She sighed into the line, as if the last thing she wanted to do was talk about her behavior.
“I know this is none of my business, and I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I haven’t known Deacon very long, and he stays very…to himself? He doesn’t say much. He doesn’t communicate well. I can barely get an acknowledgment out of him sometimes.”
“Girl, you’re preaching to the choir…”
Okay, I was getting somewhere. “But…he broke down in tears in front of me.”
Silence.
“He told me about Derek, how much he loves him, how much he wants to see him. Divorces are messy and complicated, that’s a given. It takes time to sort everything out. But despite what Deacon has done to hurt you, he clearly loves your son so much.”
She was still quiet, as if she actually listened to what I said.
“I think a lot of women wished their exes wanted to spend time with their kids…”
She sighed loudly.
“It would mean a lot to him if he could talk to Derek…maybe see him.”
“Well, in case you didn’t notice, he moved across the country to get away from me, so I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“Deacon told me he’s doing important research that required him to be in Manhattan, so I don’t think he was actively trying to get away from you. Judging from the way he talks about Derek, the last thing he wants is to be away from him.”
She went quiet again.
“Can we work something out here, Valerie?”
“Why do you care?” she whispered. “You’re just his PA.”
“I care about all my clients. I think being reunited with his son would really make him happy.”
“Well, we live on opposite sides of the country, so he’s never going to be able to see his son often.”
“Well, what if you moved here?”
“Uh, no. I don’t want to be in the same city as that asshole.”
I felt offended at the insult, wanted to leap to his defense because he didn’t deserve the label. He was a great man, just misunderstood, and she was the one holding her kid hostage like this was a bank heist. “Well…can we do a video call?”
“I…I don’t know.”
How could she be so heartless?
“Deacon didn’t give me what I wanted for years. I don’t see why I should bend over backward to give him what he wants.”
“Setting up a video call is not bending over backward.” It was doing the bare minimum so her son could see his father. And Deacon wasn’t just some random guy who’d knocked her up. He was a brilliant, successful, strong man, the perfect role model for his boy.
“I’m just not ready to deal with him yet.”
This call had gone better than I’d expected, but I still felt like I hadn’t really accomplished anything. “I noticed that Deacon’s birthday is coming up…”
She didn’t say anything.
“It would make him really happy to see Derek. Maybe he could come to Manhattan for the weekend—”
“I’m not flying across the fucking country so my ex-husband can see his kid on his birthday.”
I knew Deacon hated leaving his son behind, but if this was how she spoke to other people, I knew he’d made the right decision. He shouldn’t be subjected to emotional abuse for the rest of his life just to see his kid. “That’s where I come in. I can fly out there, pick up Derek, bring him here. Then I’ll escort him back.” No, I didn’t want to spend my free time commuting across the country, but I knew this would make Deacon happier than he’d ever been.
“Lady, I don’t even know you.”
“Then look me up. My clients are investors on Wall Street, actors and actresses, tech billionaires…all the people you see in the news are my clients. You can trust me with your son. We can set up a virtual meeting if you want to get to know me better. I’m totally fine with that. But I assure you, I’m the most responsible and resourceful person on the planet.”
She was quiet.
“You don’t need to make a decision right now. But if you could just think about it, I’d appreciate it.”
Still nothing.
“You still love Deacon?” I asked bluntly.
The energy changed over the phone, like she was surprised by the question. “That man is the love of my life.”
Those words were knives in my ear canal. The possessiveness in her tone sickened me, made me want to punch her in the face. How could she say something like that but hold her son hostage? That wasn’t love. That was something else. “If your goal is to reconcile with him, this is not the way to do it. The one thing you have in common is your son. You should use that to your advantage.”
“Maybe,” she whispered. “I just… It’s hard for me.”
A woman didn’t trick a man into knocking her up if she loved him. A woman didn’t keep her son away from his father if she loved him. A woman didn’t force a man to be with her when he said he would never love her.