I hung the bra by one strap off my index finger and presented it to her. “Dining room,” I muttered.

She gave me a tiny smile as she finished dressing. I walked her to the front door, and we stood awkwardly looking at each other. “Blaire, come here, sweetheart,” I said softly, and she fell into my arms. I held her tightly, not wanting to let her go but knowing I needed to. I just needed to trust that she would come back to me.

“I don’t want to lose you again, Ax,” she said against my chest before looking up into my eyes, “but I just don’t know what to do. I need time to think.”

I tenderly kissed her lips and said, “I understand. But before you go, I just want you to know that I’ve thought about you every single day for the past five years. Every. Day. I still love you, Blaire.”

She took in a deep, shuddering breath as she searched my eyes. Say it back, baby. Please tell me you still love me. “I-I have to go,” she stuttered, touching my face with her fingertips before she turned and walked out the door.

She didn’t say it back.

I turned slowly and sat on my couch, where we had fucked each other like we would die if we didn’t do it. I drained the rest of the wine straight from the bottle before throwing it against the wall and watching it shatter into a million pieces, just like my heart.

That had felt an awful lot like goodbye.

23. Blaire

Blaire

As soon as I got home from work Monday afternoon, Carrie leaped into my arms, and I kissed all over her face. My sweet, sweet little girl.

God, I love this kid. I would do anything in the world for her, but my main priority was making sure that no harm ever came to her. I would never let anyone hurt my baby, including her biological father. I closed my eyes. Just the thought of him made my heart ache. I had spent over five years thinking that he didn’t want this beautiful child, but last night he’d said the exact opposite.

What the hell was I supposed to do? If Axel was sincere that he had wanted her this entire time, didn’t she deserve to get to know him? Carrie’s sweet little voice broke me out of my reverie.

“Let’s read, Mommy. BaBa brought a new book home for me.” She dashed off to her room and brought back a book entitled Love is a Family. We cuddled up on the couch, and I let Carrie start to read to me. I only had to help her with a couple of words.