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Chapter 399
Madison
“You can’t just buy expensive gifts and expect love in return. That’s not how it works.” I said, feeling the weight of my words settle between us like a chasm. I wanted him to understand this fundamental truth: genuine connection and affection are earned over time, through effort and heartfelt interaction, not through a transaction.
“I’m not trying to buy his love. I’m giving a gift with love. There’s a difference.”
“It looks like you’re trying to skip the hard parts. The conversations, the explanations, the actual parenting. You think you can just show up with some expensive toy and suddenly you’re father of the year?”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Then what are you doing?” I demanded. “Because I don’t see a plan here. I see a man who just discovered he has a son and thinks material things will fix years of absence.”
“You’re twisting this.”
“Am I? You bought him a gift before you even met him properly. Before you asked me if that was okay. Before you considered how I might feel about any of this.”
“I wanted to show him I care.”
“You don’t even know him,” I shot back. “How can you care about someone you’ve never met properly?”
“Because he’s my son.” The words came out quietly but intensely. “That’s enough.”
I stared at him, searching for any sign of manipulation or calculation. But his eyes held something I hadn’t expected. Sincerity, maybe. Or desperation masked as determination.
“We can’t put a price on gifts,” Alexander continued, his voice dropping. “If I want to give my son something, that’s my right as his father.”
“Your right?” The word tasted bitter. “You’ve been his father for exactly two or three days. You don’t get to show up and start claiming rights. I raised Ethan alone. I made every decision, handled every crisis, celebrated every milestone without you.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” I challenged. “Do you really understand what that was like? Being pregnant and terrified and completely alone because the father of your baby chose someone else?”
Alexander flinched. “I didn’t choose Katherine over you. It’s complicated.” 1
“Everything with you is complicated.” I rubbed my temples, exhaustion creeping in. “Look, I need time to think about this. About whether you can meet Ethan. About what role you’ll have in his life, if any.”
“If any?” His voice turned sharp. “He’s my son, Madison. I have a right to know him.”
“You have DNA in common. That doesn’t automatically grant you rights.”
“The courts would disagree.”
The threat landed like ice water. I went rigid. “Are you seriously threatening legal action right now?”
“I’m stating facts.”
“You’re being an asshole. I said I need time. That’s not negotiable.
Alexander caught my wrist, gentle but firm. “How much time?”
“I don’t know.” I yanked free. “A few days. A week. However long it takes me to figure out how to explain to my son that the man he’s never met is suddenly demanding to be his father.”
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Chapter 39
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“I’m not demanding anything. I’m asking for a chance.”
“Could have fooled me.” I headed toward my car, Alexander falling into step beside me. “The gift, the legal threats, the showing up everywhere I go. That’s not asking. That’s coercion.”
“I’m desperate.”
The admission stopped me. I turned to face him, searching his expression. The great Alexander Knight, CEO of Knight Industries, was admitting to desperation. It should have felt like victory.
Instead, it just made me tired.
“I’ll think about it,” I said finally. “That’s the best I can offer right now.”
“When will you tell me?”
“When I’m ready.”
“Madison.”
“That’s all you get.” I opened my car door. “Take it or leave it.”
He stood there, hands in his pockets, looking more lost than I’d ever seen him. “I’ll wait for your answer.”
I climbed into my car without responding, starting the engine, and pulling away before I could do something stupid like change my mind.
My hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly, my mind racing faster than the car.
Alexander wanted to meet Ethan. Had bought him a gift. Was prepared to fight for parental rights if necessary.
And underneath all that posturing and control, he’d looked genuinely desperate. Like a man who’d just discovered he’d lost something precious and would do anything to get it back.
But that wasn’t about me. That realization hit harder than it should have. Alexander’s sudden interest, his presence in Connecticut, and his determination to meet Ethan had nothing to do with me.
He wanted his son.
The realization crystallized as I drove back to the café, my hands gripping the steering wheel too tight. The park, the conversation, all of it faded against that single, glaring truth. Alexander wasn’t here because he missed me. Wasn’t here because he still had feelings or wanted closure or any of those romantic notions that had briefly flickered through my stupid, traitorous heart.
He wanted Ethan.
His son.
Not me. Never me.
I pulled into the café’s parking lot, killing the engine and sitting there in the sudden silence. My phone buzzed. Alexander, probably. I ignored it.
Alexander was in love with Katherine.
The truth settled in my chest like ice. I’d been a placeholder. A distraction. Someone to pass the time with until Katherine came back into his life.
And now he wanted his son. Wanted to claim Ethan like some kind of prize he’d won in a corporate merger.
“Stop it,” I muttered to myself, climbing out of the car. “Just stop.
The café needed me. Work needed me. Anything was better than sitting in a parking lot spiraling into self–pity over a man who’d made his choices five years ago.
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I pushed through the back door, the famillar scent of coffee and baked goods wrapping around me like a blanket. Ellie looked up from behind the counter, her bright smile faltering slightly when he saw my face.
“You okay, boss?”
“Fine.” The lie came easily. “How’s the afternoon rush?”
“Manageable. The book club came in, stayed for two hours, and left a massive tip.” She gestured at the jar overflowing with bills.
“Thanks for handling it,” I managed.
“No problem.” Ellie studied my face. “You sure you’re okay? You look kind of pale.”
“Just tired. Long day.” I grabbed an apron from the hook. “I’ll take over for a bit. You can take your break.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.”
“I’m sure. Go. Get some air.”
She grabbed her phone and headed out back, leaving me alone with the espresso machine and my spiraling thoughts.
