took a ragged breath. “That’s hard to explain, but I didn’t want to get involved with Angie again.”
“Why?”
“I’d rather not talk about it. First, I have to figure out a way to deal with all this anger inside me. And, yeah, a lot of it is at myself.”
“My advice to you is to get over to the hospital and talk to Angie and be there for her and Erin. Put your hurt feelings aside and think about what Angie’s going through now. Do you think you can do that?”
He looked at his friend through narrowed eyes. “You’re taking her side.”
“There are no sides here. You and Angie have to find a balance for Erin.”
“I know that. But what do I do with all this anger?”
“Lay off the booze, for one thing. And take it one day at a time. Once you get to know Erin, she’ll replace all that anger with love.”
“How many times have I seen her at your house playing with Jody?”
“A lot.”
“And I never suspected a thing. Remember that day she and Jody were playing hopscotch on the sidewalk and she fell and skinned her knee? I had just driven up. I picked her up and carried her into the house. She felt like a feather in my arms, a beautiful feather. I picked up my daughter, and I didn’t even know she was mine. That’s what makes me so angry. All the years I’ve missed and she was right under my nose. My child was there, and I never saw her.”
Wyatt came around the desk and patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. That’s rough.”
Hardy drew a deep breath. “I’d better go home, get cleaned up and see how my kid is doing. And I have Dad and Olivia to deal with. I bailed on them last night.”
“Are you going to tell the judge?”
“I might wait before telling him. He’ll want to rush in and cause all kinds of problems. Right now I’m just feeling my way and hoping to see and spend some time with my child.”
“What about Olivia?”
“I don’t know, Wyatt. She’s not going to be happy, but I have a kid and I’m not walking away from her.” He frowned. “Do you have any idea where my truck is?”
“You jumped the curb at the courthouse and it’s parked half on, half off the lawn. The quicker you get it off, the better it will be for the gossip, because come daylight, your story is going to be all over town.”
Hardy headed for the door. “Thanks, Wyatt.”
“I take it the Wiznowskis don’t know you’re Erin’s biological father.”
He turned back. “I assume they think the ex is the father.”
“If you think Bubba is hard to deal with, wait until the news spreads through the rest of the family. You’ll have your hands full defending yourself.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, and I really don’t care about their reaction. I only care about getting to know my daughter.”
“What made Angie tell you now?”
Hardy shrugged. “I kept pressing her about Erin’s father. He needed to be there, and she was very evasive about him. Maybe she got tired of me pressuring her or maybe she just got tired of keeping her secret. I don’t know. She just blurted it out.”
“Good luck, man. I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
As he backed his truck off the lawn, he knew Wyatt was right. His name would be mud all over town. But he wasn’t worried about that. The only worry he had was how to make a connection to a little girl he didn’t even know.
Because he was her father.
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