Chapter Text
“Cullen, we are not having this conversation right now!”
“You never want to have this conversation! When are we finally going to talk about what is going on with us? I would love for you to explain why serving me the divorce papers suddenly became so urgent that you had to disrupt me in middle of the work day. Did you enjoy embarrassing me in front of not only my coworkers, but my boss as well?”
“That’s because there isn’t all that much to talk about! Were you really that surprised by the papers? I saw a good opportunity to serve them to you and I took advantage of it.”
“You certainly picked the perfect time, one where you knew I couldn’t confront you about it. That’s low, even for you. I was supposed to know this would be coming? Apparently I don’t know much of anything lately. We hardly see one another because you seem to spend as much time away from home as possible. We barely communicate for more than a few minutes at a time, and only then if it concerns our child. It seems a little strange to me.”
“Cullen Stanton Rutherford, what is that supposed to mean?”
“Honestly Malyse, sometimes I wonder if you are seeing someone else.”
“How dare you consider such a thing!”
“No, how dare you do all of this behind my back! You’re just throwing everything that we worked so hard to achieve together! Don’t you even care how this affects me? How it will affect our daughter?”
“You keep Paige out of this!”
“Paige is the reason I am bringing this up in the first place! You go ahead and try to make all of these important decisions without me. This is something that we should be working on together, if not for our own sakes, then for hers. She deserves better than this.”
“You know what Paige deserves? She deserves to be happy, and she’s not going to find that here when we obviously aren’t functioning as a proper couple anymore. We can hardly even have a conversation without fighting. And I think your nightmares are affecting more aspects of your life than you think.”
“That is what you are the most concerned about, my nightmares? You know they affect me more when I am under a lot of stress. If you want to truly go through with this divorce, then it must be done delicately. Do you want her to have the same unhappy, damaged childhood that you did? Do you want her to wonder if her parents even love her, or if they just vie to be the favourite parent out of a sense of pride? She--”
Cullen’s head snapped to the side with the force of Malyse’s slap. “I told you to never mention that.” Her hand remained raised, ready to hit him again if he said anything else. For a moment, Cullen’s vision filled with stars. He slowly turned his head back to look at her, rubbing at his aching cheek. He was ashamed to admit to himself that he was starting to get used to this. Without another word Cullen left the room, leaving an enraged Malyse standing alone in the middle of the kitchen.
He made his way up the stairs and down the hall to their five year old daughter’s room. She was sitting at her pink princess table, a look of heavy concentration on her face as she worked on a crayon drawing. Kipper, Cullen’s beloved german shepherd, whined and thumped her tail against the floor as she saw him in the doorway. A grin spread across Paige’s face as she looked up to see what had caught Kipper’s attention. “Hi daddy!” she greeted, motioning him to join her at the table.
“Hello, my little goldilocks.” Cullen sank down beside her with a weary sigh and pulled Paige into his lap. He held her close, face buried in her golden curls. The ache and sorrow in his heart only grew as she giggled, snuggling closer against his chest and attempting to fit her small arms around his broad chest. Throat closing against a sob, Cullen felt his eyes filling with tears. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I tried so hard to keep us together as a functioning and happy family, for you. Only for you. But I’m afraid that it’s only making things worse. I’m so sorry that I have failed you…
Paige must have noticed his body trembling, as she pulled back slightly to look up into his face. “Daddy, why are you sad?” she asked, her green eyes wide.
Cullen sniffed slightly, wiping away the two tears that had managed to snake down his cheeks with the backs of his hand. “Daddy just had a very long day and is very frustrated, that’s all,” he assured her, bending down to kiss her nose.
Giggling, Paige stretched up to reciprocate the gesture. “Don’t be sad, daddy. Maybe if we do something fun, you won’t be sad anymore? Like go to the park?”
Cullen couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness. “I would love to go to the park with you. It might be nice to get out of the house for a while. Come on, let’s go get your coat and shoes.” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her downstairs.
---
The drive to the park was only about ten minutes, but in that time Cullen managed to calm down and get his emotions under control. Every mile he drove eased the heavy feeling that had been clenching around his heart and hindering his ability to draw a proper breath.
When they entered the park Paige immediately pulled him toward the sandbox in the corner, and he was content to let her guide him. She led him over to an empty corner and began making plans to build a large sandcastle for her stuffed pink nug, aptly named Pinky.
A buzzing from his back pocket reminded Cullen why they were at the park in the first place. With a small sigh he pulled his phone out and tapped the screen to check his notifications. He had several text messages from Melyse. “Paige, I have to talk to mommy for a few minutes. I’ll just be on the bench nearby if you need me, alright?”
Paige nodded. “Is mommy really mad at you again?” she asked as she began to shovel sand into one the buckets she had brought from the car.
Cullen’s heart sank at her words. I’ve wondered how much she understands about this whole mess. I guess that answers my question. “Ah, mommy is a little mad at me right now, yes.”
