Her response of, “I need to see you,” put me even further on edge. I could feel the muscle in my jaw ticking.
“You’ll see me when you come to pick up Eliza in a few hours.”
“I need to see you now,” she demanded, ever the entitled brat.
“That’s not happening. I’m hanging up now.”
Just as I pulled the phone from my ear, I heard her frantic voice carrying through the speaker. “It’s about custody!”
My hand holding the phone paused. I sucked in a deep breath, holding the air in my lungs as I tried to calm myself before finally releasing it in a slow whoosh, dropping my feet to the floor and sitting up straight. “What about custody?” I asked once I’d brought the phone back to my ear.
“Look, I’m already in Pembrooke, okay? Can we please just meet somewhere and talk? It can even be public! I don’t care. I just need to talk to you in person about this.”
Did I trust Layla? No fucking way in Hell, but I couldn’t tell if the tears in her voice were real or fake, and when it came to my daughter’s welfare, I’d made myself completely clear. I wanted to believe that she wasn’t callous enough to actually cross me, especially after my threat, where our daughter was concerned. There was still a part of me that wanted to believe that somewhere, deep inside her, she loved Eliza.
It was for those reasons alone that I agreed to meet her.
“Fine. I’m about to take my lunch break. I’ll meet you at the Moose in ten, but I swear to God, Layla, if you’re fucking with me, that’s it. I’m contacting a lawyer and doing what I have to in order to get Eliza away from you.”
“I’m not, I swear! I’ll meet you in ten minutes. Thank you so much, Derrick.”
I disconnected the call feeling unsettled but not exactly sure why, other than being in the same room with Layla gave me hives. I stood from my desk and slipped my phone back in my pocket before heading out of the station.
Might as well get it over with. That way I could finish up my shift and get back home to my girls. That thought put a smile on my face. As I made my way down Main, walking the few blocks it took to get from the station to the Moose, I was determined not to let whatever conversation I was about to have effect my day.
I had too much to look forward to.
Nothing could touch that.
BY THE TIME I pushed through the door of the Moose, our local restaurant/bar/hangout, Layla was already sitting at a table, twirling a glass of water between her palms nervously.
She smiled shyly and slid a glass in front of me as I took a seat across from her. “I got you an iced tea. I remember you always ordered tea when we went out.”
For the love of God, I’d probably ordered tea maybe twice in all the years we’d been together. Just went to show how self-involved she was. “You have ten minutes,” was my only reply.
“But I thought you said you were on your lunch break.”
“I am,” I answered flatly. “And while I agreed to talk with you face to face, I’m not too thrilled with the idea of breaking bread with you. I’ll get something to eat once we’re done here.”
Her face got soft, a look I was pretty sure I’d never seen on her before, as she said, “Derrick, don’t be ridiculous. Surely a conversation about our daughter would take longer than ten minutes, and I’d hate for you to have to go back to work on an empty stomach because you didn’t have time to eat anything.”
Before I could pass on her offer, a waitress suddenly appeared at our table. “Hey, there. Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?”
“Nothing for—”
Layla interrupted. “I’ll have the Cobb salad, dressing on the side, no bacon, egg or avocado, (basically all the things that made it more than just lettuce) and he’ll have the turkey club.” She moved her smile from the waitress back to me and my back went stiff.
“What the hell are you playing at?” I asked in a low voice once our server had moved off to place our orders.
Her eyes went wide, the picture of innocence that I didn’t buy for a second. “Nothing! I just didn’t want you to go hungry. And I remembered the turkey club was your favorite.”
“Cut the shit,” I hissed. “I don’t like tea, the turkey club has never been my fucking favorite, and you’re not a nice person. So whatever the hell this is,” I waved a finger between the two of us, “it’s done. Got it? I came because you said you wanted to discuss the custody arrangement we have. That’s all I’m talking about. Either get on with it or I’m gone.”
“Fine,” she whispered. Her shoulders slumped as a sad expression moved across her face. “I was just trying to make things more… peaceful between us.”
“Time for that was years ago, Layla.”
“You’re right,” she sighed with defeat and looked up at me, one lone tear trailing down her cheek before she brushed it away. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Derrick, I know that now. And if I could go back in time and change things, I swear I would.” Her hand came across the table and rested on mine for a moment before I pulled back.
“What’s that have to do with custody?”
“You’re a great father. And a good man,” she continued, still not getting to the topic at hand. “Believe me, I know what I lost and not a day goes by that I don’t regret how I treated you. I hate to admit it, but it took seeing you with someone else to realize…” she trailed off and pulled in a lungful of air, more tears fell from her eyes, “that you’re the love of my life. I’ll do anything to get you back, baby. Anything. Please just give us another chance,” she ended on a whisper.
I don’t know how long I sat there, my mouth hanging open in shock before I was finally able to move, and when I could, I shot to my feet yelling, “You are un-fucking-believable! You know that? Jesus Christ! This is an all-time low, Layla, even for you. I’m leaving.”
