong not to tell her from the beginning. It took a year, but you’re finally realizing that you might just want more than a life sitting home alone with your precious bottle of whiskey.”
I’m silent as I consider her words.
“Why are you even telling me this? It’s not my business anymore.”
“Because you're Harper’s mother. It impacts her, so it impacts you. And, I don’t know, it just seems like the right thing to do. Your opinion matters to me.”
“Well, if I’m being honest, my preference would have been for us to stay together as a family. I didn’t cheat on you because I fell out of love with you. I cheated because I was lonely in our marriage and had a terrible moment of weakness. You’ve changed since then. Your priorities have changed. I’m happy you’re growing as a person. I wish it happened about six years ago, but it didn’t. That being said, if I had to pick a stepmother for our daughter, it’s not like anyone better exists.”
“Hmm.”
She twists her mouth. “Obviously, if you go public, people will have opinions. You’re kind of a cliché for banging the much younger nanny, but that’s your bed to sleep in, not mine.”
I can’t help but let out a laugh. This isn’t the reaction I expected at all.
“What does Bailey think about all this?” she asks.
“I haven’t discussed it with her. I don’t want to do so until I get my results. If it can’t be reversed, I won’t put her through the heartbreak. And…she’s changed. She’s colder toward me. I’m not even sure she wants us anymore, but I’m not having that conversation until I find out if I can give her what she needs. I can only hope she still wants me.”
Fallon rolls her eyes. “Just when I thought I couldn’t respect her anymore, she’s got you feeling like an insecure schoolgirl. I think I’m in love with her too.”
I chuckle. “I think we have the weirdest divorce ever.”