Arch

Chapter 53

I see him across the car park. I haven't seen him in nearly a year. I shout out his name before I can stop myself. He looks at me, sighs, and turns to walk away.

"Ryder, please." I sob, and he turns confused. He looks at me, really looks at me. I know what he's thinking. I can see it on his face. I've lost weight, a lot of fucking weight. I have bags under my eyes, and my suit hangs off me, looking crumpled. He folds his arms across his chest. I step closer to him, and he takes a step back.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Ryder, please. I just want to talk."

He huffs out a laugh. "You've got nothing to say that I need to hear, Arch. Go home to your wife and kid."

"Ryder, please?" He turns when he hears me drop to my knees. "I can't do this anymore. I can't be without you. I love you. Ryder, it's still you. It's always been you."

"Arch, it wasn't me a year ago when you tossed me aside, so get up. You're fucking embarrassing yourself."

"Ryder." He turns as Jay jogs across the car park to him.

"You okay?" He nods and smiles at him.

"I just need…"

"Arch, I'm gonna be as respectful as I can. Clearly, you're going through something, but I'm not interested in anything you have to say. Actions speak louder than words, and you showed me exactly what you thought of me a year ago, so trust me when I say I don't need to hear what you have to say now. I'm good. You don't even factor on my radar anymore. So have a good life, Arch. Despite everything, you deserve to be happy, because I am."

He turns to walk away, and I whimper from behind him. "You've met someone?"

"No, Arch. Turns out he was there all along." He throws his arm around Jay and kisses him on the cheek as they go to walk away.

I gasp out on a wrecked sob. "He's not even gay!"

"Turns out I'm more gay than you've ever been. The difference between us, Archie, is that I will fight for my man." Jay slides his arm around Ryder's waist, and they walk over to the restaurant and never look back. I don't know how long I sob knelt on the ground, but when I become aware of people giving me a wide berth and muttering, I rise up and head to my car. I need to make a life for me and my boy. He's all I've got in this world, and he's all I'm ever going to have. Chelsea has already moved on as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed as mine. And I'm glad she's in love. I just wish it didn't happen in my house.

I've designated the room next to mine as the nursery, and she didn't argue. She's told me once the baby's out of hospital, she and her boyfriend are going on a long vacation, and she's done her bit now. I have the child; I can do what I want with it, and that suits me. My son will want for nothing, but he will have one thing I didn't, and that's a loving father.