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My fingers dig into my thighs as I try to control my temper. Those fucking bastards. I’d love to be left alone in a room with them for fifteen minutes. That’s all the time I would need to beat some sense into them. Or her dad, anyway. I don’t hit women, but I’m damn sure tempted to. Instead, I’d give her mother a set down with just words that would leave her weeping into her husband’s arms.
“No offense to you, but your brother and his wife are cunts.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. They’ve always been pretentious assholes. After they turned Ellie away when she showed up at their house with a newborn Maisy, she gave up. I only went to them this time to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe they regretted their decision to shut them out. I was wrong, and that’ll be the last time I give them the time of day. You should never have to work so hard to gain love from family.”
I grunt my agreement as we pull into the driveway. Declan climbs out of the car and makes it to the front door first. Before he opens it, he faces me.
“Ellie and Maisy mean the world to me. They’ve been through enough heartache to last a lifetime. I’d do anything for either of them. Even if that means laying you out if you hurt them.”
I hold his stare and take a step closer to him. “I can respect that and even appreciate it. I’m glad they’ve had someone in their corner all these years when I wasn’t. But don’t think for one fuckin’ second you can stand in my way. You’ll lose. Maisy is my daughter, and as her mother, Ellie is important too. I take care of the people I care about.”
“Sure doesn’t seem like you cared about her when you kicked her out of your apartment to be beaten by those men,” he growls.
In my current condition, I have no doubt he could take me. One quick jab to my stomach and I’d be done for. But I’ll be damned if I’ll allow this man to think he can intimidate me. He has no idea who he’s dealing with.
“I’ll regret my part in that night for the rest of my life, but even then, Ellie was important. I don’t owe you shit for an explanation, but there were things going on that were more than just me and her.”
“Like what?”
I bare my teeth. “That’s not something you need to know. I owe that information only to Ellie. I’m warning you right now, Declan, don’t stand between me and them. You won’t like the outcome.”
His hand turns white on the doorknob as he glares at me. “Is that a threat?”
“Call it what you will. I won’t stand by and let you affect the relationship I have with the daughter I just recently found out I had.”
We stand there and glare at each other, neither wanting to back down, both caring about the two females we just left at the hospital. When he sees the truth in my eyes, he gives me a tight nod. Before he turns back to the door, he adds, “If I find out you’ve hurt either of them, I’ll take you down.”
I tip my chin at him. “That’s something you’ll never have to worry about.”
After another nod, he turns and leaves me to follow him into the house. I can’t blame the guy for being wary, even if it does piss me off. He doesn’t know a thing about me, except for what Ellie’s told him. She and I had some good times together, but I’m sure me kicking her out of my apartment and her attack have overshadowed the good. Had I been in his shoes, I’d be doing more than simply threatening the guy. The unmarked graves back at home can attest to that.
After dropping the keys in the bowl in the kitchen, Declan mutters that he’s going to his office and leaves without another word. I head toward the hallway to drop my bag off in the room and to take a quick shower to wash the stink of the hospital off me, but stop halfway across the room when I see something pink lying on the table in front of the couch. Dropping my bag at the mouth of the hallway, I change directions until I’m standing in front of the table. There’s a stack of picture albums. The top one is pink and has Maisy’s name stenciled on it.
Sitting on the couch, I pick it up and flip it open. The first page has Maisy’s full name, birthdate, and the length and weight she was when she was born.
My hands freeze when I flip to the next page. It’s of two sonograms. The first one is black-and-white and has an arrow pointing to a smeared blob with the words “It’s a girl” typed in white letters. It’s the second one that catches my eyes though. It’s a close-up 3D image of a baby. Maisy. I’m amazed at how clear it is. Even in Ellie’s womb, she looks just the same as she does today. I can even see the small indent in her chin. I look over every facet of the image. The eyes, nose, forehead, cheekbones, every single angle.
Flipping to the next page, I discover all the dates for Maisy’s firsts. Her first tooth, her first word, the first time she rolled over, crawled, stood, and walked. There’s a tuft of hair wrapped in a rubber band and taped to the bottom of the page. Her first haircut. She was four years old.
I thoroughly look through every page of the whole book, which is filled with all kinds of information. Ellie did a good job of documenting every highlight of Maisy’s life, something I’m eternally grateful for because it allows me to know my daughter a little better. It lets me visualize all the important times in her life.
Once I’m done, I pick up the next album, which is the usual picture album. Picture after picture of a baby Maisy dots the pages. Her bundled in a lavender blanket in a bassinet, lying in a bed with pillows surrounding her, her arms outstretched and her mouth wide open as she stretches adorably. Big, beautiful eyes staring innocently at the camera.
I come across one picture that has my body locking tight. It’s of Ellie holding Maisy close to her chest. Her head is bent as she looks at our daughter, but I have a good view of her face. My heart pounds heavily in my chest as I look at her mangled face. Angry red scars slash across her cheeks and forehead. One eye appears to sag at the corner and there’s a big, nasty-looking scar on her temple at her hairline. Even through the pain she endured and had to still be enduring at the time, she was looking down at Maisy with adoration.
Several pages later, which are filled mostly with just Maisy and a few with her and Declan, I come across another of Ellie with an older Maisy. Most of the scars are gone from her face, or maybe hidden. Plastic surgery?
I look through the rest of the book and pick up the next. There are four albums in all, and I look at every picture, getting a better understanding of Maisy and Ellie’s life. Putting the last album on the table, I scrub my hands over my face. Hearing about the extent of her attack was hard enough, but seeing the results is damn near debilitating. I feel like my damn heart is going to beat out of my chest. There’s no way I can take away what happened to her, but I sure as fuck can ensure her attackers regret ever being on that street that night.
With a tiredness I haven’t felt in a long time, I get up and walk to the kitchen, ignoring the pinch of pain in my side. The pain has gotten worse over the last hour, probably from the rigid way I held my body as I looked at the pictures.
Pulling out the few items I need, I set to making chicken noodle soup. The food at the hospital was shit and I need something I’ll actually enjoy in my stomach. The nurse warned me to eat light so as not to overwhelm my body, so chicken noodle soup it is. I make a big pot, not because I’m a nice guy and I’m thinking of Declan, but so I won’t have to cook later. If he eats some, I couldn’t give a shit.
By the time I’m finished with the soup, my body is done for. I only manage to get down a few bites before nausea rolls in my stomach and exhaustion takes over. I leave the dirty dishes in the sink to clean later and grab my bag to take to the room, wanting that hot shower I didn’t take earlier. It’s not the long one I’d like to have, and it’s frustrating being careful of my incision, but it’s enough to make me feel somewhat clean again.
With Ellie and Maisy not here, I don’t have to worry as I leave the bathroom in only a towel wrapped aroun
d my waist. I don’t give a shit if Declan sees me, but I doubt he’ll emerge from his office anyway. He seems to be in there a lot when he’s home. Ellie said his work keeps him busy, whether he’s at the office or here at home.
