“You didn’t have a nightmare last night,” I say to her.
“I didn’t have a nightmare last night,” she repeats, “Julia must be right about body heat keeping the monsters away after all.”
“Baby, if my body heat keeps your monsters at bay, I’d like to offer it up every night.” Smiling, she reaches up to kiss me, then jumps out of bed to start her day.
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 98, Lanie has a cold so tonight I’m bringing her homemade chicken soup (handmade by the restaurant around the corner)
Julia: (hand clapping emoji)
Trevor: (kitten emoji)
Preston: (middle finger emoji)
Dexter: Fuck off, all of you.
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 121, Ryan found Anna. The meeting is scheduled for my office on August 27th, at 1 pm.
Trevor: WTF, finally. Why is the meeting so far out? I’ll be over later today to install the cameras Loki left.
Preston: What Trev said, and no bleeding-heart BS, nice change, bro.
Dexter: She told Ryan she is out of the country for a couple of weeks. He verified, she is in Mexico (rolling eyes emoji)
Julia: I’d love to kick that twat right in the teeth. Make sure she stays away from Lanes.
Dexter: Of course.
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 136 Pool party
Trevor: Wtf, dude? We are literally sitting right next to you
Preston: In our swim trunks, about to tell Lanie about the meeting with Anna, stop texting!
Julia: That bitch, she is so fucking dumb.
Preston: How does Jules know already if Lanie doesn’t?
Dexter: Trevor, want to answer that?
Trevor: Fuck off.
Julia: Fuck off.
Preston: I see, match made in text messages (laughing emoji)
Julia: (middle finger emoji)
Trevor: Grow up.
Preston: Julia and Trevor sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g
Trevor: Proof, that asshole just spent a full three minutes typing out that message (eye roll emoji)
“What are you all doing on your phones?” Lanie asks, looking annoyed, “while Tate is upstairs getting his swimsuit on, explain it to me again. She just wanted more money?”
“Yes, that bitch,” Trevor answers before I can. “It seems like her rich boyfriend left her high and dry. He didn’t think a mother abandoning her children would be suitable for his image. She even threatened to try and get custody back, claim it was postpartum depression that had her signing her parental rights away. It’s like she completely forgot who she was dealing with,” he says, looking at me, so I cut in.
“We talked in circles until finally agreeing to give her a check if she told me why she was really doing this,” I don’t bother hiding the disgust from my voice, “she let it spill like a waterfall. She told me how she never wanted kids in the first place. That she didn’t want them now but would go after them if it meant she could get her hands on my money.” I explain.
“She even went so far as to say she would work the judge, get him to see things her way, then not only get the kids but make sure Dex here has to pay for the nanny so she doesn’t have to waste her precious time on them.” Preston fills in.
“No judge in the world is going to give her any facetime with my kids once they see the video,” I tell Lanie.
“So, she knows you videotaped her?” Lanie asks.
“That’s the best part,” Trevor tells her, laughing, “Dexter made a big show of telling her not to steal anything from his office because the cameras will catch her. She either didn’t believe him or got so caught up in her plan that she forgot. Regardless, he told her as soon as she walked in, meaning she has no legs to stand on, and she knows it.”
“I can’t imagine that went very well?” Lanie says with a smile.
“Not at all,” I tell her, wrapping her in a hug, “luckily, Trevor came out just in time to escort her out of the building, she won’t be coming around anymore. I’m sure of it. She wouldn’t dare let her reputation suffer more than it already has.”
We hear Tate making his way down the stairs, so we change topics quickly. “Lanie, let’s go! The neighborhood pool party is starting soon, I don’t want to be late.” Tate squeals.
“Hey, what about me?” I ask him.
“Awe, man, you still have to get the girls ready. I wanted to get to the clubhouse so we can pick the seats next to the splashing mushrooms,” he tells me.
