When he insisted on a paternity test, Lucie offered to pay for it. He had refused her that though, and she realized that Kane knew full well Haley was his, but he had to go through the motions. It had hurt to see how he looked at her with such disdain, but Lucie saw the same expression every time she looked in the mirror. She was more disappointed in herself than anyone else ever could be.
Seeing Haley’s recent changes, both after the surgeries to help her to get over the chronic strep throat and ear infections, as well as her recent interaction with her father, Lucie was in a different place.
Admitting you were wrong was hard enough. Admitting you were wrong about something that altered the course of so many people’s life was even worse. Knowing she was the only reason Haley and Kane had missed out on so many wonderful milestones together had Lucie riddled with guilt.
Not that Lucie could have been convinced otherwise; even when she’d resorted to stealing from Club Destiny just to try and come up with the money to pay for Haley’s medical bills. Thankfully, Luke wasn’t the complete and total hard ass everyone said he was. Or maybe he’d just been easy on her because he was in love with Cole, a man who had stood by Lucie through some extremely dark times, one of the only people she could call a friend.
But right now, just like back then, there was no room in her thoughts for Kane Steele and the what might’ve been’s that plagued her on a daily basis. She had a job that she needed to focus on, and a daughter to care for – and not a second extra to spend on anything more than that.
Ten minutes later, Lucie was turning into her apartment complex, surveying the dark corners of the parking lot and the hidden nook’s and cranny’s of the dilapidated building she lived in. Unfortunately, she had learned the hard way just what lurked in the dark of the night in the less than stellar neighborhood she lived in. She’d been lucky that night, she knew. Armed with only her car keys, Lucie had managed to fend off her attacker at three o’clock in the morning, when not a single soul had answered her cries for help.
Now she was paranoid, and rightfully so. She hadn’t told anyone. Not the police, not her mother, and certainly not Kane. She had too many people trying to look after her as it was. She also feared that Kane would try to take her baby girl away from her if he knew, which meant she only had one option. Be prepared in order to ensure it didn’t happen again and continue saving money until she could move to a better neighborhood. She was so close, but that didn’t make getting out of her car any easier.
There was one bright side to the whole situation, and that was that Lucie had found Erica, Haley’s full time babysitter. The woman was Heaven-sent in Lucie’s opinion.
Each night, Erica graciously brought Haley back to the apartment – before dark – just to make sure the little girl got to go to sleep in her own bed. And when Lucie arrived at three or four o’clock in the morning, Erica would sometimes remain on the couch, or she would drag herself home if she had an early class. On those nights, Lucie would lock Haley inside the apartment, and then dutifully walk Erica to her car just to ensure her safety.
Of course, there were days like yesterday when Lucie would take Haley to Erica’s and the little girl asked if Kane would be coming over to see her. Never did Lucie know for sure whether he was, but his track record over the last few months pretty much allowed Lucie to ensure Haley that he would. Kane did little else other than visit his daughter each and every day.
Since they both worked until two in the morning, or later, he didn’t get to see Haley in the evenings, but he made sure he was over each day, either bringing lunch to them, or taking them somewhere – usually McDonald’s if Haley had her say.
Although their interactions were awkward at best, Lucie and Kane managed to be civil to one another when Haley was within ear shot. Not that he had talked to Lucie much any other time, but she knew the day would come. He had some big questions he wanted answers to, and she was trying to avoid that conversation like the plague. Even after her high level account of what happened, she knew Kane wasn’t satisfied with her answers.
Hurrying up the stairs to the second floor landing, Lucie approached with her keys ready. As was her routine, she had both of the locks unlocked, herself inside, and the reverse completed within seconds. With her phone at the ready, she hit the call button, dialing Kane’s number and then waiting for him to answer.
“Everything ok?” Without fail, he asked the same question he asked every time she called.
“Yes. I’m here and Haley’s sleeping.”
“Ok. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Lucie hung up and wondered if that would be the extent of their conversations from here on out. Each day she hoped for minimal interaction with the man because, despite the relationship he was building with Haley and his ability to at least look her in the eye these days, Lucie had a difficult time getting over the attraction she still felt for him. It seemed to burn hotter and brighter every time she was close to him.