Let Life Surprise You

17. Crossroad

After having a Chinese take-out, Ethan and I head to the family room to let Chloe have her night sleep. Ashton left a couple of hours ago for a dinner appointment, but despite his brief visit to see Chloe, it brings a new hope that he may have started to come to terms with having a daughter.

"He's Chloe's father, isn't he?" Ethan asks, his eyes fixed on the coffee vending machine that is now making a fluttering noise.

"Yeah." I nod. "Obvious, isn't it?"

"And Chloe still thinks I'm her biological father."

"Ethan Watkins. Not you. You are Ethan Nolan for her."

Ethan shoots me a glare. "Char, I am Ethan Watkins. Sooner or later she's going to find out. Once she discovers the magic of the Google search engine, she will learn that my name is Ethan Watkins."

"Okay, okay. I know I need to fix this soon," I mumble as I cross one arm over my chest while my other hand massages my temple. "Just give me a couple of weeks tops. I want Chloe to be at least a bit stronger to take all of this information. But I promise I'll sort this out."

"This is so messed up, you know. She despises Ethan Watkins, which is me, but also not me. On the other hand, you let her believe that Ashton Knight is a friend while he's the one who is responsible for this mess."

"No," I interject. "If anything, I'm the one who is responsible for this. I'm the one who lied. Ashton didn't know about Chloe until last Monday."

Ethan frowns as he stares blankly at the machine in front of him, seeming busy with his thoughts. I don't know what's on his mind right now, but I can't let him blame Ashton for the mess I created.

As soon as the black liquid stops flowing, he picks up the cup and hands it to me before setting up another cup on the machine tray. "Are you and Ashton...a thing?"

I stop sipping on my coffee, my lips hovering over its cup rim. "Huh? How did you get the idea?"

"You should answer a question with an answer, Char, not with another question. I'm not your client."

"I thought it was more a lawyer thing." I shrug.

"Touche." Ethan chuckles as he slips his hands into his pockets, staring back at the machine that is making the same noise once again. "But seriously, though. Are you guys maybe looking into some kind of relationship in regards to raising Chloe together?"

I shake my head. "No. It's been only a working relationship between me and Ashton. And I want to keep it that way when we start with the co-parenting role. Second of all, he has someone."

"Hmm, okay." I can almost hear the relieved tone in his voice. "Then I read it wrong."

I tilt my head, feeling anxious all of sudden. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's just...the way you looked at him while he and Chloe were talking made me feel...left out." Ethan almost mumbles when he says the last word.

His somber expression tugs at my heartstring. He's been going through dark moments, and seeing him like this makes me sad for him. "I wasn't trying to make anyone feel left out. I was just glad that Chloe has a chance to connect with her father after everything she's been through. But that's all about it."

He turns his head to me, his dark eyes glinting under the dim light. "That's all about it?"

"Yeah," I reply, ignoring the uneasiness that is creeping up inside me.

Ethan's lips curl up into a smile. "That's the answer I expected to hear from you, to be honest."

"Oh?"