Kimberly

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my body two seconds away from exploding with anger, embarrassment, and something else I couldn't quite place. My mind keeps running in circles as I replayed this afternoon at the field. Tommy's words… the way he called my boys little shits. Who the fuck did he think he was? Marching in like some dictator and barking orders at my kids like they were nothing. God, I'm so fucking furious I can barely breathe.

My hand gripped the sheets as I turned over, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was no use. His voice was still in my head, that arrogant, know-it-all tone that made me want to punch him in the face. I thought Tommy was just some charming guy with a pretty smile and an easy going attitude. A guy who'd never take life too seriously. And God, I'd been attracted to him. I let myself get caught up in the idea of him… the fun, flirty, no-strings-attached guy who might distract me from everything for just a moment. Where was that guy?

But now? Now, I hated him.

I hated the way he talked to my kids. Like they were soldiers in need of boot camp. They'd been through enough already without him storming in like some self-righteous drill sergeant, breaking them down to make his point.

My heart ached when I thought about Tyler's face. The anger, the resentment, and underneath it all, the hurt. He already felt abandoned by one man. Even if tried to act like it didn't matter, I know that it did. Deep down I know my son. I know that he's hurting. The last thing he needed was someone else stepping in and telling him he wasn't good enough. And Jeffrey… God, the way he glared at Tommy. I should have known better. I should've kept them away from him.

I never intended for Tommy to meet my kids. I was supposed to keep that part of my life separate. I didn't even know what this was with him—if it was anything. But now that it happened, now that they'd seen him and he'd seen them, I couldn't stop the sinking feeling in my gut.

Because no matter how much I hated him for what he said, a small, terrible part of me wondered if he had a point.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hating myself for even thinking it. Tyler had been out of control lately. He talked back to me like he was the one in charge and I'd let it slide. I let it slide because I didn't know what else to do, because I was exhausted from always being the bad guy, because I was scared if I pushed him too hard, I'd lose him like I lost Travis.

I rolled onto my side, my heart pounding with a mix of shame and frustration. Maybe I had been too soft on them. Maybe I'd let them get away with things I shouldn't have, just to keep the peace. I'd been trying so hard to protect them, to shield them from more pain, that I might've let them grow too wild.

But even if there was truth in what Tommy said— his delivery? His attitude? Unforgivable.

I was their mother. I was doing the best I could. And I sure as hell didn't need him—the man who didn't even want kids, the king of commitment issues, and failed relationships—coming in and judging me like he had it all figured out. Like his way was the only way.

I curled up tighter under the blankets, my mind a swirl of anger and doubt. Tommy wasn't the guy I thought he was. Maybe I'd fooled myself into thinking he could be something more than the cocky playboy he always seemed to be. Maybe I wanted to believe that underneath all that charm, there was someone who understood what it meant to care about people, to sacrifice for them.

But now I wasn't so sure.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, dragging me out of my thoughts. I reached over, my heart rate spiking when I saw his name.

Tommy:

We need to talk.

The nerve. I glared at the message, my pulse racing with a mix of anger and something I couldn't name. Did he think he could just send me a fucking text and everything would be fine? After what he did today? My fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to unleash the fury simmering inside me, but I paused. No. Not yet. He didn't get to control this. He didn't get to make me doubt everything with just one fucking message.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. I wasn't going to let him get under my skin. Of course, he already had. Tommy had this way of slipping past every wall I put up and that infuriated me even more. The nerve of him, texting me like we could just sit down and talk after today.

My phone buzzed again.

Tommy:

I know you're mad. Call me.

Oh, screw you.

Mad? Mad didn't even begin to cover it. I was pissed off. But I wasn't going to call him. Not after the way he tore into my boys. Not after the way he looked at me like I was failing them, like I was some lousy mom who couldn't get her own kids in line. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into the palms of my hands.

I had to get up, move around, do something before I screamed. I threw the covers off, pacing the room as if it would help me shake the anger. My mind kept circling back to the same thought: Is he punishing me? Did he think he could bulldoze his way into my life because I wouldn't give him what he wanted? This whole mess felt like some fucked-up power play, like he was showing me who was in charge.

