I reread Easton’s text. Then I read it again. I already knew he was choosing his child. How can I explain that the true motive behind his decision made it so much harder? I couldn’t hate him. I couldn’t be angry about his choice when it was the only choice to make. “Ten years ago, he and Scarlett broke up after dating for probably six months,” I say. “And not long after that, my long-term boyfriend broke up with me while we were in Paris.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, and I didn’t want my family to worry, so I only told Easton. He surprised me by showing up, and we were together for the first time. We were going to give being a real couple a shot—despite the distance and how different our lives were. We both wanted to try. But then he found out Scarlett was pregnant, and all our plans just . . . They weren’t relevant anymore.” I swipe my thumb across the words of his text. “I knew he wasn’t choosing Scarlett over me. I knew he was choosing Abi, which pretty much means I’m a terrible person.”

“No,” Teagan says. “Not at all.”

“Tea, I wanted him to choose me over his child and then resented him for years when he didn’t.” The shame of it makes me feel ugly, and I bow my head to hide my face. “Who does that?”

She makes a face. “Is that what you wanted, though? For him to choose you over his child? You didn’t ask him to walk away and shirk his responsibility.”

“To Easton, asking him not to be with his daughter’s mother would’ve been the same as asking him to walk away from his daughter. He didn’t have a family growing up. His dad was shit. He called when it suited him but ignored East the rest of the time. He wanted better than that for his daughter.”

“But Abi isn’t even his kid, right? And didn’t I read that he knew she wasn’t his?”

I shake my head. “He didn’t at first. I don’t know exactly when he found out, but when he married Scarlett, he believed she was having his baby. I think by the time he found out the truth . . .” I shrug. “Easton’s a good guy, and I’m sure he’s a good dad. DNA wouldn’t change his love and sense of responsibility toward his little girl.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. Easton made choices, and those choices affected you. You had every right to be upset.”

I shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I can’t change how I felt then, only how I act now.”

“Interesting.”

I know that face. Teagan has opinions and she’s not sharing. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She bites her bottom lip and shakes her head. “I don’t know if you want to hear my thoughts.”