Thanks for Not Marrying Me

After three years in a long-distance relationship, I went straight to the courthouse as soon as my flight landed, ready to marry Willow Payne. Instead, she showed up holding a newborn baby. Without a trace of guilt, she placed the baby in my arms. "This is Rachel, my daughter with Preston. You can raise her from now on." My mind went blank. Standing beside her, my childhood friend, Preston Webb, burst out laughing. "Willow and I got drunk one night, and one thing led to another. We ended up sleeping together. Your time working out of town is finally over, and now you get to come home and be a dad. Hell of a surprise, right?" I stared at them. "Do you seriously think this is funny?" Preston only grinned wider. "Willow and I made a bet about whether you'd cry when you found out she had my baby. I said you wouldn't. So I won. Willow promised to travel the world with me until I get bored and feel like coming back." Willow gave him an amused look, then turned to me like she was doing me a favor. "My daughter is your daughter, too. Take good care of her. When I get back, I'll marry you." She took Preston's hand and walked away with him. I looked down at the baby in my arms. Her skin and the whites of her eyes were so yellow that even I knew something was wrong. I called after them, but neither one looked back. Three years later, Willow showed up at my workplace. "Michael, I'm here to keep my promise. Let's get married. "But Preston and I have a daughter together. We thought it would be better for her if her parents were legally married, so Preston and I got married. "I can't legally marry you anymore, but I can still give you the wedding." She pulled out a wedding band and reached for my hand, trying to slip it onto my finger. I knocked her hand away and stepped back. "I already have a wedding ring. My wife gave it to me." Chapter 1 Willow Payne froze for a second. Her eyes dropped to my bare ring finger, and the confidence in her expression only grew. "You're still the same as ever. Always saying things just to get back at me when you're mad. Come on. Don't be like that. I'm back now, aren't I?" Her tone turned coaxing as she reached up and brushed her fingers against my cheek like she used to. I turned my face away and stepped back. "Willow, we broke up three years ago." Inside, I cursed myself for rushing out that morning and leaving my wedding ring by the sink. Willow's hand stopped in midair. Then she gave me a helpless smile. "I know you're still upset about Preston, but what happened happened. All I could do was find a solution that worked for everyone." The way she said it, like she was being thoughtful and reasonable, almost made me laugh. I scoffed. "And your brilliant solution was to marry him legally and have a wedding with me?" "Of course. Preston and I have a daughter together. She deserves to have married parents." Then she added, "But we can't have a big wedding either. It wouldn't be fair to him if you and I had one and he didn't." Her ridiculous logic actually made me laugh, though there was nothing funny about it. "You're really that sure I'd wait around for you to come back and marry me?" She mistook my laugh for happiness, and the confidence in her eyes only grew. "You loved me enough to risk your life for me. I just lost my way for a little while. There's no way you'd ever leave me." Willow was talking about our graduation trip, when she fell into a ravine while messing around near the water. Search and rescue teams looked for her all day and through the night. Just as they were about to call off the search, I ignored everyone's warnings and went downstream to look for her myself. I found her unconscious on the riverbank. I carried her out on my back. At one point, I slipped, and when I tried to keep her from getting hurt, I hit my head on a rock and ended up unconscious for three days. When I finally woke up, Willow hugged me with tears in her eyes. "I know you love me, but you shouldn't have risked your life like that." Later, during the three years I worked out of town, I used my vacation days to come back and marry her, but she stood me up every single time. Once, I asked her, "Aren't you afraid I'll leave you?" She stroked my cheek with a smile. "You love me more than your own life. I know you'd never leave me." So that was it. I loved her so much that she convinced herself she could do whatever she wanted, and I would still be there, waiting for her. I looked at her coldly, ready to tell her exactly who my wife was. Before I could say anything, Preston Webb pushed open the door and walked in. As if he had completely forgotten everything he had done, he opened his arms and walked straight toward me. "Michael, I'm back. Miss me?" I stepped aside. His smile faded, and he dropped his arms. "Come on, man. I even left Rachel with you. Are you still pissed at me?" I used to hate both him and Willow for betraying me. Now, I just thought they deserved each other. They hurt me, then acted like they had done me some huge favor, and thought I was the unreasonable one for not being grateful. "Come on, I even brought you something. Are you still holding this against me?" As Preston spoke, he pulled several watches out of his bag. I recognized them immediately. They were all promotional watches he complained about online, calling them cheap and outdated. Willow bought him the expensive ones herself and never seemed to think twice about spending money on him. I once bought a watch from the same brand, only for her to tell me it was too flashy and impractical. When I stayed quiet, Willow immediately started scolding me again. "Michael, what's with the attitude? Preston brought you gifts, and you can't even say thank you?" I frowned and opened my mouth to respond, but Preston grabbed my wrist first. "Forget the gifts. Michael, where's my daughter? I want to see her." At the mention of Rachel Webb, a flicker of pain crossed my face. I didn't want