Her eyes darted from me to the door and back again before she stood in a hurry and did something so unexpected, so bewildering, I froze. In the blink of an eye, her arms were wrapped around my neck, her chest plastered to mine, and she’d yanked my head down in a kiss so hard I automatically tasted blood from where my lip cut on my teeth.
After a few seconds, my stupor wore off and I reached up, grabbing her arms with every intension of shoving her away, when I heard a voice speak one word that chilled me to my bones.
“Daddy?”
I spun around to find Eliza standing in the doorway of the Moose, hand-in-hand with Chloe, both of them wearing equal expressions of dismay at the sight of me and Layla kissing.
“Oops,” Layla said, a smile in her evil voice. “Looks like your little girlfriend caught us, Derrick.”
I rushed over to them both, afraid if I let loose on Layla, they’d somehow manage to escape before I could explain. “It’s not what it looked like,” I said, desperation laced through my words as I frantically searched Chloe’s face for any hint that she believed me. “I swear to God, baby. It’s not what you think. I’ll explain everything, I promise, but I need you to take Eliza out of here. Can you do that? Just go outside and wait for me. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Chloe blinked, her gorgeous green eyes still clouded with disbelief.
“Daddy,” Eliza’s distressed voice called my attention to her.
“It’ll be okay, baby girl, just go outside with Chloe for a minute. I’ll be right there. I promise.”
I turned back to Chloe to see her nod in agreement. The relief that flooded me with just that one simple nod was so overwhelming I couldn’t help myself, I leaned into her and pressed my lips against hers, only to have her pull away and wipe at her mouth.
“Her lipstick,” she whispered at my worried expression. “It’s still on your face.”
“I’m sorry,” I said on a ragged whisper.
“Do what you have to do. We’ll wait outside. Then we’ll talk.”
With that, she turned around and led Eliza out of the restaurant. And I looked back at the bane of my existence, hate turning
my vision red.
“You,” I said in a low, menacing voice as I stalked toward her, “just fucked up. You think you’ve seen me angry before? That was fucking nothing compared to what I feel now.” The self-satisfied smile that she’d been wearing slowly fell as she grew pale. “You’re fucked, sweetheart. From here on out all communication will be made through lawyers, so I suggest you do whatever you have to in order to hire one, because I’m about to make your life a goddamned nightmare.”
Her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed audibly. “Derrick—”
“Shut up,” I gritted out. “Pick up and drop off of Eliza will be at the Sherriff’s station from here on out. You’re not to set foot on my property, you understand me? If you do, I’ll have you arrested. You just used our daughter in your fucking twisted game for the last time. This evening will be the last time you ever take her away from me.”
“Are you-are you threatening me?”
“That was a fucking promise, sweetheart.”
Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the Moose. My eyes frantically scanned the sidewalks outside until they landed on my girls about a yard away, sitting on a wooden bench outside the hardware store.
“You stayed,” I breathed as soon as I got close.
“We said we would,” Chloe stated flatly, her eyes focused over my shoulder. I looked back to see what had her attention, only to find Layla had just sauntered out of the restaurant and was heading for her car.
I turned back. “Don’t look at her, look at me.”
Her gaze snapped to mine before lowering down to look at a rattled Eliza, taking my attention with her.
“Hey, baby girl,” I said, lowering down to my haunches so we were eye level with one another, trying my best to infuse a smile in my words. “You okay?”
“Are you… are you and Mommy getting back together?”
“No honey, we’re not.” At my answer she visibly relaxed. “Then why were you kissing her?”
A quick glance back at Chloe showed she had one eyebrow cocked, clearly as eager for my answer as Eliza.
“Your mom did something she shouldn’t have and kissed me when I didn’t want her to. What you saw was her making a bad choice. We’re not getting back together. I’m with Chloe and she makes me really happy, honey.”
She nodded seriously. “Good. She makes me happy, too.”
“I need to talk to Chloe in private for a second, baby girl,” I said as I stood to my full height and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. “There’s an ice cream place right there.” I pointed to Blizzard Bob’s which was just two doors down from where we were and handed her a ten. “We’ll be done talking by the time you get back.”
“Can I get two scoops?”
I narrowed my eyes at her sudden smile. “You can have one.”
She let out a huff and hopped off the bench. “Fine. Be right back.” Then she was gone. Once I saw her walk safely through the door, I looked back down at Chloe, who still sat on the bench.
“Bribing your daughter with ice cream. That’s a new one for you.”
I rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably. “These were extenuating circumstances.”
She uncrossed her legs and stood up. “I bet. You know she totally got two scoops, right?”
One corner of my mouth hooked up at her teasing tone. “I have no doubt about that, whatsoever. My girl’s got a sweet tooth.”
Chloe returned my grin. “Good thing your girlfriend’s a baker.” With that sentence, I took my first full breath in ten minutes. “She kissed you.” She stated matter-of-factly. “You didn’t kiss her back.”
“Hell no!” I answered vehemently. “I’d stood up to leave and she must have seen you through the window and kissed me. I swear to you, I didn’t want it.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I trust you, and I know how you feel about her. What’s more, I know how you feel about me.”
