“Did you think she’d just bubble over with joy that she was going to be living in two different places, one with a woman who popped into her life only a few months ago? A woman who used her money to make the court system disrupt her life?”
Laney tried to shield herself against the blows. “I don’t know what I expected.”
“I’ll tell you what you expected.” His voice was gravelly, its control only accenting the emotion that lurked beneath the surface. “You expected me to be such a lousy father that Amy would jump at the chance to have some real parenting for a change.”
“I didn’t think that,” she said, finally aware that Wes was probably much more capable than she was.
He sighed and tossed the damp rag on the counter. “You told me a few weeks ago that your father wasn’t equipped to raise a little girl. You thought I was—no, you thought all men were just like your father, that we couldn’t feel and love and hurt. You thought a little girl couldn’t really be happy being raised by a man because you were so miserable as a child. That’s the whole reason for the lawsuit.”
Laney swallowed back a new well of tears. “Wes, that’s not true.”
His eyes were brightening with his angry indictments, and he straightened and stepped tauntingly closer. “And since you were so miserable, you came back here determined to force everyone to make it up to you. You thought you could do it by taking Amy and manipulating her to be with you, so you could change things and make them right. You thought—”
“I thought wrong!” she exclaimed in a stage whisper. Her body wavered with the strength of her defenses, and she brought her glistening eyes to Wes’s. “I was wrong. It can’t really work that way.”
For the first time since she’d walked in, Wes’s mind went blank. For the love of God, he hadn’t expected her to admit it. Was she giving up and going on her way, just like that? “You admit it?”
“Yes,” she replied, closing her eyes against the tears. “I admit it. I admit it.”
The defeated way she uttered the words reminded him of a wounded child cowering and pleading not to be hurt anymore. Suddenly he felt very small.
He stood looking down at her pained face, damming the surge of sympathy that rose inside him.
“Then … you don’t plan to see her anymore?” he ventured. “You’re giving up on this?”
Her chin came up, and she shook her head. “No, Wes. I’m not giving up. But I need your help.”
“ My help?” he asked, astounded.
“Yes,” she said. “I need some ideas. Some support. You know Amy better than I do. What will make her open up? What will get through to her?”
He sank down onto the couch with a dry, mirthless laugh and stared incredulously at her. “You’re kidding. You’re really asking me to help you take her away from me?”
“That’s not what I’m doing! I’m her mother, Wes, and the court said that we had a right to get to know each other. I’m asking you to make it easier for her! Have I asked for anything unreasonable? All I want is to keep her while you’re at work, instead of some baby-sitter who doesn’t have any stake in this. I want to take her shopping and fix her hair and teach her to cook … I want to give her the things that Patrice can’t give her anymore. All I’m asking is for you, as her father, to help.” “She doesn’t want to be with you, Laney. I can’t force her to want that.”
“She liked me before she knew who I was,” Laney pointed out. “It’s not me she hates. It’s that feeling that I’m going to take her away from you. Maybe if you came, too, when I have her for the weekend, she wouldn’t feel like we were enemies. She’d feel more secure.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re out of your mind. You take me to court and force me to share my daughter with you, and then you ask me to come along and give you moral support while you play mom with her?”
“Don’t you
Laney tried to shield herself against the blows. “I don’t know what I expected.”
“I’ll tell you what you expected.” His voice was gravelly, its control only accenting the emotion that lurked beneath the surface. “You expected me to be such a lousy father that Amy would jump at the chance to have some real parenting for a change.”
“I didn’t think that,” she said, finally aware that Wes was probably much more capable than she was.
He sighed and tossed the damp rag on the counter. “You told me a few weeks ago that your father wasn’t equipped to raise a little girl. You thought I was—no, you thought all men were just like your father, that we couldn’t feel and love and hurt. You thought a little girl couldn’t really be happy being raised by a man because you were so miserable as a child. That’s the whole reason for the lawsuit.”
Laney swallowed back a new well of tears. “Wes, that’s not true.”
His eyes were brightening with his angry indictments, and he straightened and stepped tauntingly closer. “And since you were so miserable, you came back here determined to force everyone to make it up to you. You thought you could do it by taking Amy and manipulating her to be with you, so you could change things and make them right. You thought—”
“I thought wrong!” she exclaimed in a stage whisper. Her body wavered with the strength of her defenses, and she brought her glistening eyes to Wes’s. “I was wrong. It can’t really work that way.”
For the first time since she’d walked in, Wes’s mind went blank. For the love of God, he hadn’t expected her to admit it. Was she giving up and going on her way, just like that? “You admit it?”
“Yes,” she replied, closing her eyes against the tears. “I admit it. I admit it.”
The defeated way she uttered the words reminded him of a wounded child cowering and pleading not to be hurt anymore. Suddenly he felt very small.
He stood looking down at her pained face, damming the surge of sympathy that rose inside him.
“Then … you don’t plan to see her anymore?” he ventured. “You’re giving up on this?”
Her chin came up, and she shook her head. “No, Wes. I’m not giving up. But I need your help.”
“ My help?” he asked, astounded.
“Yes,” she said. “I need some ideas. Some support. You know Amy better than I do. What will make her open up? What will get through to her?”
He sank down onto the couch with a dry, mirthless laugh and stared incredulously at her. “You’re kidding. You’re really asking me to help you take her away from me?”
“That’s not what I’m doing! I’m her mother, Wes, and the court said that we had a right to get to know each other. I’m asking you to make it easier for her! Have I asked for anything unreasonable? All I want is to keep her while you’re at work, instead of some baby-sitter who doesn’t have any stake in this. I want to take her shopping and fix her hair and teach her to cook … I want to give her the things that Patrice can’t give her anymore. All I’m asking is for you, as her father, to help.” “She doesn’t want to be with you, Laney. I can’t force her to want that.”
“She liked me before she knew who I was,” Laney pointed out. “It’s not me she hates. It’s that feeling that I’m going to take her away from you. Maybe if you came, too, when I have her for the weekend, she wouldn’t feel like we were enemies. She’d feel more secure.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re out of your mind. You take me to court and force me to share my daughter with you, and then you ask me to come along and give you moral support while you play mom with her?”
“Don’t you
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