Ainsley

I gape in shock, just standing there staring at him silently for I don't know how long. He hasn't changed much since I saw him last. Short dark hair, sharp nose, unforgiving eyes. He looks every bit the lawyer in his crisp black suit, even on a Sunday afternoon. He always did give off sleazeball vibes, but this can't truly be happening. Surely I'm still drunk and this is just a nightmare, right? I mean, shit like this doesn't happen.

"Ainsley." He says and I snap out of my stupor.

"Your daughter?" I ask incredulously and he rolls his eyes.

"Yes. The child running around with half of my DNA." He says and I scoff.

"You mean the child you haven't laid eyes on in the six years she's been on this planet? You mean the child that you couldn't pick out of a line up if your life depended on it?" I yell at him and he sighs running an annoyed hand through his hair.

"Look, Ainsley-" He starts, but I cut him off.

"Do you even know her name?" I ask and he narrows his eyes at me.

"What?" He asks and I raise my voice.

"Do you know her fucking name, Travis?" I ask and he nods.

"Yes. It's on your social media. That's how we found you." He says and I am stunned into silence again.

"What are you playing at?" I ask and he shrugs non-committally.

"I want to be her father. Be a part of her life. She's my daughter I think I deserve that." He says and I growl out of frustration.

"No! She's not your daughter. She was Sarah's daughter and now she's mine. You didn't want anything to do with her. You don't get to traipse in here after all these years and act like you're entitled to jack shit of anything. We both know being a father is never what you wanted. So how about you tell me the real reason you're here and we discuss this like adults?" I say firmly and he sighs heavily.

"Look. I only need her until my grandpa dies. Then you can have her back. A few months, tops. I swear." He practically pleads and I recoil from his words.

"What in the actual fuck?!" I scream.

"The great Arthur Hammond has decided that unless I procreate and pass on the family name, I'm not worthy to be in his will." Travis says and suddenly everything begins to click together.

I remember Sarah telling me how Travis came from a family of powerful judges, lawyers and political positions. That that was part of why he didn't want anything to do with Willow. That it would make his family look bad. She was frustrated by it at first, but was then grateful that he was so willing to stay out of the way when it came to Willow.

"You're despicable." I spit at him and he just chuckles.

"You'd be despicable for a few hundred thousand dollars too, sweetheart." He says and I shake my head.

"There's no amount of money in this world that would make me give up Willow. She is mine." I seethe and Travis sighs again.

"Look, I'm doing you a favor by coming here. I want to do this as simply as possible. Just loan me the kid and when the old man kicks the bucket and I get my money, you can have her back. I'll even give you some. How about ten or fifteen thousand?" He asks smugly and I just stare at him again.

Surely he's not serious?

"She's not a baby, Travis. She's six years old. What makes you think she will go live with strangers and not throw a fit? Or worse, be traumatized. You could do lasting damage to her. Do you really not give a shit about that?" I ask and he sighs again.

"I want to make this as painless as possible. You can still see her. In the grand scheme of things it'll be a blip in her life. She probably won't even remember it when she's older." He tries to justify and I shake my head.

"No. You're insane. I'm not giving her up. Not for anything." I say firmly and he narrows his eyes at me.

"I tried to be nice. Don't make me take you to court, Ainsley. We both know you can't afford it." He says cruelly and my heart sinks to my stomach.

"And how are you going to explain this to your family? To a judge? You had a sudden change of heart? You think anyone would take a child away from the person who has raised her for years because you suddenly decided you want to be a father?" I shout at him and he chuckles dangerously.

"No. I don't. Which is why I'm going to tell them I didn't know about Willow. That I had no idea my one time tryst with Sarah resulted in a child. I'm going to tell them that Sarah never told me about her. That a mutual friend saw the child and put the pieces together and informed me. At which point I sprung into action to find her. To implore you to let me be a part of her life. But when you refused I had no other option than to take legal action. Not that it will matter when I demand a paternity test and it comes back positive. They won't be able to deny me of my rights then." He says and my body begins to shake with a mixture of rage of mind numbing fear.

"That's a fucking lie and we both know it." I snarl and he just shrugs.

"The court won't know it, though. And that's what really matters." He says with a smirk that I want to smack right off of his face. I shake my head in disbelief, trying to make this whole situation disappear.

"They won't take her away from me. I've been there her whole life." I say and he grins at me again.

"Is that really a chance you're willing to take? Do things my way and you'll retain custody. No fuss. I'll give her back and we can pretend this never happened. You make me take you to court, I'll fucking bury you in fees. You'll go bankrupt. There's no way you'll even be able to afford to raise her then."

He continues to smile as he dismantles my entire life, right before my eyes. Everything I've worked for, everything I love he wants to take away from me. Panic begins to set into my bones, burrowing deep in my soul as I feel myself backed into a corner, my brain trying to fight my way out like a caged animal. But then I think of Sarah, my heart breaking at the thought of letting her down, and I know what I have to do.

"No. I won't do it. I won't agree to this ridiculous plan of yours. I could never live with myself." I say firmly. He sighs and shakes his head in mock disappointment.

"I figured you'd say that. You'll be hearing from my lawyers tomorrow. The court date is set for Friday." He says and my mouth drops in shock.

"That can't be possible. Things like that must take months. There's no way it's that soon." I say, my words falling out of my mouth quickly, spurred on by my panic.

"The Hammond name holds a lot of weight. When I told my grandfather about his long lost great granddaughter, he moved mountains to get her back as soon as possible." He says with a cruel smirk and I feel bile rise up in my throat.

"Good luck finding someone to take on such a big case at such short notice. Well, one you can afford anyway." He says with a chuckle as he turns and walks away, whistling as if he's already won.

I feel the blood drain from my face as I stagger back into my house. I clutch my stomach, running for the bathroom as I fold over my toilet and empty the contents of my stomach into it. I sit up, my body shaking as the realization of what's happening sets in. I take a few deep breaths before I break, laying on the bathroom floor as painful sobs wrack through my body, refusing to stop no matter how hard I try.