Security Breach

by Evan Grace

  “Tomorrow we’ll spend the day together. How does that sound? Just us two girls.” She grabs my hand, surprising me.

  “That sounds really great.”

  We talk for little bit longer before I leave her to get ready for bed, and head down the hall to our room. Reece is lying in bed looking at his phone. “Is she all settled?” he asks as I climb into bed.

  “Yeah. Thank you again. I know the things I’ve told you paint her as a bad mom, but maybe she’s ready to start trying.”

  “Promise me that you’ll be careful, I’m serious—I know I said it before, but I’d feel better if you didn’t get your hopes up,” he says quietly before kissing my lips. We sink into bed, my back snug against his chest. “I love you.”

  I love to hear him say that. “I love you too.” He touches me behind my ear, and his hand cups my belly.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Reece

  After texting Jack right before bed the night before, I’m not surprised he shows up first thing this morning. I let him in and get him a cup of coffee before we head out to the back deck. He paces back and forth before stopping in front of me. “What the fuck is she doing here?” Both Del and her mom are upstairs getting ready.

  “She claims she’s here to spend time with Del. She’d called Brandon and he told her about Delilah being sick, so she waited two weeks before she decided to show up. She’s taking Delilah shopping today for the baby.” I look through the sliding doors, and then turn back to Jack. “I don’t trust her, and I don’t like it, but fuck, she seemed so happy her mom wanted to do something with her.”

  Jack scrubs a hand over his salt-and-pepper hair. “That woman is manipulative and doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants. I swear to God if she hurts my little girl, I will make her pay.”

  “Do you think she’s going to try something?”

  “No…maybe…I don’t know, but I’ve seen that woman let my daughter down over and over again.” He moves closer. “For a split second I seriously thought she was behind the stuff with Del, but that idiot I told you she’s dating had an alibi, so that’s shot. By the way, the fingerprints on the box with the doll in it were just your mom’s. Whoever sent it was fucking smart and probably wore gloves.”

  We don’t talk longer because Del and her mom step outside. “Looking good, Jack,” Becky says.

  “Thanks, Becky. You’ve…had some work done.”

  I try not to snicker.

  I don’t miss the way that Delilah stiffens. I grab her and pull her into my arms, waiting for the fight to start, but instead Becky smiles widely. “Yep, and it was worth every penny. It was on your dime too.” She reaches up and pats Jack’s cheek, and I swear he looks like he’s ready to pummel her, but Delilah puts her hand on her mother’s arm.

  “Mom, stop—please. Daddy, I’ll see you later.”

  Delilah stops in front of me and pushes up to kiss my lips. “Mom’s taking us to dinner, don’t forget.”

  I watch her and Becky leave and let out a deep breath. “Jesus, is it like that always between you two?”

  “Unfortunately, and I’ve tried being cordial for Delilah’s sake. But I know how nasty that bitch can be. She’s up to something, I can just feel it. Do we have someone on them?”

  “Yep, Erik’s tailing them all day. He’ll make sure Delilah’s safe.”

  Jack nods, and we head inside.

  ***

  While Delilah is out with her mom, Jack helps me turn my office into the nursery for the baby. Right now the crib and everything is in the room that Delilah had been staying in; eventually my office will go somewhere else. I just hope Del loves what we’re doing.

  We’re painting the walls a light gray color with robin’s egg blue accents, or whatever the fuck it’s called. My mom bought tons of stuff that Del doesn’t even know about yet, her and Rachel both. The nursery is going to be completely decorated by the time Del gets home, and our son’s dresser is full of clothes. A little bathtub sits inside the crib filled with baby wash, lotion, and powder. I’ll never be able to thank my mom and sister for what they’ve done. They’ve made my girl feel like part of the family.

  It takes most of the morning to paint, and Jack’s been running a fan to help it dry more quickly. He doesn’t want Del inhaling those fumes.

