Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 78

Chapter 57

(Sabrina’s POV)

The next few days crawl by in painful, uncomfortable silence.

Jake goes to school. Comes home. Does his homework. Eats dinner. Goes to bed. All without really talking to me beyond single-word responses.

“How was school?”

“Fine.”

“Do you have homework?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want help?”

“No.”

Cla

F..

Every conversation is a dead end. Every attempt to bridge the gap between us hits a wall he’s built

brick by stubborn brick.

I’ve never felt so distant from my own son.

Sophia tries to help, suggesting activities we can do together, topics I can bring up. But nothing

works. Jake has decided he’s done with me, and a five-year-old’s grudge is apparently ironclad.

Wednesday night, I finally work up the courage to address it directly.

I enter his room, sitting on the edge of his bed to tuck him in. “Jake? Can we please talk about the

parent-teacher conference?”

Silence.

“I know you’re upset with me. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not realizing how much it hurt you

when your dad didn’t show up to these things.” My voice cracks. “I should have known. I should

have paid more attention.”

More silence.

“Baby, if you want Ethan there, then I won’t stop him. I won’t get angry. I promise. He’s welcome to

come.”

I wait, hoping for some response. But Jake just rolls over, facing the wall.

I sigh, and stand, “Goodnight, Jake. I love you.”

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Chapter 57

Again. Nothing.

I walk out of his room and close his door then lean against the wall, my chest aching.

Sophia finds me there ten minutes later, still frozen in place.

“Did he say anything?”

I shake my head.

Clair

P

“Don’t worry. He’ll come around. Eventually.” She pulls me into a hug. “You did the right thing, telling

him Ethan can come.”

Did I?

It doesn’t feel like it.

It feels more like I’m free-falling without a parachute, hoping someone catches me before I hit the ground. I never want Jake to get close to Ethan, and for a good reason.

But when forced to choose between my son’s happiness and a future that may or may never

happen…

Thursday passes in much the same way. Jake remains distant, speaking only when absolutely

necessary.

But Thursday night, I hear him on the phone in his room. His voice is muffled through the door, but I

catch fragments.

“-tomorrow at two o’clock-”

“-so excited you’re coming-”

“-don’t tell Mom I called, okay? She said you could come but I know she’s not ready to accept you

My heart clenches.

He’s talking to Ethan. Again.

If he knows I’m not ready to accept him, why is he insisting on having Ethan attend his

parent-teacher conference in the position of his dad?

Part of me wants to burst through the door and take the phone, tell Ethan myself that this is

wrong. He is not Jake’s father. Going to his conference is not his right or his responsibility.

But I don’t. Because I know Jake wouldn’t like that.

And as it is, he’s still upset with me for refusing to give Ethan a chance.

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Chapter 57

But I know what he doesn’t know. I know a man like Ethan Hale can do much better than settle for

a kid who isn’t even his.

Why jump into a relationship that spells disaster, when I know from the start there is nothing but

heartbreak and disappointment in store for us?

So I walk away, leaving my son to his unrealistic dreams, as I force myself to focus on the reality,

on the present, on the now, then on the future that’s too good to be true.

Friday morning arrives with clear skies and my stomach in knots.

I dress carefully for work, but my mind isn’t on the presentation I’m supposed to give this

afternoon. It’s on the parent-teacher conference at two o’clock.

The morning drags. I can barely focus on anything. Sarah has to repeat questions twice during our

team meeting because my mind keeps wandering.

Finally, finally, it’s one-thirty.

I grab my bag and tell Sarah I have an appointment. She nods, distracted by her own work, and I practically run for the elevator.

The drive to Little Learners Academy takes fifteen minutes. I park across the street, my hands

trembling on the steering wheel.

This is it. The moment I’ve been dreading, yet, waiting for.

I refuse to entertain Sophia’s words because….I need to see this with my own eyes-I need to see

Ethan stepping into the role of a father.

I need to see if it can work. If he’s really, truly sincere about becoming a part of Jake’s life, and not

just my lover before I let myself entertain that thought.

The possibility of building a future with Ethan.

I take a deep breath and get out of the car.

The school’s main entrance is busy with parents arriving for conferences. I recognize several faces

-moms and dads I’ve seen at drop-off, people I’ve exchanged polite small talk with over the years.

But the one I’m looking for, searching madly for through the crowd-

There.

Ethan stands near the front steps, checking his phone. He’s dressed in a dark suit that’s low-key yet still screams sexy on him. But he loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves, making him more

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