XI
(edited.)
"What do you think about going on another date?" Taylor's mother asked him as she took a seat beside him on the sofa. She handed him a cup of coffee which he happily accepted. He took a sip before saying,
"I don't want to go on another date for a while."
"Why not? Was she that bad?"
His mind went back to the date that he went on a few days ago and he remembered how his date had constantly asked him about how much he made as a hockey player. He shook his head at his thoughts.
"Taylor if you give up now, how will you ever find someone?" his mother asked.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, his mother had a point. But with the way that his hockey career was going, he felt that his success would only attract the wrong kinds of women. Rather than finding someone who would be there for Emily and him when they needed it, he felt that he would only find someone who was only interested in his money.
He sighed as he looked at his mother.
"I'm not giving up, I'm just taking a break--"
"But you've barely just started getting back out there--"
"I know. But I promise I'll find someone, okay? Just not now."
"Then when?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Soon, I promise."
His mother simply sighed before turning the TV on. He smiled at her before standing up and walking upstairs, coffee still in hand.
He slowly opened Emily's door and looked into her room to find her sound asleep. He felt his lips lift slightly as he watched her chest rising and falling slowly before he closed the door. He then walked to his room and took a seat at his desk before pulling out his phone.
It was then that he noticed that he had received multiple texts. He scrolled through them, noticing that most of them were about future practices. But he felt his body freeze when read a message from an unknown number.
Hi Taylor. It's Carmen. How are you? And Emily?
"Carmen?" he heard himself say her name as memories from the day she had abandoned him and Emily filled his mind.
He walked into the living room of their apartment with a large smile on his face, holding the small box with a ring behind his back to surprise Carmen. But as soon as he saw that she wasn't there, he called out to her. When there was no reply, he walked towards their bedroom, his smile still on his face as he assumed that she was sleeping.
However, as soon as he saw her with a suitcase beside her in their room as she packed, his smile faltered.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, walking closer to her. She turned to face him but immediately looked away.
"I'm going home," she replied nonchalantly.
"Home? Are you just visiting your mom? Is something wrong with her?" he asked.
There was a long moment of silence before she said, "No."
"So what do you mean then?"
"I mean that I'm leaving," she said before turning around to continue packing. He held onto her shoulder and turned her around to face him.
"Are you just going to leave? What about Emily?" he asked.
"I'm sorry Taylor but I can't do this anymore. This is just too much─"
"What do you mean? We're in this together and we're doing well─"
"I can't do this anymore! I have a life too!" she screamed. When he heard that, he could no longer contain his anger.
"Obviously, it's more important than your own daughter!" he countered.
"I didn't ask for any of this! If anything, it was your fault. You were the one who kissed me!" She poked his chest with every word she said, feeling tears fall onto her face, until he grabbed onto her arm.
"You could've pushed me away or looked away─something; anything to stop it!" He felt her arm weaken before she pulled away.
"Look, I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore─I just can't."
And with that, she closed the suitcase and grabbed the handle before she walked out of the door, wheeling the bag behind her as the sound of their daughter crying now filled the silence.
He felt the grip on his phone tightened as he relived that day. Nothing could have prepared him for the heartbreak that her leaving caused. He hadn't anticipated falling in love with her through the pregnancy process and then when Emily was born. And so, when she decided to leave, he felt as if the world had ended that night.
If it wasn't for his mother, he didn't know how he and Emily would have come to where they were now.
He didn't realize that his anger towards the message had turned into tears until he felt the cold sensation of a tear as it landed on his hand. He quickly wiped his tears before throwing his phone onto his bed.
Why was she suddenly reaching out after leaving for so long? Taylor wondered as he stared at the wall.
His thoughts were interrupted when his door opened to reveal a sleepy Emily standing in the doorway, holding her blanket.
"Hi princess, what's wrong?" he asked her as he stood and walked towards her, getting down on his knees to be at her level.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly as she quietly said,
"I can't sleep daddy."
Taylor felt his anger subside immediately as he smiled upon hearing the voice of his daughter. He picked her up and walked towards his bed.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You can sleep with me tonight."
She nodded her head and snuggled closer to him. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and within a few seconds, she had fallen asleep.
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But Taylor couldn't sleep. All he could do was stare at his phone as he wondered whether or not he should reply to the message.
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