  Erik texts me multiple updates, and it actually sounds like Delilah and her mom are having a good time. They hit the mall, Target, and stopped for lunch. This is exactly what my girl needed, and I hope her mom doing this stuff is because she genuinely wants to be in her grandson’s life. Del is so strong, but I don’t know if she could handle it if this was just some ploy.

  We finish, and he slaps me on the back. “My daughter is going to love this.” Jack looks at me. “Please thank your mom and sister for me. I appreciate it so much.”

  Everything is moved into position, but the furniture isn’t against the wall until at least tomorrow. We want to make sure the paint is dry. It’s perfect timing too, because Erik just texted me that Del and her mom are heading back this way. Jack decides to leave, not wanting to see Becky again. I can’t say that I blame him.

  I jump in the shower and am just getting dressed when I hear the front door open. I slip into my boots before heading downstairs. The two women—who look more like sisters than mother/daughter—are carrying several bags in.

  “Hey, honey.” Delilah wraps her arms around my middle and tilts her head back for my kiss.

  “What do you have in all these bags?”

  “We got some sleepers and onesies. We got diapers, and I bought a breast pump for when I go back to work.”

  “That’s great. Why don’t you come upstairs with me—I want to show you something.” I cover her eyes and lead her upstairs. I feel her mom behind me but I don’t care. Nothing this woman does will make me forget the stuff I’ve heard.

  Once we’re up the stairs, I lead her to the door of the nursery. “Your dad and I wanted to do something special for you. Your mom taking you out today was the perfect distraction so we could do it.”

  I push open the door and remove my hand from her eyes. She steps into the room and slowly spins around. I begin to get nervous when she doesn’t say anything, but she comes to stand right in front of me. “I love it so much. Thank you.” Tears leak from her eyes, and I brush them away. “He’s going to love sleeping in this room.”

  “I’m so glad you love it, baby. Once he’s here and we pick a name, we’re going to have it stenciled on the wall above his crib.” She moves toward the dresser, picking up the frame, and I know what she’s seeing—it was taken when my parents came to town. I had taken the selfie of us, and I was kissing her cheek while she smiled at the camera.

  “I love this picture of us,” she tells me.

  “Me too.”

  Her mom and I head downstairs while Delilah takes a shower. I decided earlier that I’d just make us dinner instead of her taking us out. All I care about, though, is the fact that she’s leaving in the morning. She’s got me on edge, and I’ve had to pretend that I’m okay with the vile woman being here near Delilah and my son.

  I pull the chicken out of the refrigerator and season it before setting it aside. Chopping up the vegetables, I ignore the fact that her mom is leaning against the counter watching me. I make the foil packets for the grill and set those aside before heading out to start it.

  When I come inside, Becky is right where I left her, except she’s got a twinkle in her eye that I don’t like.

  She moves until we’re practically touching. “She sure picked a good one. You’re so fucking sexy. I think you and I could have a lot of fun together…a lot more fun than that prudish daughter of mine. All her little boyfriends used to love to come over and have fun.” Becky grabs onto my forearm. “I used to let them fuck me since Delilah wouldn’t give it up.”

  Acid festers in my gut. This woman is fucking sick in the head. She’s like the villains in those Lifetime movies my mom used to watch. “Do you hear yoursel
f right now? That is your daughter, and I’m the man in love with her, and soon to be father of your grandchild.”

  “Oh, please. You don’t have any idea how it was raising her. She always thought she was better than me, smarter than me, and prettier than me, but I showed her over and over again when the boys would come sniffing around. They’d take one look at me and forget all about her.” I don’t know if she wants me to be impressed by that, but all I feel is grossed out and disturbed.

  I grab her hand and pull it off me. “Why are you doing this? What was the point coming here? You made her believe you wanted to be a part of her life, buying all that stuff for the baby.”

  She throws her head back and laughs. It even sounds evil, like some bad soap opera. “I wanted to see for myself what was going on between the two of you. You would’ve told me to get lost right away if I didn’t seem genuine. Ugh…the whole time she talked about you, being in love, and that fucking baby. It was so boring, I felt myself almost fall asleep. The only fun part about her used to be Brandon.”

