Willow runs down the stairs and jumps into the man's arms, and my heart softens a little as he looks at me with so much gratitude.
“I know I don’t deserve it, but Trick mentioned in church the other day that you’d probably try and refuse your college course because of the time schedules, wanting to put Willow first. I’m asking you to consider letting me watch her so you can keep going. I want to help with school runs and pickups because I want things to work out for you. Especially when you have turned your whole life around to be a full-time mom. I won’t allow Patricia near her, I swear I won’t, and I will be speaking to my son for not trusting him, for being blinded, but please, just consider it.”
The honesty in his eyes, so much like my husband's, has me wavering, and I don’t know what to say.
***
“Hey, buttercup,” Miles answers the phone after three rings, and I swallow hard as I watch Willow follow Drew's instructions along with other kids in her age bracket, and I murmur, “Sorry to call you on the run.”
I’m due on shift in half an hour, Drew will be taking Willow for the evening until he gets home because I don’t finish until eight and I knew I couldn’t hold back from telling him about his mom and dad, I just hate that I have to interrupt him.
“Don’t be silly, you need to call me, you call me, Clark,” he instantly replies, and I smile slightly.
“How’s the run going?” I ask, and he hums and admits, “Alright, though I would have preferred to have it done yesterday. I don’t like being away from you.”
“You’ve done it several times before,” I remind him softly.
“And I still struggled, buttercup. I watched you from afar, you just didn’t know,” he shocks me, and my mouth drops.
He watched me?
“Sounds stalkerish,” I choke, and he chuckles.
“I don’t care,” he says, and I relax slightly as he asks, “You watching our girl?”
“Yeah, she’s currently being taught a turn, her little tongue is out in concentration,” I admit, and he hums. I sigh, “Your parents showed up this morning.”
“What?!” he growls lowly, and I swallow the lump forming.
“Your mom knocked then just walked in without giving me chance to open the door demanding to see her grandchild. Said that I can’t keep punishing her for what the brothers decided on my behalf all those years ago. I kind of had a go at her and called her a liar to her face about being bipolar which we both know she doesn’t have,” I say and Miles is quiet for moment.
“Well done, Willow, that was excellent!” Drew exclaims, and I lock eyes with the heavily pregnant woman and mouth, “Favoritism,” and she sticks her tongue out at me, making me grin.
“Miles,” I say softly, and he grunts, “I’m pissed, buttercup. They’ve acted like what she did was normal, and she has the fucking gall to demand access to our daughter? She can fuck off!”
I sigh, “I told her as much,” then I admit, “Your dad begged me to allow him to do the school runs, something about you being worried I’ll use the schedule and childcare clashing as an excuse not to do the course.”
“I don’t know if I want him watching her, Drew already offered to pick up the slack for us,” he confesses, and I smile slightly.
“He promised not to allow your mom near her, but I am telling you, if you don’t want him to watch her, then I’ll follow your lead,” I say, and he grunts before going quiet again, and I hate it when he gets quiet.
“Want to tell me why there was a toy snake on the dashboard of my car this morning, Mr. White?” I say, and he laughs just like I hoped he would.
“I just wanted to make sure you were thinking about me, Mrs. White,” he replies, and I smile and admit, “I’m always thinking about you, Miles, have been since I was a kid.”
“Then I know for a fact that we’re going to be okay,” he murmurs softly, and I whisper, “I love you, Miles.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Chapter 17
Trick
My jaw ticks as I hang up the phone and squeeze it tightly in my fist, anger hitting me fucking hard.
Getting her call, fuck, it meant everything because I miss her and was ready to call her myself like I did last night. I stayed on the line until she fell asleep which was a lot better than watching the cameras that she doesn’t know about, but hearing my parents barging into our home knowing I wasn’t there…
Fuckers, both of them, and Dad knows he’s overstepped this time.
