THIRTEEN
Prophet
Knowingthat the asshole currently sitting on her porch, a huge bouquet of flowers in his lap, cheated on her and destroyed her self-worth and self-esteem has me feeling a little bit stabby. The problem with that is, because of my skills and abilities, I’d have the book thrown at me if I were to act on these feelings. Not only that, but we’re a legit club and don’t do anything on the morally gray spectrum. So, me walking up to him and taking him out is off the table. Although from where I’m standing, he doesn’t look like he’d present much of a challenge.
“You grab Kevin while I get Cami but wait for me before you approach, okay?” I ask.
“This is the last dang thing I need today. Actually, whatweneed today since you did all the driving and have had as little sleep as I have with Cami being under the weather.”
She doesn’t know it, but I’m used to getting far less rest than I did these past few days. It may have been years ago, but the brain and body don’t forget. Granted, it’s harder to bounce backnow than it was when I was a lot younger, but still, I knew I was okay to drive. But like her, I’m ready to kick back and chill with a couple of beers until my body quits feeling as though it’s moving. That’s the downside to a road trip, but it happens when I’m on my bike as well, and I won’t stop riding so it’s something I’ll deal with.
“It’s going to be okay, Phoebe,” I reply, getting Cami out of her carseat then grabbing her diaper bag. I know we’re going to have to put in a grocery order but thank fuck I can send the prospects to pick it up.
“I don’t see how, Eli. He never accepted responsibility for his actions and tried to place the blame onmeas though my schedule was the reason he chose to fall into someone else’s vagina!”
I bite back my chuckle because she’s so incensed right now, I don’t think she’d appreciate my humor. But hearing her use the correct term instead of slang is definitely funny and hopefully, we’ll be able to laugh about it down the road.
“Let’s go get ‘em, my fierce tigress,” I murmur.
As we get closer to the porch, I see that the fresh bouquet he has isn’t the first time he’s been here. There are older bouquets, as well as vases with flowers that range from dead to slightly fresh. Just how long has he been coming by? I immediately decide that she needs a camera system because if she already had one, she would’ve gotten alerts after his first so-called visit.
“What are you doing here, Alex?” she snarls as we reach the top of the steps to the porch.
While her home has a cottage feel, she had told me she also wanted a deep front porch so she could have a swing and hangflowers. She found a company that was able to give her what she wanted because of how the property slightly sloped. They did a fantastic job because the porch adds to the whimsical feel of her home.
“Where have you been, Feebie BeeBee?” the man in question, Alex, asks.
I immediately detest and despise the asshole. I’m all for using someone’s nickname, but the one he used for Phoebe is definitely not flattering and is more appropriate for a child, not a grown woman. I suspect he’s trying to get the upper hand in this situation and while I’d love nothing more than to step in, I think she needs to do this on her own. I will, however, say something if he goes too far; there’s no way she ever has to handle shit by herself ever again.
“It’sPhoebeto you, Alex,” she retorts. “And you lost the right to ask me about my whereabouts a long time ago. So, I’ll ask you again, what are you doing here?”
“I uh, well, I didn’t know where you went until I saw you on a local television show. I mean, it was onThe Today Showbecause they were highlighting the progress the Carolinas had made since the hurricanes swept through. I made a mistake and want you back,” he declares.
What does my woman do? She bursts into laughter and is laughing so hard, she has to set the pet carrier on the porch while she bends over and clutches her stomach. When she finally regains control, swiping at the tears on her cheeks from her hilarity, I see his gaze track the carrying bag that the wound vac is in.
“Yeah, that’s never gonna happen, Alex. Not in this lifetime, not in the next. In fact, if reincarnation exists and I end up living a thousand lives? Not even then,” she says.
“But why not? We had a good thing once,” he asks.
She laughs but there’s no mirth to it at all. “It was good foryou, Alex, but one thing these years have done is show me that it wasn’t good for me. I was a convenience to you, that’s all. I worked, went to school, and did all the stuff around our place. What did you do? Oh yeah, you went to school, you started an affair with someone I thought was my friend, then had the absolute gall to try and blamemeforyourshortcomings! I think if I hadn’t been so busy trying to finish my own degree plus work, I would’ve seen the signs. They were glaringly obvious, I was just too busy securing our future to notice them. I mean, you encouraged me to take that travel gig because of how much it would help ‘us’ in the long run. You just never expected it to end so soon or for me to catch you playing house with someone else in our own bed!”
Right now, I’m so proud of my woman and how she’s letting him know what she really thinks and feels. Granted, I know she probably won’t tell him how it’s impacted her since then, but honestly, I hope so does. He deserves to know that his shitty behavior placed consequences on her shoulders that were never hers to bear.
“I was wrong,” he admits as his gaze freely roams over her.
One little punch wouldn’t hurt, would it?I question myself.Maybe on his cheek so that it blackens his eye?The possibilities are endless, but he looks like the type of man that would call the authorities and press charges for a scuffle, so I’m not sure it’s worth the risk, I have too much to stick around for. After all,Cami and Phoebe are everything to me and they need me more than I need to teach this fucker a lesson in respect.
Instead, I continue standing there, taking her back while I watch her eviscerate this poor excuse of a man by verbally slandering him and cutting him off at the knees with her insults. She’s doing well on her own and doesn’t need my involvement just yet, but I know if it keeps going, I’ll step in and make sure my presence is known. We’ve had a busy few weeks, she’s still healing, and we’re both exhausted from driving home and taking care of Cami, who’s already feeling better, but is still sick enough that I want to get her inside.
“Phoebe?” I whisper. “Let’s wrap this up, sweetheart.”
She turns and looks at me, and I see a flash of guilt cross her face when she sees Cami sound asleep against my chest. Turning again to Alex, she states, “You and I have been over for far longer than we were ever even together, Alex, so your desire to get together again is somewhat baffling. I love my life now and have no intention of changing anything about it at all. Please leave and don’t come back, because if you do, I’ll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing.”
He pales at her words then tries one more thing to reel her in. “Oh, my God, Phoebe, why do you have a wound vac?”
“Again, you lost the right to any information about meyearsago, Alex. Now, get the fuck off of my property and don’t come back!” she exclaims. “Because outside of the fact that what you did to me almost kept me from realizing what I truly had right in front of me, you never cross my mind. I don’t wish any harm to you since I’m not a Petty Betty, but I swear by all that’s holy, I will rethink my position on that if you don’t leave, now.”
I finally step in when I see his mouth open to refute what she’s just said. “You heard the lady, so I suggest you leave,” I add, pulling out my phone. “Because I have no issue with calling the cops. I think I remember Phoebe telling me you worked in healthcare as well. What would being arrested do to all that schooling?”