I can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm. Our neighborhood has a pool with a clubhouse, most communities in the south do, but ours is pretty spectacular, even I have to admit. They have gone all out for the Labor Day end of season party, and Tate has been talking about it non-stop for weeks.
“Alright, big guy. Why don’t you and Lanie drive over? Trevor, Preston, and I will pack up the girls and walk them over in the wagon,” I tell his smiling face.
Turning to Lanie, I add, “That way, we’ll have a car there if we have to get the girls home early.”
“Sounds good to me. Ready for some fun in the sun, little man?” Lanie says as she starts chasing Tate.
“Yes,” he screeches, running for the door.
Laughing, Lanie shouts over her shoulder, “See you over there.”
A full forty-five minutes later, we finally have the girls packed up, sunscreen, and hats on, loaded into the little red wagon Preston insists on pulling.
“Thank fu-udge Lanie brought the cooler in the car,” Trevor says, putting his beer in a koozie, “that would have been a nightmare to carry.”
“No shit,” Preston laughs.
“Dude, language,” I tell him, “the girls are starting to form words, Lanie will have my head if their first real words are a curse.
“Things seem to be going pretty good between you and Lanie, huh?” Trevor asks, gazing past me.
Looking out at all the houses we are passing, with perfectly landscaped yards and smiling happy families, I tell him the truth. “I think it is, I’m not going to lie though, I keep waiting for her to run. I’m terrified actually that she is going to run.”
“You’ve still got plenty of time with her,” Preston points out.
“I know, I’m all in with her, though. She could break me more than Anna ever did.”
Rounding the corner, the clubhouse comes into view. It’s not as packed as I was expecting, but even taking as long as we did, we are still early. The party doesn’t officially start until four.
Trevor slaps me on the back. “Whatever happens, we are here for you. For what it’s worth, Julia says she hasn’t ever seen Lanie this happy.”
Pride fills my chest, but then something catches my eye. I’m not sure what I’m seeing at first, then I hear Tate crying out for me to hurry.
“Dad, dad, help…Lanie,” is all he gets out, his tear-stained face pressed up against the fence surrounding the pool.
Dropping all the shit I was carrying, I take off at a dead sprint with Trevor on my heels. That’s when I see her. A man is holding her upper arms so tightly that even while running and from this distance, I know he will leave bruises. I can’t hear what he is saying, but I can see the spittle flying from his mouth.
Trevor veers to the left, running around the length of the fence to the gate. I don’t have the luxury of that time wasted. Running as fast as I can, I propel myself at the wall, scaling it easier than I thought I would be able to. Adrenalin at its finest. Hauling my legs up and over, I jump to the ground on the other side.
We are behind the clubhouse, near the entrances to the bathrooms, and I feel like, for the first time in my life, I might be capable of murder. I begin to yell at the man, telling him to let Lanie go as I am running towards her when I see him yank her left arm with such force I swear I hear the pop.
Lanie crumples to the ground.
Lanie
Chapter 30
Lifting my head from the pavement, I know I didn’t l
ose consciousness, but a pain that intense is bound to knock even the toughest men off their ass. I’m no exception. Without even attempting to move it, I know the Senator dislocated my shoulder, possibly my elbow too.
Clearing the fog from my brain, I realize Dexter is hunched over a body, throwing blow after blow with his fists. I try to yell out for him to stop, I don’t want Tate seeing him like this. Trevor gets to him first, pulling him off the bleeding man.
I’m trying to locate Tate, I had him in my sights the entire time until the asshole yanked me forward. Looking around wildly, I see Tate standing with Preston. Thank God.
“Dexter,” Trevor yells. “Enough. Lanie and Tate need you.”
Dexter’s head whips around like he has just realized where he is. Staring at me, I nod my head towards Tate, indicating he needs to check on him first.
“Come here, baby doll,” I hear Preston say, “I’m just going to lift you up onto a lounge chair until the ambulance arrives.”
I can’t speak, I just nod my head in agreement. Tate and Dex have moved closer to me, I can hear them talking now.
