The Story of my Life

Chapter 22

Super sorry for the late update! We went to a cottage and there ended up being no wifi.
Enjoy xo

Riley's POV

I pulled my bags out of John's car, placing them on the ground. I glanced at my phone, checking the ETA of the uber. 3 minutes. I thankfully had Halston occupied with a colouring book, she wasn't being a hinderance. Everything was looking good. I was in the clear. Then, I heard it. "Riles." I heard a voice say. My eyes widened. He's behind me. He's here. I can't run from him anymore. I inhaled, turning and seeing him. For the first time in 5 years, he stood in front of me. His eyes glanced me up and down. I found myself growing insecure, like I was when I was a teenager. I'd changed quite a bit since he'd last seen me. Most of it for the better. My hair was brown again, rather than that ridiculous bleach job I had. I had even grown out my hair again, it now sitting past my shoulders. My makeup was a lot more natural as well. He looked different too. His hair was longer, he wore more stylish clothes, opposed to the comfier ones he favoured before. One thing did remain the same though. The way he looked at me. There was this glint, a sparkle almost, behind his eyes. I'd always seen it when we were together, but I never knew what it was. James turned his gaze from me, looking over at Halston. He walked over to her, kneeling down to get a better look. I exhaled, staying silent as I watched the pair. Halston looked up from her colouring book, meeting her dad's eyes. I thought I was going to be sick. Halston didn't ask questions, she didn't say a word about this man who suddenly appeared before her. Instead, she handed him a crayon.
"Can you draw a sun for me?" She asked James. He looked taken aback slightly. "Right there." Halsey instructed, pointing to a spot on the paper, assuming James would draw this sun. He glanced down, seeing where she was pointing. Then, he put the crayon to the paper, drawing a circle. Halston smiled happily, colouring the boat on the paper.
"Do you want me to colour it in?" James asked her. She nodded her head. James started colouring as well.
"Are you friends with mommy? Or do you know dad?" Halston questioned. James froze, glancing up at me, clearly wondering who 'dad' is.
"He knows both of us." I answered Halston's question. It was true. In many ways.
"Is dad almost done with the band? I'm hungry." Halsey complained. I watched James's eyes widen slightly. I sighed. She listens to more than I think.
"Almost. He'll be here soon sweetheart. I have to talk to your new friend for a minute." I told her, motioning for James to step away. He put the crayon down, walking over to where I stood a few feet from Halston and John's car.
"Who's 'dad'?" He asked, crossing his arms. He looked fairly unhappy.
"She calls John that." I sighed, watching his anger grow.
"John's known where you are this entire time?!" He snapped. I nodded, glancing at the ground.
"We can't forget about 'aunt Michelle'." I shrugged, figuring it was best to just admit everything. James looked furious at this point. "It's a long story." I told him.
"Is John her father?" James questioned. His voice was emotionless. I was too scared to look at him properly. I didn't want him to see how insecure and vulnerable he still made me.
"No." I replied.
"Is it that asshole you dated after we broke up?" James inquired.
"Trenton was better to me than you were!" I snapped, finally lifting my head to glare at him.
"You don't seem to be with him anymore." James commented.
"You don't seem to be with Beth." I retorted. I knew for a fact he wasn't. He'd broken up with her before I was living with Michelle. Michelle had told me this when I found out I was pregnant. She tried to convince me to go back to James so I wouldn't do it all on my own.
"Who is her father then?!" James asked, well more like yelled, angrily.
"You! It's you, you fucking idiot!" I shouted at him.
"Then why are you hiding her from me?! Why do you keep running?!" He snapped.
"So I don't ruin your life!" I exclaimed. James fell silent, his face softening as he watched me.
"Why do you think you'd ruin my life?" He asked, his voice now quiet. I exhaled, rubbing my hands over my face.
"Children come with responsibility. They are clingy, they need so much attention, they need love and support, they are so expensive..." I listed.
"So why do you feel you should give up everything to raise our daughter?" James questioned.
"I never gave up anything. I didn't have a life plan, I was on the way to ruining my life. She saved me, she's what kept me from doing something stupid. I had nothing to lose, you have everything." I told him.
"The only thing I ever had that was worth saving was you." He said. My heart skipped a beat. I'm still that stupid teenager, madly in love with him. I sniffled, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I wanna know her. Please." James pleaded, glancing over at our little girl. I sighed, crossing my arms.
"I'm here for 2 weeks." I stated.