to waste another second arguing with either of them, so I pulled my hand free. "I haven't seen her in years. Go ask Willow's mother." The moment the words left my mouth, Willow gave a cold laugh. "You haven't seen her in years? Then who's that?" Chapter 2 Willow pointed to the wall on my left, her gaze landing on a framed photo. It was a picture of my daughter, Julie Thompson, and me. "She's my daughter…" "That's my kid!" Preston cut me off. He pushed past me and grabbed the photo off the wall. He stared at Julie's face for a long moment, his jaw tightening. "Willow, look at her. She looks just like you." Willow took the photo from him and studied it closely. "She does. You can tell she's ours." Then Preston turned to me, his expression hardening as his tone turned accusatory. "Michael, I thought we were best friends. You seriously couldn't send me one picture of my own daughter in three years?" He actually had the nerve to ask me that. Willow blocked me everywhere because she didn't want me interrupting their time together. And I did try calling Preston about Rachel. He either hung up on me or ignored my calls, then went right back to posting pictures online, showing off his expensive trips and perfect relationship. The sheer entitlement on his face almost made me laugh. "She's my daughter. Why would I send you pictures of her?" "Enough!" Willow snapped, glaring at me. "Michael, Preston and I asked you to take care of our daughter. We never said you could start acting like she was yours." She paused and looked around my studio, her expression growing even more displeased. "We left her with you so you could focus on raising her. How are you supposed to do that if you spend all your time working? Preston doesn't have a job right now anyway. Give him the studio." I stared at her, wondering if I had heard her right. "You dumped your kid on me to raise, and now you want my studio, too? What makes you think you have any right to it?" Willow frowned. When she saw how angry I was, she let out another impatient sigh. "You and Preston have been friends since you were kids. He's been traveling for three years and never had a chance to build a career. Is helping him out really such a big deal?" Preston looked at me expectantly. "Come on, Michael. You've always looked out for me. You'll help me this time too, right?" My contempt for him only grew. Preston grew up with a single mother. After she remarried, he was mostly left to fend for himself. I even used part of my own allowance to help pay his tuition so he could finish college. During the last year I worked out of town, he told me his girlfriend was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby. I had never met her, and I didn't ask too many questions. I even helped him find a hospital. Back then, he joked, "Michael, there's nobody I'd trust more to be my kid's godfather." Then the baby was born, and I found out Willow had been pregnant with Preston's child while I was away. I looked at him and finally asked the question that had bothered me for years. "The five times Willow and I were supposed to get married, were you the reason she never showed up?" Guilt flashed across Preston's face. "I had some things going on back then, and I needed her. Besides, that was years ago. What's the point of bringing it up now? Enough stalling. What do I have to do before you'll let me see my daughter?" By the end, he sounded genuinely offended, like I was the one keeping him from the child he abandoned. A vein throbbed in my temple. My phone buzzed with a message from my wife. [I'm free today. I'll come pick you up in a bit.] I checked the time. She would be off work in 20 minutes. The last thing I wanted was for her to run into Willow today. Holding on to what little patience I had left, I looked at both of them. "Your daughter really isn't with me. I have things to do, so you both need to leave." "How can you be this cold?" Preston suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and glared at me like I was the one who had done something wrong. Chapter 3 "Rachel's our daughter. What right do you have to keep me from seeing her?" Preston's eyes turned red as he glared at me, looking genuinely shaken. But his grip only tightened, his fingers digging painfully into my shoulders. I winced and shoved his hands off my shoulders. Preston immediately staggered back several steps like I had pushed him much harder than I had. Willow rushed to steady him, then turned on me. "Michael, what the hell is wrong with you? Preston just wants to see Rachel. Why did you shove him?" Three years apart, and somehow, Willow had lost all sense of right and wrong. Preston rubbed his shoulder and gave me a wounded look. "Forget it. Michael still hates us. We can come back for Rachel tomorrow." That only made Willow more protective of him. When she looked at me again, the anger in her eyes was unmistakable. "Apologize," she demanded. I just stared at her coldly. When I didn't move, she frowned. "Fine. If you won't apologize, then sign the studio over to Preston. That'll make up for it." She pulled out a transfer agreement and held it out to me. Preston's signature was already on it. So they had come prepared. My disgust for both of them only grew. "And if I don't sign?" Willow's expression darkened. "Then forget about the wedding." I couldn't help laughing. "Who said I wanted to marry you? I already have a wife." She kept one hand on Preston's arm and grabbed my wrist with the other. "Stop talking nonsense! Who else would you marry besides me?" I didn't tell her my wife was Camila Payne, someone with enough influence to get Willow cut off from the Paynes if she wanted to. There was no telling what Willow might do if she found out. She stared at me. When I stayed silent, a faint smile tugged at her lips. She stepped closer and softened her voice. "Stop saying things just to hurt me. I came back because I still wanted us to work. "Just sign the agreement. I'll