  Becky moves so fast I don’t have a chance to stop her. She grabs my dick and wraps her other arm around my neck, pulling me down and putting her lips on mine. I grab her shoulders and roughly push her back. “What the fuck? Why the fuck would you do that?”

  I’m going to fucking vomit. I can taste her gum in my mouth. She smiles and then shrugs her shoulders.

  “Get…Out!” I turn and find Delilah in the doorway. Her eyes are so fucking sad my heart breaks for her.

  “Oh honey, I was just testing him. You don’t want to be with someone who’ll fuck your mom, do you?”

  “All I ever wanted was for you to love me, but I guess that was too much to ask for. Get your shit, get the fuck out, and don’t ever show your face around here again.”

  Her mom moves toward her, but I get in between them. “Don’t look at her. Don’t talk to her. Get your shit and go.”

  Becky smiles up at me. “She’ll forgive me—she always does. Baby girl, you know I love you.”

  “You sure have a great way of showing it. I’m done with you. If anyone asks about my mom, I’m telling them that you’re dead.” I watch my girl bolt upstairs as fast as she can, and then hear the slam of a door—our door. “Becky, get your shit and leave now. If you don’t, I’ll send Jack to escort you out, because I bet he’d love to.”

  That crazy bitch sashays her ass up the stairs and returns ten minutes later with her bag. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again,” she says as she walks by me and out of the house. I move to the door and as soon as she pulls out of the driveway I lock it, run out to shut off the grill, and throw the food into the refrigerator.

  I take the steps two at a time, and when I reach our door, it’s locked. I put my ear to it and can hear her crying. “Baby, she’s gone. Let me in, please.”

  She doesn’t respond, and her cries become harder and harder. Delilah is killing me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. “I know you’re hurting right now, but let me in. Let me see to you.”

  I put my back to the wall and slide down until my butt is on the floor. “I’ll be right outside when you’re ready for me,” I say to the door, hoping she can hear me.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot Jack a text.

  Reece: Hey Jack sorry to be the one to tell you but Becky came on to me tonight, said some hurtful things, and then left. Delilah’s locked in our room crying.

  Jack: That fucking bitch! I knew it, I knew she couldn’t change. I’m on my way.

  Reece: No, I’ll text you when she comes out. I’m right here if she needs me.

  The little black dots bounce before Jack responds.

  Jack: Thanks for looking after my girl.

  Reece: Of course. I’d do everything in my power to erase that whole situation from her mind.

  I must’ve dozed off for a bit because the hallway is hidden more in the shadows. I hear a strange moaning sound from our bedroom. “Del baby, are you okay?

  She cries, but I can hear her moving around in there. Her moan sifts through the door and it doesn’t sound good. “Baby, open the fucking door. What’s wrong?” Del continues to moan, and then cry.

  I grab onto the doorknob and hit the door hard enough with my shoulder that it pops open. In the darkness of my room, I find her on the floor in the opening of the en suite. Rushing to her side, I drop down to my knees. “Delilah, what’s wrong?”

  She looks up at me, and her eyes are rimmed in red as tears continuously leak from them. “I-I’m h-having c-c-contractions.” Her moan breaks my heart and scares the shit out of me.

  I scoop her up into my arms and carry her down the stairs. I set her down while I grab my keys and wallet, and her purse. On the way to the hospital, I call her OB’s answering service and ask them to inform the doctor that she’s heading to the hospital.

  When we get there, the valet helps Del out and into a wheelchair. I hand him the keys, and then I wheel her to the information desk. They send us to their labor and delivery unit and put us in a room. After she changes into the hospital gown, she climbs onto the bed so the nurse can monitor the contractions. Before she leaves us, she tells Delilah that she’ll be watching from the monitors in the nurse’s station.

  Delilah stares at the wall, looking so sad. I pull up the chair and sit down next to the bed, reaching out to take her hand in mine. She doesn’t squeeze it or hold on. It just sits limply in mine.

