Sophie
We hadn’t gotten home until 3 a.m., and getting Lou to bed was tricky. She was both groggy and uncomfortable, falling in and out of sleep until about 5 a.m., when she finally seemed to drift off for good. Linc stayed over. He didn’t ask, and I didn’t question it, just thankful he was there. Lou seemed desperate to have one of us by her side, so we took turns reading her stories or resting with her until she fell asleep. Seeing her curled up next to Linc, his long legs hanging off her twin bed in what had to be an uncomfortable position, made me want to cry.
Max had never been affectionate with Eloise. The closest they got was when they posed together for pictures. From the beginning, my daughter had felt a connection to Linc, and now they were best friends. Any hesitancy I had about Lou having an issue with our relationship was out the window. She had thrived since we had gotten together, and I’d given Linc more access to Lou’s everyday life. Their afternoons together were the highlight of her week, and the way Linc spoke about her made me melt.
“What do we know about this Ethan kid?” he had asked one day a few weeks earlier.
“They’ve been in the same class for two years now. They see each other outside of school at birthday parties and stuff. Why is he being mean to her? I thought they were friends.” I sat up so I could watch Linc’s face, worried there was something wrong. His jaw was clenched, his face a mask I couldn’t read.
“Lou said he’s her new boyfriend,” he finally spit out, and Ihad to do a double take. I went from extreme concern to extreme amusement quickly. Linc looked ready to fight someone, and it was positively adorable.
“Ah, so her and Spencer broke up?” I asked, egging him on.
“What about Spencer? I thought they were just friends!” He was outraged, and I started laughing again.
“Linc, honey, they’re kids. They will be boyfriend and girlfriend for a week and then move on to something else. I think Spencer gave Lou a worm as a gift, and then they got in a fight over which afternoon snack was the best. I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about, but I can always ask the teacher to keep an eye on them. Ethan is a sweet kid, either way,” I told him and watched him slightly relax.
At the hospital, though, that protective grizzly bear was back in full form, and honestly, it was needed. I didn’t have the emotional or mental bandwidth to deal with Max’s bullshit when my focus should have only been on Lou. With Linc at my back, I was able to do what I wanted, what was needed.
I knew the men got into words out in the waiting room at some point, but I didn’t have it in me to care. All I knew was that Max left, and the rest of the hospital stay was easier because of it. We had all slept in a little after such a long night, and at almost 9 a.m., I was just finishing my first cup of coffee. The silence in the house was nice, but I missed the sounds of Lou’s laughter, her excited shrieks when she was playing. The next few weeks with the cast on were going to be interesting.
A loud knocking came from the front door, followed by the doorbell. I cursed, looking down at myself. Leggings, slippers, and Linc’s T-shirt. Walking to the door, I peeked through the window to see who it was. I sighed. Something in my gut had already prepared me for this.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I opened the door, and Helen stormed past me.
“Well, hello. Please come in,” I said to the place where she was once standing. I closed the door and, dismissing Helen, went back to the kitchen. Grabbing my phone, I sent a quick text to mylawyer to let him know she had shown up, then quickly started recording. I was not expecting this conversation to be a pleasant one.
“What the hell are you up to, Sophie? First, you break the custody arrangement by leaving the last event early, then you don’t show up to any events for two months! Maxwell has a legally binding agreement that says he gets to see Eloise at least once a month. And don’t give me any of that nonsense about a new man. I don’t believe it. You’re just trying to get to Max. No one’s gonna want you. You couldn’t keep your first husband, and now you want someone else to take on not just you, but someone else’s kid? Please.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel, Helen,” I replied sarcastically. The words didn’t hurt anymore. She was a small person who only felt big when she was stepping on those around her.
“I’m serious, Sophie! What games are you playing? What is it you…” she trailed off, her face going pale as Linc entered the kitchen. He was shirtless, wearing only his jeans, which were unbuttoned and hanging loosely at his hips.
“Morning, baby.” He came over and kissed me before pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Didn’t know we were expecting company,” he said, not bothering to introduce himself to Helen.
“We weren’t,” I said, looking at Helen. I had no intention of making this easy on her.
“I’m not allowed to check on my granddaughter now! After she was hospitalized?” Helen asked. Her outrage was real, but it wasn’t for Lou. Linc snorted before rummaging through the fridge.
“Gonna make pancakes for Lulu. You gonna eat some, or you want me to make you eggs?” he asked me as Helen stood there stewing, not knowing how to handle our blatant disregard for her presence.
“Eggs sound good. Thanks, honey,” I told him, my eyes tracking his bare chest as he moved over to the stove.
Helen stepped closer to me, then, in a faux whisper, pressed on.
“I always knew you were trash. Could smell the trouble on you. You were never worthy of the Townsend name. Just a farmer’s daughter with no class or taste. Now you’re dragging the whole family down in your wake.” It was nothing I hadn’t heard before, but apparently, she wasn’t finished.
“What do you know about this man, Sophie? You have him spending the night, walking around half naked in front of an impressionable child? Do you think I’m just going to stand there and watch you live off my son’s money, using it to play house with this tattooed lowlife? Really, between the incident with her arm and this, I’m starting to get very concerned about the environment my granddaughter is being raised in. Lou will never be good enough to represent the next generation of the family legacy, anyway. Only a child from Max and Natalia would be good enough.”
Linc abruptly turned from the stove, staring Helen down as he pointed toward the front door.
“Leave,” he ordered, jaw tight with barely restrained rage.
“Excuse me?” Helen squawked. But I had officially had enough, and I was sure it would be plenty for my lawyer to use.
“He’s right. You need to leave,” I told her. She gawked.
“What did you expect, Helen? Did you want to scare me? Think I would plead with you for mercy and beg for your help?”
