“You had no right,” I whispered as a tear streamed down my face.
“You gave me no choice, Ellery. I knew you would do something like this,” he said calmly as he took a few steps closer to the bed.
“I want you to get out of this bedroom and leave me alone. My head hurts and I need some space.”
“I think we both need some space,” he said as he walked out and shut the bedroom door.
Chapter 22
Connor
After grabbing the bottle of Motrin from the bathroom cabinet, I walked into the living room and straight to the bar. Shaking two pills into my hand, I popped them in my mouth and chased them down with a glass of scotch.
“Don’t you think it’s a little early to start drinking?” Denny said as he walked in the room and sat down in the leather chair.
“It’s never too early to start drinking. Would you like one?” I asked as I held up my glass.
With a wave of his hand, he politely declined. “Did you and Ellery have it out already?”
“Sort of.” I sighed.
“I told you she was going to find out that you knew Ashlyn was out of jail. Did she find out how you’ve been tracking her?”
“Yes,” I said as I sat down on the couch.
“I warned you, Connor. I told you that it wasn’t a good idea to keep secrets from her.”
“Like I had a choice. Look at what she did.”
“Exactly! She would’ve done it anyway. So wouldn’t it have been better to tell her from the start? Because if you ask me, the pain she’s feeling now is far worse.”
“Yeah, well, what about me and how I’m feeling, Denny? She lied to me. She lied about what she was doing and where she was going today.”
“You lied, she lied. You two are perfect for each other. Listen, Connor, I know why you did what you did, and I know why Ellery did what she did. The truth of the matter is that at the end of the day, regardless of all the bullshit that went on earlier, you two love each other more than you did yesterday. I’ll tell you something, though; you were one cold-hearted bastard to her in the limo and at the hospital.”
I got up from the couch, walked over to the bar, and poured another scotch. “Don’t start with that, Denny.” I sighed.
“Damn right I’ll start it. Your wife, the mother of your baby, is upstairs with stitches in her head because of that psycho girl you used to date, and instead of apologizing to her and comforting her, you’re down here, throwing back scotch.”
“And talking to you, may I add,” I said with irritation. “You know Ellery, and you know how she can be. She’s pissed off, and she told me to leave the bedroom because she needed space.”
Denny got up from the chair and started walking towards the elevator. He stopped, turned around, and shot me a look. “You’ll feel like an ass soon enough.” He smiled.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I yelled as the elevator doors shut.
As I sighed and walked over to the bar to set down my glass, I heard the elevator door open. At first, I thought it was Denny, but I was pleasantly surprised when I looked over and saw Mason and Julia.
“There’s my baby girl.” I smiled when I took her from Mason’s arms. “Did you have fun at the park?”
“We had a fabulous time. She has made the most amazing friends and all the mannies love her.”
I looked at Mason in confusion. “What?”
“Once a week, I meet the other mannies with their babies in the park. You wouldn’t believe the stories they tell me about the families they work for, and I just sit there and brag about you and Ellery. Speaking of Diva Girl, where is she?”
“She had a little accident earlier, and she’s upstairs lying down.”
“What?!” Mason exclaimed. “What happened?”
“She fell and hit her head and needed a few stitches. She’s okay.”
Mason put his hand over his mouth. “Did she fall here?”
“No. It’s a long story. She’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. She needs to rest.”
“Do you need me to take care of the princess for a while longer?” he asked.
“No. Consider yourself done for the day. Go home and relax.” I smiled.
“If you need me, just call.”
“Thanks, Mason. I will,” I said as the elevator door shut.
I looked at Julia and kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, baby girl.”
I took Julia upstairs, changed her diaper, and then walked to my room. Ellery was still asleep across the bed. The bandage on her forehead started to bring back the memories of when I almost lost her. But it also reminded me of how close we became during that time. I smiled as I looked at her and then at Julia, who was also looking at her. My emotions were running deep from the events of the day. I was still so angry with her for lying to me and going to see Ashlyn. Julia started babbling, and Ellery opened her eyes. As she looked at Julia, she held out her hand. I walked over to the bed and sat down so Ellery could touch her.
“Hi, baby girl,” she said as she took ahold of Julia’s hand.