Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-nine

TRISTAN

That night, I drove around with no destination in mind, my thoughts a whirlwind.

The shock of finding out Riley had a child was one thing, but when she told me the child was mine, I felt like I’d been sucker-punched.

I was a dad. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

~I’m a father.~

I’d never imagined myself in this role. I wiped away a tear and slammed on the brakes, raking my fingers through my hair in a mix of pain and frustration.

I’d put Riley through hell with my immature decisions.

She was right. I should have been honest with her from the start.

I’d screwed up, big time. And the thought of her raising our child alone was too much to bear.

I should have been there, every step of the way. I should have taken care of my girl.

~Damn it!~

~She should have told me.~

~She’s at fault, too.~

Now, I was angry that Riley had kept me from four years of my daughter’s life.

Yes, I’d messed up, but she had no right to keep this from me.

I was determined to win back my girl and my daughter, and I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I’d already lost so much time, and I wasn’t going to wait any longer. I took a deep breath, started the car, and began planning my next move.

***

“You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you?” I called out, spotting Riley at the hotel’s front desk the next morning.

I knew she’d try to slip away as soon as she could.

~I’m smarter than her.~

She jumped at the sound of my voice and spun around to find me smirking at her.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, stepping closer.

I raised an eyebrow. “We have a baby to talk about, darling. Were you really planning on ditching me after dropping that bombshell?”

“You can get a DNA test if you want. I’m not lying, Tristan. You hurt me in the worst way possible, no matter what your reasons were.”

She glared at me. “I can’t just forgive you for that. God, I hate you so much, asshole.”

She was fired up, and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling.

~She’s still so damn cute when she’s mad.~

“We both know that’s not true, babycakes. And I believe you. I don’t need a DNA test.” I locked eyes with her and closed the distance between us.

Riley stepped back, and I couldn’t help but grin, knowing I still affected her.

“Well, then you can meet your daughter whenever you want. We can discuss the rest when you visit her in Phoenix. I’m flying back today,” she said casually, then cleared her throat and returned to the front desk. I watched her in disbelief.

~That’s it?~

~What the fuck?~

“Are you kidding me?” I asked, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

“What do you want me to do, Tristan? Forgive you and get back together?” she snapped.

I shrugged. “Yeah, duh! I told you why I did what I did. You can’t still be mad at me. I went through hell too, Riley. Don’t make this one-sided.”

“You had no right, Tristan. I didn’t know what you were doing all those years, so I’m sorry if I can’t just believe that you still love me.”

“You’re one to talk,” I scoffed. “You had no right to keep our child from me.”

Her eyes widened. “I-I…I mean, you hurt me, Tristan. I didn’t know if you’d even remember me,” she stammered. I saw fear and panic in her eyes.

~Is she scared I’ll take our child away from her?~

“Stop assuming things, Riley. Of course I love you. It’s always been you. There’s no one else in my life. How could I ever forget you?”

I gently stroked her cheek, and she closed her eyes at my touch.

“I-I should go, Tristan. Don’t do this now.” A single tear slipped down her cheek, and I kissed it away.

“I’m coming with you,” I whispered against her skin. She pulled away immediately.

“What?”

“I’m coming to Phoenix to meet our daughter and to win you back. I want both my girls back,” I said firmly.

Riley blinked rapidly, trying to process my words.

“But your job—”

“Everything can wait.” I put a finger to her lips, and she shivered slightly at my touch.

But then she stepped back and cleared her throat.

“Uh...fine, but I’m heading to the airport now.”

“Okay. Let’s do this.” I winked at her.

She gave me a strange look. “You’re ready to leave now?”

“Yup. I booked my ticket last night.” I grinned, showing her my phone.

She looked surprised but didn’t say anything.

I’d packed my stuff the night before, and it was waiting in my car. I’d taken a week off work and told my sister I’d be out of town.

I was ready to go.

***

“What’s her name?” I asked Riley once we were settled in our seats on the plane.

I’d managed to get a ticket on the same flight and swapped seats with a kind elderly woman.

Now, I was eager to meet my daughter.

“Abby. Abby Adams.”

“Adams?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She glared at me.

“We might have to change that to Abby Harris-Adams,” I said firmly.

She shook her head. “No way.”

“Don’t put up a fight, sweetheart. You know I’ll likely come out on top.” I shot her a smirk, and she responded with an eye roll.

“By the way, that’s a beautiful name. Can I see more of her pictures?” I asked. She passed her phone to me, and I took my time, savoring each and every image.

~Wow, she’s a carbon copy of me, but with Riley’s eyes.~

“She’s so beautiful,” I murmured, fighting back the tears. It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that we had a child together.

It felt like a miracle. A part of me was convinced that everything happened for a reason. But it was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing I’d missed the early years of my daughter’s life.

I looked up to find Riley watching me, a familiar expression in her eyes. It was a look I could never forget, the way she used to gaze at me with such love and adoration.

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat and quickly averted her gaze.

“Just like you.” I reached for her hand. She tried to pull away, but I held on tight and she eventually gave in.

“You know, when Lucy returned that money, I wanted to rush back to you and spill the truth. I knew I’d hurt you, and I despised myself for it, but I convinced myself it was for the best.”

I paused to look at her. She was staring at our intertwined hands, so I continued, “I really did care about you, Riley. I know I had a twisted way of showing it, but believe me, there hasn’t been a day where you haven’t crossed my mind.”

I felt something wet on my fingers, which were still holding her hand.

Her eyes were closed, and tears were streaming down her beautiful face. I could see her lips trembling as she tried to hold back her sobs.

It took all my willpower to resist the urge to kiss her.

“You don’t have to say anything, but please don’t hate me, Adams,” I sighed, leaning my head back against my seat and closing my eyes.