“Daddy, please. Please don’t let Lanie leave me too. I promise. I promise I’ll be better. I won’t bother her as much. I’ll pick up all my toys, the girls’ toys too. I’ll be quieter, I won’t give her headaches. Tell her. Please tell her I’ll do anything. Don’t let her leave because I’m so bad. I’ll be better, I won’t cause her this trouble anymore, please, Daddy, please.” Tate sobs.
“Hey, Tate,” I hear Dex trying to compose himself. “Why would you think any of this is your fault? We all know what a good boy you are, it has absolutely nothing to do with if you pick up your toys or if you’re too loud. Why would you even say that?”
Tate’s sobs hurt worse than any pain I’ve ever felt. “Mommy told me she was leaving because I was bad. I was too loud and caused her problems every day. She said I hurt her head because I asked too many questions,” he wails.
Dexter seems lost. I see him looking at Tate and Trevor, then me. The anger that has lived inside of me since the first time my mother told me I was worthless explodes.
“That fucking bitch.” I’m not quiet. I know I just swore, out loud, in front of children no less, but they are the only words that adequately describe what I’m feeling.
Stunned, Dex jumps back, staring at me.
I try to shoo him away, but my arm hangs uselessly at my side. “Tate, come here, buddy,” I tell him, calming my voice. With my one healthy arm, I clutch at him, trying to hold him tight.
“Tate, your mother is broken. You have to believe me when I say you could never do anything that would cause me to leave. My love doesn’t come and go when it suits me. My love for you is real, it's honest, and it can never be broken by anything or anyone. You, Tate, can never do anything that will make this love leave my heart. There is a Tate-sized space in here,” I say, pointing to my chest, “that is always, and will always be just for you.”
“Please don’t leave me, Lanie. Please don’t.” Knowing I can’t promise I’ll never leave, I swallow thickly, holding him into my side for as long as I can.
In the background, I can hear the men yelling at each other. Looking up, I see that the Senator is standing, issuing threats left and right. Tate must be listening too because he moves quickly to his father's side. With only one arm, I wasn’t quick enough to catch him.
“Daddy,” Tate begins.
“Buddy, you have to sit with Lanie for a minute,” Dex replies.
“No, Dad, here,” he raises what I recognize as my phone. “Before he got Lanie, she was letting me use her phone to take pictures. When he started yelling at her, I changed to video.” The smile that takes over Tate’s face is priceless. He knows he just did something big.
We all stare at Tate for a moment before the Senator lunges at him. Thankfully, Dex is faster.
“You ever lay a hand on Lanie or my child again, and I will kill you. I don’t care what title you’ve held previously. I can’t imagine this video will get you re-elected anyway,” Dex fumes.
If looks could kill, we would all be dead right now.
Thankfully, Trevor steps in just as we hear sirens in the background. “Senator, you had better get out of here unless you want all these people who are gathering around to speak up as witnesses.”
The man with eyes that are already bruising, no doubt from Dexter’s balled up fists, straightens immediately. Recognizing his surroundings, he snaps at his son to move along. They are gone before the EMTs reach me.
“Tate,” Dex starts, “are you going to be alright to go home with Trevor and Preston? I’m going to go to the hospital with Lanie, but if you need me, I’ll ask Trevor to go with her.”
“No, Dad. I’ll go with uncle Trevor. Please bring Lanie home.” I know he wants someone to go to the hospital with me, but he equally wants someone there to make sure I go home to him.
“Tate, I love you, little man,” I tell him with as much energy as I can muster. The events of the last fifteen minutes are finally catching up to me.
“I love you too, Lanie, see you at home. Right? I’ll see you at home?” He begs.
“I’ll see you at home, buddy,” I say. What other choice do I have?
Dex
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: The doctors just took Lanie back to reset her shoulder, elbow, and thumb.
Preston: Fuck, man. Is she ok?