The phone buzzed again, and I groaned, picking it up off the bed, half expecting another one of Tommy's insistent messages. But this time it wasn't him.

It was Trini.

Trini

Still on for drink tomorrow night?

I never needed anything more.

Me

Please! My life is unraveling.

I want to cry.

Trini

Get ready to close down the bar!

I let out a small smile. I wish I could tell her everything. But honestly? I'm a little embarrassed to tell her that I also fell for Dr. Orgasms spell. To be fair, that Tommy was so different. I must admit, I fell for the charm and back story of his life. A previously abandoned child turned millionaire and doctor? He has looks and brains.

I tossed the phone back onto the bed, but it buzzed again almost immediately. I didn't even need to look. It was him.

Tommy:

Seriously, Kimberly. Talk to me.

Kimberly? The charm was off. God, I wanted to scream. Did he think he could fix this with a few texts? Did he really think that after all the crap he pulled today, a quick conversation was going to make it all better? That everything would go back to normal?

My heart was pounding now, a mix of anger and frustration burning through me… but beneath it all, there was something else, something I didn't want to admit. Guilt. Guilt because maybe he wasn't completely wrong. Maybe my boys were acting out. Maybe I hadn't been hard enough on them. Maybe I was letting them get away with too much because I was afraid of pushing too hard, afraid of losing them like their father did.

But Tommy… he didn't get to talk to them like that. He didn't get to tear into them because he thought I wasn't doing it right.

I couldn't let this simmer any longer. My hand hovered over my phone, then, without giving myself time to overthink it, I dialed his number.

He answered on the first ring.

"Kimberly," he said, his voice deep and low. "We need to talk—"

"Oh, you're damn right we do," I cut him off, not bothering to hide the anger in my voice. "What the hell were you thinking today? Running my kids into the ground like that? Talking to them like they're nothing?"

"They needed discipline, Kimberly," he shot back, his tone hardening. "You know it. They were out of control and if you're not going to do something about it, then I had to."

"Excuse me?" I felt my voice rising, but I couldn't stop it. "You had to? They're my kids, Tommy. Not yours. You don't get to decide how they're raised."

"They don't respect you, Kim," he said, blunt as ever, and the words hit like a slap. "You let them walk all over you."

I swallowed hard, the anger mixing with something sharper, more painful. "You don't know the first thing about being a parent, Tommy."

"I know enough to see when kids are running wild," he said. "And that's exactly what they were doing today. You're not doing them any favors by letting them act like little tyrants."

I could barely breathe, the rage and humiliation swirling inside me. "You think this is about them, don't you?" My voice was shaking now, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "This is about me. This is because I didn't give you what you wanted, isn't it? So now you're punishing them. You're trying to punish me."

There was a long pause, the silence stretching painfully between us.

"That's not what this is," he said, his voice quieter now, but still firm.

"Bullshit," I snapped, my voice cracking. "You're trying to teach me a fucking lesson, Tommy. Well, congratulations, you succeeded. Lesson learned. You're not the man I thought you were."

The line went dead silent, and for a moment, I thought he might have hung up. But then he spoke, his voice venomous. "You think I'm taking it out on them because we didn't fuck?"

Isn't he?

"Is that really what you think of me?"

I let the question hang in the air for a beat, my heart pounding in my chest. "I don't know, Tommy. Maybe I don't know you at all."


Tommy

I sat alone in my penthouse, swirling the last of my whiskey, the ice melting slowly into oblivion, much like the last shred of my patience. I probably shouldn't be drinking. The city lights glowed against the night sky, but I barely saw them. My mind was somewhere else, trapped back at the baseball field, hearing Kimberly's voice, her sharp accusations echoing in my head like the blow of a hammer. I hadn't been expecting it to hit this hard. She looked at me like I was some monster, some…villain in her story. And for what? Telling her kids off? They were kids, sure, but that didn't mean they didn't need discipline.

With a hiss, I threw back the last of my drink. I could feel the frustration boiling over, but underneath that anger lay something colder, something raw and gnawing. If she could think that of me—me, who barely lets anyone get close—then maybe I'd been fooling myself about her.