“Maybe if you say sorry, she won’t be so mad?”
He couldn’t help but smile a little at her words. “I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple, but thank you for the suggestion.” He leaned back against the back of the bench as he swiped his phone open to read the text messages.
[4:52pm] {Malyse}: Where did u run off to with Paige??
[4:52pm] {Malyse}: She’s supposed to have dinner soon!
[4:53pm] {Cullen}: I told you I was taking her to the park to give her a break from our fighting.
[4:54pm] {Cullen}: Besides, I need to spend some time away from you to clear my head and gather my thoughts. Things were getting too intense again.
[4:55pm] {Malyse}: I’m her mother, I know what’s best for her!!
[4:55pm] {Malyse}: And maybe if u actually LISTENED when I talk I wouldn’t have to YELL AT U all the time!!
[4:56pm] {Malyse}: I think I’m the one that needs to spend time away from u.
[4:57pm] {Cullen}: What?! You’re just parroting what I say. No, this is ridiculous. I’m done talking right now. We’ll be back in a little while.
[4:57pm] {Cullen}: You already spend so much time avoiding me, so what’s the difference????
[4:58pm] {Malyse}: CULLEN YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I SWEAR TO THE MAKER—
A squeal of pain snapped Cullen’s head up from his phone. His eyes were drawn to the sandbox with a sudden feeling of panic. He was already on his feet and striding forward before his mind fully processed the scene before him. Paige was on her feet, cheeks flushed a deep pink, her tiny hands balled into fists as she stared furiously at a little girl who was on the ground next to her. The other girl was holding the side of her head and crying loudly into the crook of her elbow.
Cullen pulled Paige away from the other girl, a heavy frown on his face. “Paige! What happened here?”
Paige pointed accusingly at the other girl, her green eyes flashing in fury. "She knocked my sand castle over!"
“Did you hit her?”
“It was perfect and then she wrecked it!”
“You didn’t have to hit her. I’m sure it was just an accident, Paige.” He turned his attention to the other girl. “Are you alright, sweetheart? Is your mommy or daddy here with you?”
“S-she hit me! Papa!” she wailed.
“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Cullen said soothingly. He huddled beside her and pushed her hair aside to expose her scalp where she had been holding it. It was slightly reddened, but there were no cuts or bruises so at least that meant Paige hadn’t seriously harmed her.
“What has happened here?” Cullen looked up to see a handsome, well-dressed man hurrying over to them.
“Is that your papa?” Cullen asked the girl. She nodded and held her arms out for him.
“My daughter hit yours, I’m afraid. I’m terribly sorry about this. I checked her head and she doesn’t appear to be injured.”
The man frowned slightly. “Ah, I see. Quite the temper on that one, hmm?” He sat down in the sandbox next to his daughter, unconcerned about his clothing, and pulled her into his lap. He folded his arms around her and began to rock her gently back and forth.
“She can have quite the temper, unfortunately. She must get that from her mother.” Cullen looked over at Paige, who was standing nearby with a now slightly guilty expression on her face, the pink having faded from her cheeks. He motioned her to come closer. “Paige, you should know that we don't hit people when we get upset."
Paige tilted her head at him. "Then why does mommy hit you when she's mad at you?"
A slightly hitched breath reminded Cullen that there were others within earshot. He felt a deep blush creep over his cheeks as he realized how terrible Paige’s statement must have sounded to the stranger. Airing my personal affairs in front of strangers is just the icing on the cake today. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable he feels now. The way she said it… Well, not that there is really any better way to put it, honestly…
Cullen knelt down next to Paige and took her hands between his own. “You should never have had to see such a terrible thing. It's wrong of mommy to hit me. No one should ever hit someone else. I think that you should tell this girl that you're sorry for what you did. Look, she’s crying.”
The other girl’s sobbing had subsided to the occasional sniffle, although a few tears still trailed down her cheeks. Paige sidled out of her father’s grasp and next to the girl. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she said as she dug her toe into the sand beneath her feet, suddenly shy. She looked thoughtful for a moment before bending down next to her ruined sandcastle and picking up Pinky the nug. She held him in her hands for a long moment before holding it out to the other girl.
“I’m sorry I made you sad. You can take Pinky. He always makes me feel better when I’m sad.”
“Really?” The other girl carefully took the stuffed animal in her hands, drawing it close against her chest. “He’s so cute,” she replied timidly as a smile lit up her face. “Thank you!”
---
“She misses you! You’re telling me that you can’t take an hour out of your day to come and visit her?”
“I’m sorry, Dorian, but I really can’t today.”
“You do remember that you are her father as well, don’t you? That you helped me raise her and therefore should have at least a hint of paternal love or even affection for her? That you should spend some time with her every once in a while? You promised her that you would show up this time!”
