Page 89 of A Little Twist
Fuck. This isn’t good.
We don’t speak on the drive home, and Jessica retires to her bedroom suite when we arrive. Cass takes my daughter upstairs, and I wait at Pinky’s bedroom door as she brushes her teeth, changes her into her nightgown, and tucks her into bed.
She hangs at the bedside a moment longer, singing that sad lullaby I’ve heard so many times.
I think my daughter is asleep, but when Cass starts to stand, chubby arms wrap around her neck. Cass hugs her back, and I hear Pinky whisper, “I love you, Mama Cass.”
“I love you, too, baby.” She kisses my daughter, and stands, turning to me.
I cross the room to kiss and hug my little girl. “Goodnight, Princess.”
“Night, Daddy.” She turns away, pulling Piglet to her chest, and I feel like a failure.
Cass is gone, and I hustle down the stairs to find she’s not in the kitchen. My throat tightens, and I charge into the garage and up the stairs to where I find her in her room, stacking her already-packed crates at the door.
“What’s going on?” My voice comes out sharper than I intend.
Lifting a crate, her shoulders drop as she looks up at me. “I have to go.”
I walk across the room and take the crate from her hands. “Where are you going?”
“Britt’s apartment in town is empty, so I’ll stay there for now.” She turns and picks up another crate.
I put the one I’m holding down and take the new one out of her hands, stacking it on top. “Why are you doing this?”
Her eyes flash at me. “Are you serious?”
Clearing my throat, I take a breath to calm my emotions. “I know Jessica’s appearance was sudden and unexpected, but it doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes everything!” Cass’s voice rises, but like me, she looks down, doing her best to calm it. “Jessica wants to know her daughter. Penelope needs to know her mom. None of that’s going to happen if Pinky’s constantly running to me the minute things get hard.”
“So you’re leaving us?”
“I talked to Pinky about it tonight at Aiden’s. I told her it was time for me to go. Patricia will be back in a week, and Jessica needs this time to get to know her daughter.”
My chest is tight, and I want to smash something. I want to yell this isn’t right. I didn’t ask for this.
Instead, I slide my hand over the ache in my stomach. “What about us?”
Her chin drops. “There is no us. Not really. It was all pretend, and now it’s time to stop pretending.”
I wasn’t pretending. Was she?
“I don’t want you to leave.” My voice is rough. “But if that’s how you feel, I won’t force you to stay.”
“This needs to happen, Alex.” Pleading blue eyes meet mine. “You know I’m right.”
“I don’t know that you’re right, but I respect your wishes.”
“Will you help me load my car?”
Reluctantly, I carry her suitcase to her waiting Subaru. She follows behind me with the crates just like the day she arrived. It feels so long ago. We’ve come so far. How can she say it was all pretend?
She hesitates before getting into her car, and I watch as she works the ring off her finger. “I should give this back to you now. I’ll tell everyone what happened, and I won’t let you be embarrassed.”
“Keep it.” Lifting my hand, I block her attempt to return the ring. “You can tell them what we agreed to say. I work too much, or I don’t give you what you need.”
“But—”