The phone buzzed beside me. Jason's name lit up the screen. I sighed, but I picked it up. He was one of the few people who could talk me down.

"Yeah?" I muttered, already bracing myself.

"Did you call her?" Jason said, a low chuckle doing a poor job of masking his concern.

"She's not answering my texts," I sigh.

"She will," Just wait.

And she did. We did nothing but argue for 5 minutes until she laid a blow so hard that I doubted my own ears for a moment.

The line crackled with tension, the silence between us thick and heavy. Her words hung in the air like a slap. "You think I'm taking it out on them because we didn't fuck?"

I didn't even know how to respond.

Her words stopped me cold. It was like a punch to the gut, leaving me speechless. She thought I was… what? A monster? The guy who'd punish kids for revenge? The thought twisted something inside me, tightening with each beat of silence.

"Is that really what you think of me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. The anger was gone, replaced by something rough and raw, something that hurt.

"I don't know, Tommy. Maybe I don't know you at all."

It hit hard. Harder than I'd expected. She hadn't said a word after her accusation, and the weight of it was crushing me from the inside out. I swallowed the lump in my throat, my grip on the phone tightening as I tried to keep my voice steady, tried to push down the frustration and hurt twisting inside me. But it wasn't working. Not this time.

"You know what, Kimberly?" My voice came out rougher than I intended, but I didn't care. "If you think that little of me, if you honestly believe I'm the kind of guy who'd take out my frustration on your kids, then maybe you're not the person I thought you were."

The silence on the other end was deafening, but I pressed on. "You're right. They are too much. You're right about a lot of things. And I'm not apologizing for telling you the truth. Maybe I was out of line, but I'm not some dictator trying to punish you because you turned me down. Jesus, Kim— I." I rubbed my neck, pacing as I spoke, the anger bubbling up but quickly giving way to something else. Something closer to sadness. "—I really did like you. I wouldn't be putting myself through this shit if I didn't."

The words hung in the air for a second, and I hated how raw they sounded, how much truth was behind them. I didn't plan on saying that, but it just spilled out, and now it was too late to take it back.

"But it's clear," I said, the anger seeping back in, hardening my tone. "You've got your life figured out. Your kids… they come first and that's how it should be. I get it. You don't need me throwing a wrench in your perfectly organized chaos."

I paused, listening to my own words, realizing how final they sounded. Maybe this was what needed to happen. Maybe we weren't meant to be anything more than what we already were. Maybe it was better for everyone if I just stepped back. But damn, it hurt to say it.

"So, here's the deal," I continued, my voice cold, even though it killed me to do it. "I'll coach your kids. I'll be professional, and I'll stay out of your way. You don't have to worry about me anymore. Delete my number if you want. You don't want me in your life? Fine. I won't be."

My heart clenched, but I didn't let it show in my voice. I wasn't going to let her hear how much this sucked. How much I hated that it had to end like this. Because the truth was, I could see it. She wasn't ready. Her boys weren't ready. The Hart family didn't have room for me. They wouldn't make room. Not now, maybe not ever.

I waited for a moment, half expecting her to say something, but the silence on the other end of the line stretched on. I had to finish this.

"This isn't what I wanted," I said, softer now, almost to myself. "But it's clear there's no place for me in your life. So, I'm out."

And with that, I hung up.

The moment I did, I felt the weight of it all sink in. The heaviness in my chest, the regret gnawing at the edges. I didn't want it to go down like this. I didn't want to be the guy who walked away from her, who walked away from them… but what the hell was I supposed to do? Force myself into a family that didn't want me?

I threw the phone onto the couch, raking a hand over my face, trying to breathe through the frustration. This wasn't how I saw it going when I first met her. I didn't think it'd get this damn complicated.

But now… now it was over.

She'd made her choice, and I had to live with it. Even if it left me with this hollow feeling I couldn't shake.

I sat down, staring blankly at the phone like maybe, just maybe, she'd call back. But deep down, I knew she wouldn't. Not tonight. Probably not ever.

It was done.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I'd lost something I really, truly wanted.


Author note: More to come very soon.