Page 59 of April’s Fool

Before we can reach them, I hear Izzy shout, “Oh, hell fucking no.”

I twist to see what she’s cursing about as she storms past us. My breath seizes in my chest when I spot my mother getting in my dad’s face.

“What is she doing here?” I whisper, dread churning in my stomach.

“Go sit with Kayla and Mercy. I’ll handle this,” Fool says.

“No.” I grip his hand tighter. “She’s my mother. I’ll deal with her.” I wasn’t about to let her ruin any more of my life. I won’t let her taint the life I’m building for myself here.

“All right,” Fool agrees, then switches direction, leading us toward the small crowd.

“She’s my fucking daughter. I raised her. I have every right to be here, even if she’s a selfish brat.” I hear my mother’s snappish words.

“You might have given birth to that girl, but you are nothing more than an egg donor who needs to be twat-punched a few times,” Izzy yells, getting in my mom’s face. “You aren’t welcome here, and she definitely wouldn’t want you here.”

“Of course, she would,” my mom says, looking at me, then at Fool. I hate the way she seems to give him a once-over, like she could have a go at him. “April,” she smiles, and I know it’s fake. Just as everything else about her is. “Come hug your momma.”

“No, you need to leave. I don’t want you here.” Why she would show up here in the first place is baffling.

“I have a right to be here with you,” she snaps, losing her fake smile.

“No, you don’t,” I say tersely. “If I wanted you here, I’d have called you. I didn’t, so I don’t want you here. Just go, and while you’re at it, lose my number.” Not that she ever called me, anyway.

“You ungrateful bitch. I raised you, put a roof over your head, and this is how you treat me. I was there for you when no one else was.”

“Bullshit,” my dad growls. “You threatened to kill her to get your way, and I was stupid enough to give in to you.” He steps in, blocking me from her view. “Get the fuck out of here and stay the fuck away from my daughter. So help me God, if you come near her again, I’ll kill you myself, as I should have when she was four.”

I suck in a breath, hearing venom in his voice I’ve never heard before.

“He doesn’t. I will,” Lola snarls, entering the fray, holding a serrated blade in hand. “You come near my niece again, and I’ll gut you. No one fucks with my family.”

My mother backs away, her face pale, as her eyes meet mine. “You aren’t even worth the air you breathe.”

Fool lets my hand go, moving faster than I thought possible, and grips her by the throat. “You’re not worth the air you breathe, bitch. Stay the fuck away from here. If I get a glimpse of you anywhere near April, you won’t have to worry about Lola gutting you or Mikey killing you. I’ll do it myself in the most painful ways possible.”

My heart lurches at the protectiveness in Fool’s actions and the lengths he’ll go to keep me safe. It only makes me love him all the more. This right here is the reason I find safety in his arms, and I couldn’t be luckier if I tried.

Fool shoves my mother, sending her stumbling backward. She clutches her throat, gasping for air, eyes wide with fear.

“I’ll call the police!” she shrieks, her voice rasping.

“Go ahead,” Lola challenges, twirling the knife in her hand. “We have all the witnesses here to refute your claim. So, I suggest you turn tail and get out of here. Go back to the hole you crawled out of.”

My mother’s face tightens with rage as she backs away. She points a trembling finger at me. “This isn’t over, April. You think you can just throw me away? I’m your mother!”

“No,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “You’re just the woman who gave birth to me. There’s a difference. Besides, I had two great women who raised me.” I gesture to Izzy and Kenny. “They taught me what kind of woman I want to be, and that’s nothing like you.”

“I think I’m going to cry,” Izzy murmurs.

“Go for it, you big baby,” Kenny teases.

Fool steps back to my side, his arm sliding protectively around my waist. The air holds a tension so thick Lola’s knife could cut it.

My mother’s face contorts with fury. She opens her mouth to say more, but my father steps forward, his expression deadly.

“Leave. Now. Before I forget I’m trying to be a better man and do something I’ll regret.” His voice is low and controlled, yet carries an unmistakable threat.

Something in his tone must finally cut through her rage, and she backs away, muttering curses under her breath. She turns and stalks toward the parking lot, her heels clicking angrily on the pavement.