pay you for the studio. "You and Preston have been friends since you were kids. Help him get on his feet. It would make things easier for everyone." I gave a cold laugh. "So you want me to hand over the studio I built from the ground up just so your husband can have something respectable to show your family?" I could barely believe what I was hearing. How did she get this entitled in just three years? Willow froze for a second, then her expression hardened. "Michael, when did you get so petty? "Preston and I are legally married. Sooner or later, we have to take Rachel home to meet my family. "If Preston doesn't even have a decent career, my mom is going to make his life miserable." So she knew perfectly well that her mother, Patricia Payne, looked down on any man she thought wasn't good enough for her daughter. When I first graduated and was still working as an intern, Patricia came to see me. She told me to my face that I came from an ordinary family and would never fit into their world. I was so humiliated that I almost ended the relationship. But I loved Willow, so instead, I decided to prove myself. Back then, I worked myself into the ground and barely slept five hours a night. Willow never once told me to slow down. But now, for Preston, she was willing to take away the studio I built from scratch. I had had enough. I was about to throw them both out when Julie's voice suddenly came from the doorway. "Daddy, I'm back!" The nanny, Natalie Johnson, took Julie out for a walk every afternoon and usually brought her by the studio around this time. The second Julie stepped through the door, Preston rushed over and scooped her up before she even realized what was happening. "Darling, I finally got to meet you!" Julie went stiff in his arms. Then she burst into tears. Chapter 4 Julie stared at me through tear-filled eyes and reached both arms toward me. "Daddy! Daddy! No! Let go! I want Daddy!" Her terrified cries made my chest tighten. I rushed forward to take her back, but before I could reach her, Preston handed her to Willow and stepped in front of me. Then he shoved me hard in the chest. "Michael, I asked you to take care of my daughter. I never told you to make her think you were her father. I trusted you, and you actually tried to replace me?" He looked at me like I was the one who betrayed him. Julie cried even harder. Natalie hurried over to take her, but Preston blocked her. "I'm taking Rachel home today," he snapped. "From now on, stay away from my daughter." Julie was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath. I couldn't stand there and watch anymore. I reached for her. "She's my daughter, not yours. Give her back." Before I could reach her, Willow grabbed my arm and yanked me back. "Michael, what is wrong with you? Why are you so determined to act like Preston's daughter is yours? She's three years old and doesn't even recognize her own father. What have you been telling her all this time?" Caught off guard, I stumbled backward and hit my lower back against the corner of the table. Pain shot through me, and sweat broke out across my skin. I looked at Willow's furious face and gave a bitter laugh. "How I raise my daughter is none of your business." Willow's expression darkened, and she raised a hand like she was about to slap me. Then Preston suddenly shouted. Julie, seeing me hurt, had lunged at him, biting down hard on the back of his hand. "Damn it!" Preston ripped his hand away and shoved her back. Julie was too small to catch herself. She stumbled backward, fell, and hit her forehead hard on the floor. Blood immediately started running down her face. "She has a bleeding disorder. She needs to get to a hospital now!" My vision went red. I rushed toward Julie, but Willow kicked me hard in the knee. My leg gave out, and I dropped to the floor. "You taught my daughter to attack her own father! Don't you think you owe us an explanation?" Natalie hurried over and picked Julie up, but blood kept pouring from the cut on her forehead. Panic surged through me. I shoved Willow away. "Willow, she won't stop bleeding! Are you blind?" I ignored everything else and pulled Julie into my arms. Her cries had already gone hoarse, and she looked up at me weakly. "Daddy..." Preston stepped over and took her from me, his expression hard. "Michael, quit making this into something it's not just because you're mad at me. It's a small cut. You're acting like it's some kind of emergency. You've spoiled her." Willow looked at me coldly. "Preston's right. You're overreacting. You've coddled her so much that she falls apart over a little blood. What are you going to do when she gets older?" My blood boiled. I was about to answer when Natalie suddenly screamed. "She passed out!" I spun around. Julie's eyes were closed, and blood had already run down the side of her face. "Get her to the hospital!" I grabbed Julie back and ran outside. But just as I reached the car, Preston hit me hard in the back of the head. My vision blurred, and black spots danced in front of my eyes. "Michael, I told you to stay away from my daughter." Willow glared at me. "You're getting more ridiculous by the minute. "It's bad enough that you've been acting like Preston's daughter is yours. Now everyone around her treats you like you're her father, too. "What exactly have you been telling them?" She reached for Julie. But this time, I held on as tightly as I could. Willow tried to pull Julie away from me. I couldn't risk hurting her any more than she already was, so I loosened my grip. The second I did, Preston shoved me hard to the ground. "If you want a daughter that badly, go have one of your own. Stop trying to take mine!" Willow didn't say a word. She didn't even look at me before getting into the car with Julie. Preston climbed in after her. A wave of panic hit me. Then tires screeched to a stop nearby. A woman's sharp, commanding voice cut through the air. "Where the hell are you taking my daughter?"