“I know I did, but something came up at the last minute.”
“What on earth could be more important than our daughter?! The last time you cancelled she cried for almost an hour! How can you do this to her?”
“Look, I said I was sorry, alright! Next time I will make it for sure. I can’t control when things come up. I have to go. I’ll text you later.”
Dorian snarled to himself as the line went dead. He began to pace back and forth, running a hand through his hair in frustration. I can’t believe him! Just because we are no longer dating doesn’t mean that he should just throw his obligations out the window! My poor Sierra… she’s going to be so heartbroken when I tell her that he cancelled yet again…
His head snapped around as he heard Sierra scream. She was holding her head and sitting at the feet of an angry blonde girl around the same age. He hurried over as a man with the same curly blonde hair crouched down to check if Sierra had been injured.
“What has happened here?” he asked with a small frown as he pulled Sierra into his arms and began to rock her soothingly. He listened as the man explained what had happened. He couldn’t help but notice that the man was incredibly attractive. Now is not the time, Dorian…
The man turned to talk to his daughter, and Dorian went about calming Sierra down. He had already determined she was not harmed, just surprised and a bit frightened. A fragment of the conversation next to him caught his attention. Then why does mommy hit you when she's mad at you? Dorian kept his head down and focused on Sierra, but his breath hitched slightly at the girl’s words. He didn’t even know the man, yet he couldn’t help but feel awfully sad for him. Sounds like I’m not the only one who is having relationship troubles at the moment… He rubbed Sierra’s back soothingly and murmured in her ear. “Now, now, Sierra. I’m sure that you were frightened and that it hurt, but I’m here now. Papa’s here.”
At the sound of shuffling footsteps, Dorian looked up to find the other girl looking at Sierra thoughtfully before picking up her stuffed nug and offering it to Sierra. Sierra accepted the gift with a shy smile and a thank you.
Dorian looked over at the blonde man. "That is very kind of your little one, but it’s really not necessary for her to give away one of her toys."
The man shrugged. "She likes to give presents when people are sad. Especially when she helps to make them that way."
Sierra was hugging the nug tightly to her chest. "That's so sweet. My dear, are you sure that you want to give this away? It seems like it is a favourite of yours.”
The girl nodded. “I have lots of toys. I don’t mind. Besides, it seems like she really likes nugs too.”
Dorian smiled. “That is correct. She does indeed like nugs.”
“They’re my favourites,” Sierra piped up shyly, burying her face in Dorian’s shirt.
Dorian chuckled as he stroked her dark hair. “That’s my girl.” He turned his attention to Cullen, noting the small smile on his face at the exchange. He had a lovely smile, and the scar on his upper lip only served to enhance it. He held out a hand. “I'm Dorian by the way. And this lovely child is Sierra.”
The blonde shook his hand, his grip strong beneath Dorian’s fingers. “Cullen. And my daughter is Paige. It's nice to meet you, although it's a shame it happened for this reason."
Dorian let go of his hand with the slightest hint of regret. He shook his head. "She is fine, I assure you. I think she was more startled than anything. She tends to be a bit dramatic sometimes, no doubt thanks to me."
“I know how that is. I’m fairly certain this one gets both her temper and her sass from her mother.” Dorian noted that Cullen’s mouth twitched slightly at the mention of Paige’s mother.
“Daddy!” Paige motioned Cullen to bend his head down so that she could whisper in his ear. Cullen smiled as he listened. Dorian looked over with a curious arch of an eyebrow.
“Paige wants to ask if Sierra wants to play with her sometime.”
Dorian looked down at his daughter. “What do you think, my love?”
“Yes!” she squeaked as she squeezed the stuffed nug tightly.
Dorian laughed. “I suppose I should get your number then so we can set up a play date sometime.” He rattled off his name and phone number as Cullen added a new contact, texting Dorian afterwards with his own information.
“Sierra, I’m afraid that we should be getting home now.”
“Daddy is coming over soon, right?”
Dorian had to bite his lip to hold back the angry comment that instantly sprang to mind. “I’m afraid not, Sierra. He called me a little while ago to tell me that he can’t come over today anymore. He said something very important came up and that he’s very sorry.”
“But he promised!” Sierra whined as her bottom lip trembled slightly.
“I know, my love. I’m so sorry. I told him not to promise anymore because he always breaks them.” He looked at Cullen apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to air our personal issues like this.”
Cullen cleared his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck. “No, no, it’s fine. I know the feeling. I’m, ah, having a bit of personal trouble as well, as you probably heard earlier.”
“I did happen to hear a thing or two, though I swear I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. It sounds like we have something in common. At least the dads will have something to talk about while the girls play.” Dorian patted Cullen’s shoulder and took Sierra’s hand in his own. “I will text you later on tonight or maybe tomorrow to set up the date. It was very nice to meet you, Cullen and Paige. Until next time.”