Dexter: She will be, they just gave her a heavy dose of pain meds. She won’t have use of her arm for a few weeks though, that’s if she doesn’t need surgery.
Trevor: Freaking hell.
Julia: Should I come down there?
Dexter: I’m not going to tell you not to, but I will tell you I’m afraid this is going to be the final straw for her. I think she is going to want to go home.
Julia: Her strength will surprise you. So will where she considers home these days. Call me when you have some news. For now, I’ll stay by the phone and give the two of you some time.
Trevor: Kids are all in bed. Tate is having a hard time sleeping, so I let him lie in Lanie’s bed. It made him feel better to be closer to her.
Dexter: Him and me both.
Preston: On the bright side, little man over here recorded the entire fiasco with the douche-canoe. He is our little hero, I can all but guarantee you won’t be having any more trouble from him or his son again, ever.
Julia: Tate might be my new hero.
Preston: Sorry, Trevor, looks like Jules here has a new “buddy”.
Julia: Watch your balls when I come down there, asshat.
Trevor: (Middle finger emoji)
Lanie
Opening my eyes, I immediately sense something is off. My head is fuzzy and feels heavy. I try to look around but everything is blurry. I don’t even attempt to raise my head as I take inventory of my body.
Instead of flashbacks from my attack, I hear Dex. I see Tate’s worried face. I hear Tate crying, and everything becomes clear. Even after everything that just happened, I’m not focused on Zachary, the attack, or even the Senator. All I’m focused on is this family. This family that is trying so hard to claim me as their own.
I can hear Dex and Trevor talking.
“Can you believe that bitch, Anna?” Trevor asks. “I can’t believe she left you for the Senator, the same Senator whose son was bullying Tate.”
“I know,” Dexter says, sounding sad, “she knew it was going on too, she just didn’t care.”
Preston chimes in, “At least now it makes sense why she was hitting you up for money though. He was afraid she would ruin his already tarnished image, and she was left with nothing. Could you imagine if the press found out he was with a woman who left her children and that his son was bullying the son she left behind? It’s a PR nightmare right out of the tabloids.”
I know I’m missing a lot, and I want to be caught up. I try desperately to open my eyes.
“Hey, Dex? I think she is waking up,” I hear Trevor say
.
“Lanie? Sweetheart? Can you open your eyes?” Slowly and with great effort, I open them. I’m surrounded by all these big handsome men. I’m in Dexter’s room with the dark grey walls and light aqua curtains that I can see swaying from a breeze.
“Preston, can you get her some water, please?” Dex asks.
“You got it.” Preston jumps to get the water. If I wasn’t so confused, I would probably laugh. Preston isn’t someone who jumps to do anything.
“I’m okay,” I choke out, my throat unnaturally dry. “Where is Tate?” I ask, searching the room for him.
“Shh, Sylvie just came and picked up all three of the kids. She is going to keep them for the week so you can rest.” Dex informs me. He looks tired, all of the guys do. Staring down at myself, I see my arm in a sling and a big bandage covering my thumb.
“Jesus, I look like the terminator or something. What is all this?” I ask, turning to Dex for answers.
“Hey, guys? Could I have a few minutes alone with Lanie, please?” Dex asks, looking around the room.
“Sure, Lanie, want something to eat? Some soup, maybe?” Trevor asks me.
“Just some Gatorade would be great, thank you,” my voice becoming stronger after some water.
Trevor nods his head and leans in to kiss me on the cheek.
Preston does the same then they both walk out the door. “What’s going on, Dex? Is something wrong with me?” It isn’t until that moment I notice the tears in Dexter’s eyes.
“No, baby. Nothing is wrong with you, nothing long term anyway. Your shoulder was dislocated, your elbow too, and your thumb was broken. The doctors were able to put you back together again, but it’s going to hurt for a while.”
“Then why do you look like your dog died? Is it Tate? Is he okay?” I ask, panic rising in my voice.
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