“I love you,” I said instantly.
“And I love you too. But what I don’t understand is why you were there with her in the first place.”
I collapsed onto the bench, pulling her down with me and settling her in my lap as I explained. “She called and said she wanted to discuss the custody arrangement. My gut told me it was a mistake, but…”
“But you’re Eliza’s dad and want what’s best,” she finished, running a hand through my hair.
“Exactly. Before I even showed up, I warned her that if she was playing me, that was it. I was getting an attorney and taking her to court.”
“And what happened?”
A deep frown spread across my face. “She fucking played me. She’s so goddamned manipulative that she used our daughter again, after I warned her. She lied and made her play, and now I’m done. I don’t know if what I have is enough to get full custody of Eliza, but I’m going for it anyway. That woman is poison.”
Her fingertips came up and smoothed the furrow in my brow. “Good. Derrick, she told me today she wants to live with you. I can’t imagine there’s a judge out there who wouldn’t listen to that little girl explain what she wanted and why and not see that you’re the best choice.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and rested my forehead on her shoulder and I inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry you had to see that today.”
“Honey, I’m more concerned for you. You’re the one that had to live through it.”
My head shot up and I chuckled as she smiled down at me. “So you’re not mad at me?”
Her face scrunched up adorably as she pretended to give it some thought. “Nah, I’m not mad at you. As long as it never happens again, we’re good.”
“It won’t,” I replied.
“Then we’re good.” She reached up and brushed her fingers along my jaw. “I trust you, Derrick. I mean it. And I love you. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. I’m just sorry you were stuck in that position.”
“God, I love you,” I breathed, leaning in to give her a kiss.
She pulled back, causing me to frown.
“I’ll kiss you as much as you want, honey. After you scrub your mouth, preferably with industrial strength soap.”
Derrick
CHLOE LAID CURLED against me, her face pressed in the crook of my neck as I wrapped my arm around her, trying to let her soft, even breaths lull me to sleep.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. Three days had passed since the latest stunt with Layla, and the anxiety I felt at my daughter being stuck in that house with her clawed at my gut so painfully I actually felt sick.
It was well after two in the morning and I still couldn’t get my mind to calm down enough that my exhausted body could relax enough to sleep. I kept replaying the conversation I’d had with my attorney over and over again, trying to think of something that would help my case.
“Mr. Anderson,” my newly hired attorney Walter Lancaster started, rubbing a hand along his jaw, “I understand your concerns, believe me. And I’m not telling you what you want is impossible. I’m just saying that it’s going to be an uphill battle. While I have no doubt that everything you’ve told me about your ex-wife is true, it’s harder to prove a person is manipulative to the point that’s it’s harmful to a child’s wellbeing. We could have your daughter testify that—”
I spoke up, interrupting him mid-sentence. “I’m not putting Eliza through that. I won’t do it. She’s been through enough just living in that house with that woman. I can’t make her get up there in front of, not only a judge, but her own mother as well. Isn’t it enough that she wants to live with me? Won’t the judge take that into consideration?”
I left Walter’s office feeling even more disheartened than I had when I walked in. I felt like I was failing my girl and there wasn’t a goddamned thing I could do about it. I’d never felt more helpless in my entire life. After the conversation with Walker, I’d been so low that nothing could pull me out of it, not even the sunshine in Chloe’s smile.
But like the good woman she was, she hadn’t pus
hed, trying to cheer me up when she knew it was impossible. She just let me stew in silence, offering silent comfort in the form of her touch, her kiss. I couldn’t have possibly loved her more.
The ceiling fan spun in lazy circles, the moonlight shining through the trees and into the room created wild patterns along the walls that I’d spent the last two hours tracing with my eyes, uselessly searching for sleep.
Chloe’s body shifted next to me as she dreamed, curling tighter against me, the feel of her warm skin like the balm it always is. I turned to my side and wrapped both arms tight around her, holding her to me. I don’t know how long I laid there, listening to her inhale and exhale, like a soft melody before the loud ringing of my cellphone cut through the serene quiet.
All of my senses went on high alert as I hit the lamp and snatched my phone off the nightstand. A phone call that late at night was never a good thing. I felt Chloe come awake beside me as Eliza’s name flashed across the screen, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Baby girl?” I answered.
“Daddy?” I could hear the tears in her voice with just that one word and everything inside me tensed as I shot up and threw my legs over the side of the bed.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“I-I can’t find Mom.”
“What do you mean you can’t find your mom?” I heard Chloe gasp at my words, but I was already off the bed, snatching my clothes from the floor.
“I w-woke up…” she hiccupped on a sob, “’cause I had a nightmare. B-but she’s n-not here. I looked everywhere, Daddy. Her car’s not in the d-driveway. I’m scared.”
I tried to make my voice as calm as possible, even though, on the inside, I wanted to find Layla and wring her skinny neck until her head popped. “It’s okay, baby girl. Don’t be scared. I’m leaving right now, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t worry. I’m coming.”
Sweet Sunshine Page 17