  “Baby, please look at me.” She turns to me and her brown eyes that usually shine so bright are dull and vacant. “I’m sorry, baby. I hate this so much for you. I wish I would’ve sent her away the minute she showed up.”

  A lone tear leaks from her eye. I reach for it and wipe it away with my thumb. A knock on the door sounds, and I turn my head to see Jack walk in. He takes one look at Delilah and opens his mouth, but I stop him. I get up and herd him out the door. “I want to see my daughter.”

  “You will, but man, I’ve got to tell you she is not doing well.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think she witnessed everything that went down with her mom. That woman is a piece of work. She let me know that she fucked all of Del’s boyfriends because Del chose to remain a virgin. She grabbed my dick and fucking kissed me. The smell of her perfume is still stuck in my nose, I can still taste her in my mouth, and I’m fucking nauseous. She thought we could have a real good time together.”

  Before I can say more, Jack grabs his phone out of his pocket, punches a few buttons, and holds it to his ear. “Just when I can’t think you can sink any lower, you surprise me. Fuck me, Rebecca!” Oh shit. “I know you hate me, but that’s our fucking daughter! Don’t ever contact her again, and you will never get another dime from me.” He hits a button and stuffs the phone into his pocket. “Take me to my girl.”

  Back in the room, Delilah is holding her belly and moaning. “Are you having another one?” She nods, so at least she’s answering me now.

  Her dad stands on the other side of the bed and grabs Delilah’s hand. “Hey, baby girl. Is my grandson giving you trouble already?” She nods. I look at the monitor and back at her; her eyes are closed now. Jack sits on the side of the bed. “Del, don’t let her get to you. She’s not a good person, and that doesn’t reflect on you. You are not her.”

  Jack sighs, moving into a chair on his side, and we quietly watch some college football. After about an hour, the nurse comes in. “Delilah, the doctor wants me to check you, and as long as you’re not dilating, then you can go.”

  Jack excuses himself, and I grab Del’s hand. The nurse slips on some gloves, squirts some gel on her fingers, and reaches between Del’s legs. “No change from when you got here, but your cervix is definitely softening.”

  “Does that mean she can go into labor anytime? She still has a little over a month to go.” I bend down, kissing Delilah’s forehead.

  “No, it can happen long before labor actually starts. What you felt today was called Braxton-Hicks contractions
. Sometimes they can be simple tightening of your belly, sometimes they can feel like the real deal. If you feel them again, I want you to drink some water and lie on your left side. That’ll usually stop them or slow them down. Go ahead and get dressed, and I’ll get your discharge papers.”

  The nurse steps out, and I help Delilah get dressed. Her dad comes back in with the nurse and watches quietly as I lift my girl off the bed and into the waiting wheelchair. An aide comes and pushes her down to the lobby while I run out and give the valet my ticket. The aide wheels her out when my car arrives, and I get her settled inside.

  Jack says he’s following us to my place. She’s silent the whole drive back, and just staring out the window. “Are you hungry? We never ate dinner.”

  She says nothing and continues to stare out the window until we arrive. After I help her inside, she goes upstairs, and I wait for her dad to pull in the driveway. I hold the door for him. “Did she go upstairs?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to go check on her, and then I’ll start the grill. I’ve got some chicken and vegetables in the refrigerator.”

  “I’ll start dinner—you just see if you can get my daughter down here to eat.” I slap him on the shoulder before heading upstairs. Taking the steps two at a time, I head up to my bedroom, but find it empty. I check the spare bedroom that her mom had slept in, but it’s empty too. I open the door to the nursery and the strong scent of paint hits me, but what else I find obliterates me.

  Delilah is sitting in the middle of the floor with a teddy bear in her lap. I sit down behind her, fitting my chest to her back. I wrap my arms around her, and I feel her body start to shake and know she’s crying. I kiss her behind her ear. “I know. Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

  She turns slightly between my legs and buries her face in my neck. I hold her until her tears finally stop.