Never Let Me Go by Jasmine Carolina Page A

hearing his story and how it’d gotten that way made me admire him even more than before.
    “So how is your relationship with Sam now?” I asked slowly.
    I was curious. I couldn’t imagine being able to move past something like that, so I wanted to know how he’d eventually handled everything.
    “Oh, that’s the real kicker,” Hayden groaned. “At Skylar’s first birthday party, she shows up with some tool, telling me that he’s The One, and she’s pregnant. I wanted to rip her apart limb from limb, because, what the Hell? She’d left me and left our daughter because she wasn’t ready to be a parent, and she’s already pregnant by our daughter’s first birthday? It was sickening to me. We argued, and she told me that she wanted to take Sky from me—she was going to fight for custody, and her fiancé, Patrick Baumann, wants to adopt my daughter. I told her she wasn’t allowed to take my daughter just because now it was convenient for her, and that however hard she fought, I’d fight ten times harder.” He paused. “Seven months later she gave birth to her daughter Kynlee, and she married the tool. Sky still only sees Samantha twice a week, and she’s never once asked why Kynlee gets to live with Mommy and she doesn’t, but that day is going to come, and it’s going to break my fucking heart.”
    I felt tears form in my own eyes then. I knew what it felt like to be abandoned by a parent, and I hated that once Skylar understood everything that happened, she’d know what it felt like too. I had strong feelings toward the little girl I didn’t even know yet, because I knew exactly what her life was like.
    “Hey,” I said, running my hand along the bones of his jaw and then smoothing it over his hair. “Skylar’s going to be just fine, because you love her more than anyone ever will. When that day comes, you can just tell her that she’s lucky, because she has two families instead of just one—that’s twice the love.”
    Hayden grinned, looking down at me. “Yeah, I guess that works. Eventually I’ll have to explain it to her. I just don’t want her to grow up and resent her mother.” He sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, what Sam did to me—and most importantly to Sky—was horrible and nasty and nearly unforgivable. But she’s a great person, and she’s a great mom. I don’t want my daughter to someday resent her mom for not knowing how to be one when she needed to.”
    I nodded. I was still emotionally reeling from Hayden’s story. I could feel his heart racing beneath my ear. My arms circled his waist, holding him. The feeling of having him as close to me as possible was overwhelming. “Sounds like Samantha did quite a number on you. And you haven’t even dated anyone since you dated her?”
    Hayden sighed. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.” He paused, twirling my hair between his fingers. “It wasn’t like that on purpose, honestly. When Sam first left, I had my daughter to raise. Then I had to work to be able to raise my daughter. I made excuses…like I didn’t have time to date because I only had room for one girl in my life.” He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, raising it so that I was forced to look at him. “But the truth is, Michele, I’ve never wanted to make time for another girl besides my daughter…not until you came along.”
    Heat rose in my cheeks and I closed my eyes as my heart began to race. His words touched me in such a way that I didn’t really know what to say in response.
    “Me?” I was shocked.
    He nodded, his smile bringing his face to life. “Yes, you.” He held me in place with a hypnotic gaze from his amber eyes. “You’re special. God, you’re amazing. To have been through all you’ve been through and you’re still here, in a new town and taking a chance on a new guy, so soon after having your heart broken…that’s awe-inspiring.”
    I shrugged with nonchalance. I didn’t feel special, or amazing, or even aw-inspiring. I