an infection that has started, as well as some painkillers. Rest and more rest are his final words, and he leaves us alone.
“You mind telling me what is going on?” I snap. I probably don’t want to know whatever it is he has to tell me, but I need to hear it so we can get on with this investigation and get Brian off my back. “I said no doctor and I don’t appreciate your father being in my house without me even knowing about it. Now apparently there is something so big that you need to tell me it has put our investigation of Brian on hold.”
He looks at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
“I’m not sure you have ever been this mad at me.” He gapes. “All I want is for you to be safe. If that means going against your will at times then so be it. Luckily the doctor did come along since you have an infection already starting. And, Molly, if anyone is going to get to the bottom of this, it is my father. I hate it as much as you do, but he’s a powerful man with ties everywhere.”
I stare at him, unmoving. He knows what I want, but he’s dancing around it for some reason.
“Molly, I left home because something in my past was keeping me from being the man I wanted to be. It was ruining me, turning me into someone else,” he says, rubbing his hands together.
He moves and sits next to me on the couch, but doesn’t touch me yet.
“When you told me about losing your daughter, I felt a connection to you immediately. I didn’t tell you because you were hurting so much, so to tell you my story seemed silly at the time.”
“You know the darkest parts of my life and you’re still here, Tatum. There’s nothing you can say to me that’ll make me run now.”
“I know that now, Molly, but when we first met I was running away from everything and didn’t know who I could trust. I know now that my story may not be the happiest of stories, but it is my past and I have to live with it every day of my life.” He takes a breath then continues. “Molly, a few years ago I had a girlfriend. We weren’t serious and I had probably cheated on her a dozen times. I didn’t care. I was an asshole. I used protection every time, but somehow she ended up getting pregnant. I wasn’t ready to be a father when she told me. I was mad at her and couldn’t believe her until I saw the test done at the doctor’s office. The tiny heartbeat, Dammit. The tiniest of blips on the screen and I was hooked. That baby changed something in me. I was reading the books, buying the baby things before we even knew if it was a boy or girl. I couldn’t help myself. I was in love with a blip.”
Tatum pauses and takes a breath. His eyes are shining with unshed tears before he goes on.
“All I wanted was to spend my days with the baby. When he was born I cried. I cried harder than I had my entire adult life. I helped make this tiny miracle.”
Tears are welling in my eyes, threatening to spill over any minute. Tatum has a child. A life somewhere else that doesn’t involve me. As I feel my heart beginning to break, he goes on.
“His mother, though, didn’t want me. She was finished with me the minute she got pregnant, but since he was mine, I had every right that she did. Plus I was a fountain of money to her. Once he was born, she filed for full custody. He was about two weeks old when the papers were filed. She and I had a huge fight and she stormed out of my house. I’m not sure what happened next, all I remember were the cops showing up at my door. Apparently she was so angry she forgot to click the car seat into the car correctly and when she ran the red light next to my house, the car was hit on the baby’s sides. You can imagine what happened.”
I am crying now. He didn’t think this was a huge event!? This is something you tell someone. I don’t know what to say so I don’t say anything. I just hold onto his hand for dear life, knowing the story isn’t over.
“His mother was killed on contact. Apparently not
“You mind telling me what is going on?” I snap. I probably don’t want to know whatever it is he has to tell me, but I need to hear it so we can get on with this investigation and get Brian off my back. “I said no doctor and I don’t appreciate your father being in my house without me even knowing about it. Now apparently there is something so big that you need to tell me it has put our investigation of Brian on hold.”
He looks at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
“I’m not sure you have ever been this mad at me.” He gapes. “All I want is for you to be safe. If that means going against your will at times then so be it. Luckily the doctor did come along since you have an infection already starting. And, Molly, if anyone is going to get to the bottom of this, it is my father. I hate it as much as you do, but he’s a powerful man with ties everywhere.”
I stare at him, unmoving. He knows what I want, but he’s dancing around it for some reason.
“Molly, I left home because something in my past was keeping me from being the man I wanted to be. It was ruining me, turning me into someone else,” he says, rubbing his hands together.
He moves and sits next to me on the couch, but doesn’t touch me yet.
“When you told me about losing your daughter, I felt a connection to you immediately. I didn’t tell you because you were hurting so much, so to tell you my story seemed silly at the time.”
“You know the darkest parts of my life and you’re still here, Tatum. There’s nothing you can say to me that’ll make me run now.”
“I know that now, Molly, but when we first met I was running away from everything and didn’t know who I could trust. I know now that my story may not be the happiest of stories, but it is my past and I have to live with it every day of my life.” He takes a breath then continues. “Molly, a few years ago I had a girlfriend. We weren’t serious and I had probably cheated on her a dozen times. I didn’t care. I was an asshole. I used protection every time, but somehow she ended up getting pregnant. I wasn’t ready to be a father when she told me. I was mad at her and couldn’t believe her until I saw the test done at the doctor’s office. The tiny heartbeat, Dammit. The tiniest of blips on the screen and I was hooked. That baby changed something in me. I was reading the books, buying the baby things before we even knew if it was a boy or girl. I couldn’t help myself. I was in love with a blip.”
Tatum pauses and takes a breath. His eyes are shining with unshed tears before he goes on.
“All I wanted was to spend my days with the baby. When he was born I cried. I cried harder than I had my entire adult life. I helped make this tiny miracle.”
Tears are welling in my eyes, threatening to spill over any minute. Tatum has a child. A life somewhere else that doesn’t involve me. As I feel my heart beginning to break, he goes on.
“His mother, though, didn’t want me. She was finished with me the minute she got pregnant, but since he was mine, I had every right that she did. Plus I was a fountain of money to her. Once he was born, she filed for full custody. He was about two weeks old when the papers were filed. She and I had a huge fight and she stormed out of my house. I’m not sure what happened next, all I remember were the cops showing up at my door. Apparently she was so angry she forgot to click the car seat into the car correctly and when she ran the red light next to my house, the car was hit on the baby’s sides. You can imagine what happened.”
I am crying now. He didn’t think this was a huge event!? This is something you tell someone. I don’t know what to say so I don’t say anything. I just hold onto his hand for dear life, knowing the story isn’t over.
“His mother was killed on contact. Apparently not
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