Chapter Thirty
Diane was supposed to meet Will after work in the same café as the other day, but he called and asked her to see him in the office instead, because he couldn't get away. She almost said no, because she was feeling guilty for canceling their lunch with Kurt and wanted to be home with him early today, but Will made it sound like it was important, so she promised to be there.
On her way to the firm she is in a much better mood than she's been lately, she finally feels that things are looking up. She doesn't regret the lunch with Jack, whose second call came yesterday when she was slightly upset with her husband for spending more time with his ex than necessary. She couldn't help thinking that Miranda was just using him. On the other hand she understood his worry for his son, so she didn't want to make a big deal of it.
She's begun to realize that giving Kurt a hard time about the kid and Miranda wouldn't make her feel better, it would only mean punishing him for something he can't change and sooner or later he'd have enough of it. She doesn't want to lose him, she wants to make things right between them. And now that she has cleared the confusion with Jack, she hopes that nothing will stand in the way of her and Kurt trying to mend their marriage
"Hey," she knocks on the glass door of Will's office and steps inside.
"Hello," comes the unexpected answer from under the desk and as Diane looks for the source of the voice, she notices a blonde little boy crawling out.
"Hello," she smiles at him, wondering who the child is and what he's doing under Will's desk. "So this is why you said we should meet in your office?" she lifts her gaze on her ex-partner.
"Yeah, sorry, Patti asked me to babysit Travis."
As amusing as that sounds, Diane doesn't dare to laugh, she turns her attention back to the boy instead.
"So your name is Travis?" She leans closer to the kid who could be around three-years-old.
"Yes. Who are you?" He looks up at her with his big brown eyes, full of curiosity.
"I'm Diane, it's nice to meet you," she smiles at him. "I came to visit Uncle Will," she adds, taking a seat and instantly hears Will chuckle.
"Uncle Will?" he repeats playfully and his expression makes her laugh, something she hasn't done in a long time.
"Since when is babysitting in your job description?" she teases him and it almost feels like old times doing it in a familiar environment.
"Very funny," Will grimaces. "And you probably don't even know that her next one's on the way already."
"Seriously?" she is quite stunned by the news. She only joked about it the last time, she didn't actually think Patti would still want more children. "I honestly have no idea how she's able to be a mother of two and the head of a law firm at the same time," she adds in a serious tone.
She has always thought highly of women who are able to balance family and career at the same time. She never really wanted to be one of them or she would have done something about it. Having a career has been enough for her and she's learnt not to regret not having children.
"She knows how to get people to do things for her," Will points out with a telling look, obviously meaning himself.
"Can I sit in your lap?" Diane feels that someone is pulling her arm and glances in the direction of the voice.
"Why not?" she reaches for the kid with a smile and seats him in her lap, then turns back to Will, while the boy moves to a comfortable position. She doesn't miss the grin on Will's face.
"You two look good together," he remarks.
"I haven't held a child in forever," Diane's smile widens as she looks down on the boy, who's already playing with his toy truck on Will's desk.
"I can give you my shift anytime," Will jokes and the smile freezes on Diane's lips as she thinks of the child that she should be holding instead, Kurt's son. That is a step she still doesn't feel ready for and she isn't even sure why. It would be a solution to most of her problems with Kurt if she finally said yes to meeting his son.
"What's going on here?" Patti's loud voice interrupts Diane's thoughts.
"Mamma," the boy shouts and Diane puts him down quickly, so he can run to his mother.
"Hey, honey. Did you have fun with Uncle Will?" Patti hunkers down to her son.
"He didn't want to play," he replies and Diane can barely keep back her chuckle.
"I'm sure he is just busy. He will play with you some other time, right Will?" Patti's patronizing voice makes Will roll his eyes, but fortunately Patti isn't looking at them.
"Yes, next time, I promise," he nods.
"And I see you've met Aunt Diane," Patti rises and sends a smirk towards Diane.
"She is nice. She let me sit in her lap," Travis states, making Diane chuckle.
"Well, I'm glad," Patti obviously doesn't know how to take that compliment. "Aren't you hungry?"
"I am."
"Then let's go. Say goodbye to Aunt Diane," she tells him, obviously enjoying calling Diane that way.
"Bye," he waves and Diane does the same before she turns back to Will.
"I'm leaving," he says suddenly and manages to baffle her.
"Leaving?" she eyes him confused.
"The firm, Patti's firm."
The way he says the words reflects how bitter he is that their firm, his firm now belongs to someone neither of them can stand.
"Didn't you just say she is pregnant again?" she inquires, still unsure about his intentions.
"That won't change a thing, she will still be here, bossing us around. I don't care if I have to use all the money I have spared to start all over again, but either that or ending up in a mental hospital. Seems like a no-brainer to me."
It only hits her now that she can't even imagine what he has been through since she left. She doesn't really blame herself, but if she could turn back the time, she would probably make a different decision. Maybe both of them would be happier now if she hadn't left.
"You want to do it alone?" she asks the obvious question.
"No. Would you be interested?"
His question comes as a surprise. She doesn't understand why he even thinks she could be interested, but she cannot help finding his offer tempting.
"I have a job," she reminds him with a perplexed smile.
"That's not what I asked," he looks her in the eye and she finds herself seriously considering his flattering proposition.
"I … don't know," she says after a few seconds, realizing it's not the time for her to make such a decision, although it has crossed her mind already if there's a way back.
She misses being a lawyer, the boss in her own firm, working side by side with a friend…but before anything she needs to solve the problems in her marriage.
"Well I am officially looking for a partner, so in case you are interested, give me a call."