Chapter 27: The Consolation Prize

Floyd's POV

The penthouse was quiet when I got home, just the noise of the city through the windows.

Kim was curled up on the couch in leggings and an oversized sweater, her laptop open, wine glass half-empty beside her. She looked up when I walked in.

"You're finally back." She closed her laptop. "Just got home from the gallery an hour ago. How'd the visitation go?"

I dropped my keys on the counter. "Bad."

She tilted her head. "Bad how?"

"He wouldn't even look at me." The words tasted bitter. "The second the session ended, he ran to Hailey like I was some kind of monster or something. He didn't look back once."

Kim set aside her wine glass. "Well that was expected."

I poured myself a scotch, definitely a mistake after the drinks with Mason, and sat beside her.

"He wouldn't talk to me," I said finally. "Every time I tried to connect, he'd bring up Maxwell. 'Daddy took me to the museum.' It was so constant it made me sick."

"He's five, Floyd. He doesn't understand the situation yet." Her hand found my thigh, squeezing gently. "These things take time. He'll come around once he realizes you're not going anywhere."

"Will he?" I downed half the scotch. "Or will he just keep choosing Kingston? The man who's been there. Who knows his routines. Who he actually loves."

"Don't say that." Kim's voice went firm. "You can't think like that. You're his biological father. That means something."

"Does it? Because from where I'm sitting, biology means nothing compared to being present." I laughed, but it came out hollow.

Something flickered across her face. "Then you need to create better memories. Make yourself indispensable."

"In two hours a week?" The frustration exploded out of me. "While Kingston gets him twenty-four seven?"

"So fight for more time." Her voice rose slightly. "Your lawyer can..."

"I already told Mason to file for increased visitation." I set the glass down harder than intended. "Three times a week. And we're building toward unsupervised."

"Good. That's progress." She moved closer, her hand sliding higher on my thigh. "You need more time with him. To show him you're serious about being his father."

I really looked at her. She was saying all the right things. Being supportive. Playing the perfect partner.

But something about it felt rehearsed and fake. Like she'd prepared these responses ahead of time.

"Do you actually care?" The question came out before I could stop it. "About Gio, I mean. Or are you just saying what I want to hear?"

Her hand stilled. "Of course I care. He's your son."

"But he's not yours."

"No." Her voice lowered slightly. "He's not. But I'm trying to be supportive of this situation you're in."

Situation. Like my son was a problem to be managed.

"His name is Gio," I said quietly. "Not 'situation.'"

"I know his name, Floyd." She pulled her hand back. "I'm trying to help. But you've been impossible since this whole thing started. So distant and obsessed."

My jaw tightened. "My son was hidden from me for five years..."

"And you chose to leave his mother." The words came out sharp. "You ended that marriage. You can't blame Hailey for not chasing after you with a pregnancy announcement."

The truth in her words hit harder than I expected.

Because she was right. I had left. Had ended things. Had made it clear I was choosing Kimberley.

And Hailey had disappeared without a word.

"I didn't know she was pregnant," I said, but it sounded weak even to my ears.

"Would it have mattered?" Kim's eyes were sharp. "If she'd told you that day...when you were handing her divorce papers...would you have stayed?"

The question hung between us.

I wanted to say yes. Wanted to believe I would've done the right thing.

But the truth was, six years ago, with Kim back in my life, with that old passion reignited, I don't know what I would've done.

"Exactly." Kim read my silence correctly. "So stop acting like she's the villain here. You made your choice. Now you're dealing with the consequences."

The bluntness was so unlike her usual careful sympathy that I almost laughed.

"Since when do you defend Hailey?"

"I'm not defending her." She stood up, refilling her wine glass. "I'm being realistic. You left her for me. You can't be surprised she didn't come running back."

She moved behind the couch, her hands finding my shoulders, easing the tension there.

"But you have a chance now," she continued, voice softening. "To be in Gio's life. To build something real. You just have to be patient."

Her hands moved from my shoulders down my chest, her breath warm against my ear.

"Come to bed." She whispered. "You're stressed. I can help with that."

There it was. The solution she always offered. The way she'd learned to smooth over every tension between us.

I caught her wrist. "I'm not really in the mood."

"You're never in the mood anymore." Frustration crept into her voice. "Not since you found out about him."

"His name is Gio." My voice was sharper than I wanted.

"Fine. Since you found out about Gio." She pulled her hands away, moving around to face me. "But I'm still here, Floyd. I'm still your wife. Or am I just supposed to wait around while you obsess over your ex-wife and the life you could've had?"

"That's not what I'm doing.."

"Isn't it?" She crossed her arms. "You've barely touched me in weeks. You barely talk to me except to complain about Hailey and Maxwell. You're completely checked out of this relationship."

I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm dealing with a custody battle..."

"You're dealing with regret." Her voice went cold. "And I'm tired of being the consolation prize."

The words hit like a slap.

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" She grabbed her wine glass. "Six years ago, you chose me. Told me I was everything. That leaving Hailey was easy. And now you see her again, all strong and successful, with your brother, and suddenly I'm not enough."

"This isn't about you..."

"Everything is about me, Floyd!" Her voice rose. "Because I'm the one here. I'm the one who came back for you. I'm the one trying to make this work while you spiral over a woman you supposedly never loved."

"I did love Hailey," I said quietly. "Just not the way I loved you."

"And how do you love me now?" The question was sharp. "Because it feels like you're just going through the motions."

She wasn't wrong.

Sex had become mechanical. Conversations felt scripted. The passion I'd remembered from college had faded into something comfortable and boring.

Or maybe it had always been boring, and I'd just been too infatuated to notice.

"I'm tired," I said finally. "Can we not do this tonight?"

"Fine." She set down her wine glass harder than necessary. "I'll sleep in the guest room. You can have the bed."

She walked away before I could respond.

I sat alone on the couch, staring at the city lights. If I'd been the man Hailey needed, everything would be different

Gio would know me. Would call me Dad. Would look at me with love instead of fear.

My phone buzzed. Tiana.

Tiana: Just landed. Let's meet tomorrow. We need to discuss the Gio's situation. She kept My nephew from us for five years. Time to remind her what happens when you cross a Langford.

I typed back: Lunch tomorrow. 1 PM. The usual place.

Tiana: That's perfect. I have ideas. You're getting your son back, little brother. I promise.

I set down the phone and finished my scotch.

Maybe Kim was right. Maybe this was about regret.

But it was too late to fix it now.

All I could do was fight for what should've been mine.

Even if it meant destroying everything I'd chosen.