Someone To Watch Over You

Chapter 32

Cat pulls at a string that's dangling from the cloth napkin, winding it around her finger.

"Cat?"

"Look, I know no one will agree, but Liam is not a bad guy. Not really. He's stupid sometimes, self-absorbed most times, but if he wants to be part of this baby's life, I'm not going to push him away. This baby is his, too, you know?"

My fear wants so badly to turn into anger and it's taking everything in my will to keep from expressing it. Instead, I calmly stated, "You want to be a family. I get that. I won't get in your way."

I picked up my untouched food, got up from the table, scooped it back into the take-out container, and stuck it in the refrigerator. I turned back around to find Cat standing there staring at me.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she questioned, her brows furrowed, her hands firmly placed on her hips. Unless I've miss read something here, she's now mad at me. Perfect.

"I mean what I said Cat. You, Liam, the baby are a family. Mom, Dad, kid... I get it. I won't stand in your way."

"You won't stand in my way?" she repeats with her head cocked and her eyes squinting at me like I'm making no sense. Jesus, must I spell it out for her?

Annoyed, I throw my own question at her. "What do you want from me?"

Cat threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. "What do I want from you? What do I want from you?" When I stood there staring at her waiting for a response she chose to continue. "I want you to stop throwing me... US away! That's what I want from you!"

I'm looking at her like she has six heads because I have no idea how the hell she got THAT from what I said.

"Augh!" she exclaimed as her hands slapped down hard against the sides of her legs making a loud smack noise. "You make me crazy! How do you not get this?!"

"Get what?!" I said raising my own voice a little because I'm getting tired of being yelled at.

"Not get that I want you! YOU Alex Bragin. You are part of that family I'm talking about."

I blinked slowly a few times trying to process what she's telling me. She can't be serious. "You want me, Liam, you and the baby to be a family?"

"YES!" she admitted with a tone of relief that I've finally got it. Only, I so don't.

"That's not going to happen."

Her smile faded. "What? Why ever not?"

"Cat I love you and I don't know if this is just wishful thinking on your part because I can't believe you'd be that naïve. There is no way in hell; Liam is ever going to be okay with me being a father to that baby. A baby he now claims is his. What chance do I have of convincing this kid that I love them when their Dad is going to consistently poison their mind against me?"

"You're unbelievable. Both of you are! Do you know that is exactly what Liam had said to me about you? That you both fear the exact same thing?!"

She surprised me with that one. Not that I can't see his point, only that up until this moment I didn't think there was a chance of Liam ever returning into the picture. So the thought of plotting against him hadn't even entered my mind.

"If he's serious about wanting to be this kid's Dad, Cat... how is that supposed to work? I know how much he hates me. I know he wants you back. How do I deal, day to day wondering, worrying that one day he's going to steal you both away from me? How do I know he won't be successful at building a great relationship with this kid and they both don't gang up on you to leave me?"