She looks away briefly.
Confirmation!
It guts me. And the fact that I’m hurting makes me hate myself. Why did I let anybody have this much power over me? “You know what? Forget the two weeks. No need to come in. Pack your stuff and get out now. I don’t let traitors work at the firm.”
She stares at me like she’s the injured party. Somehow that makes me want to go hold her, which is bullshit. She’s the one who brought this on herself and me.
“Emmett—”
“My lawyer will be in touch about the baby,” I spit out through the bitter lump lodged in my throat. I don’t want to hear what she has to say. She’s forcing me to turn into my father—a father who won’t be married to his baby’s mother or do any of the things a father should do except provide money.
She clicks her mouth shut. Exhaling a barely audible sigh, she turns around and walks out, closing the door firmly, leaving me behind.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Amy
“Hey, girl, were you out sick?” Sasha calls out as she walks in at ten p.m. Since she’s been busy for weeks, coming home later than me or not at all, Grant must’ve told her to leave early and catch up on some sleep, like he did before.
“No,” I say from the kitchen. The microwave dings, and I pull a mug of hot chocolate out. “You want some?”
She looks me up and down, taking in my T-shirt and shorts. “What happened?”
“That.” I gesture at the box I left on the table. It’s open, my stuff from the office clearly visible inside.
She stares at it, her jaw going slack, then swings back to face me. “Did Emmett fire you?”
“No. It’s complicated.” I want to cry, but also don’t want to. My life is already a mess; no need to make my face match.
“Let’s sit down, and you tell me everything.”
Sasha wraps her arm around me and leads me to the couch. I follow, holding on to the hot chocolate. I’ve already gone through a box of caramel truffles, but I need more comfort.
“What happened?” she asks once we’re seated. “I thought things were okay between the two of you.”
“We were okay, and then we weren’t.”
I sip the hot chocolate to give myself time to gather my thoughts. Right now, all my emotions—including ones I didn’t know I was capable of—are having a no-holds-barred battle royale.
“I turned in my resignation,” I say. “And he didn’t take it well.”
Sasha blinks, then her gaze flickers to my belly. “I thought you weren’t going to quit because of the baby. Didn’t you and Emmett decide to raise it together?”
“Yeah, but…not anymore.” I sniffle.
“That asshole!”
I shake my head. “It was my decision.” And the right one, too.
She looks stunned. “How come?”
“It’s really complicated…” I sigh, hating the way Emmett made me feel this morning—like I backstabbed him. “Please don’t share this with anybody because it’s private, and I don’t know if Emmett or Grant wants this to be public.”
She makes an of-course-not gesture.
I tell her about the birthday party. The awkwardness and discomfort plaguing me. Seeing a child there. His father’s buoyant reaction to my pregnancy. And the realization that having fun at a party like that is something my irresponsible I-only-care-about-me mother would love.
“Given how well Emmett seemed to fit in, I can’t help but wonder if there are aspects of him that I don’t know about. Ones that would make him a terrible partner and father to my baby.” My voice cracks.