AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hand her my keys. “Go inside, honey. I want to talk to your father for a minute, and then you and I are going to eat ice cream until we barf.”
Deja takes the keys and unlocks the door, hurrying inside with tears streaming down her cheeks. The moment the door slams shut, I turn on Jake, ready to tear his head off. My body suddenly feels cold. I am gutted. It pains me to see him hurting Deja, acting as if he doesn’t have a place for her in his new life, as if she’s a burden.
“What are you doing to her?” I ask, venom laced in my voice as my hands clench at my sides. “What the fuck are you doing to your own fucking daughter? Her heart is breaking, and you’re stomping on it! You’re a bastard.”
“Look, Britney thinks it’s best that we spend some time together before the wedding. She says this is the last real weekend we’re going to have together before we start planning the wedding. We need that time alone together.”
What. The. Fuck.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I’m torn between ripping his head off or running over his whore, Britney. The bitch is a spoiled child, and he’s abandoning his daughter for a woman half his age.
“I’m filing for full custody.” My mind is made up. This shit has to stop.
Jake’s eyes harden. Throughout our divorce, I’d promised myself I would never take Deja away from him. They needed each other. He was her father and he deserved to be in her life.
Not anymore. Not if he isn’t willing to fight for her. Not if he’s not going to put his own flesh and blood first.
“The fuck, Tracey!” Glaring at me, my ex-husband bares his teeth. If I didn’t know better, I would think he wants to literally tear me limb from limb. “If you try to take my daughter away from me, you’ll regret it.
I continue, as if I haven’t heard a word he’s said, “I’m filing for full custody, and if you try to stop me, I’ll ruin you. You’ve lost the best thing in our lives because you think that burying your dick in Britney is more important than your child.”
Before he can say anything, I storm up the steps and slam the door behind me. Deja looks at me, the curtains fluttering shut. I sigh and slump against the door, knowing she’d been watching the entire thing.
“How much of that did you hear?” I rub the back of my neck, wondering how much she’s going to hate me now.
“All of it.”
I nodded, another heavy weight settling on my shoulders. “You’re old enough that the court is going to let you make your own decisions. It’s your choice. But I’m not going to stop fighting for you, Deja.”
“How was your date?” she asks, her voice soft as she looks up at me.
“It was fine.” Despite my efforts to keep my romantic life away from Deja's prying eyes, my response is less than enthusiastic and my daughter knows me well enough to figure out what I haven’t said aloud.
Her responding smile tears my heart in two. I don’t want my daughter to be happy that my date hadn’t gone well. I want her to be happy that her mother is moving on and starting to rebuild a life for her family.
But, I’m not responsible for the way she feels. I sigh and stand up straighter, not letting her see how her response bothers me.
“Is it okay if I go to Bonnie’s tonight?” Deja asks.
“Don’t you remember that you’re grounded?” I stare at her for a moment before deciding that I could use the night to myself. Wallowing seems like a good way to cope. “Fine, you can go to Bonnie’s. I want you home tomorrow evening though, okay?”
Deja nods, a wide smile on her face as a car horn honks in the driveway. I open the door and glance outside, seeing Bonnie and her mother sitting in the car. It’s no surprise that Deja had called them before asking my permission. I shoot her a look, before holding the door open wider for her escape.
She and Bonnie have been best friends since kindergarten and have had dozens of sleepovers over the decade of their friendship. I know she’s in safe hands. I’ll give her mom a call a bit later.
Once Deja is gone, I go to my room and swap my dress for leggings and a tank top. It’s only after dropping my phone, debit card, and car keys on my bedside table that I notice my ID is missing.
“Shit.” I check the pockets of my dress again.I could just leave the ID at the bar and get a new one.
Though I want nothing more than to avoid any further embarrassment, I need my ID. I do what any adult would do. I slip on a different top before ordering another Uber and preparing myself to walk back into the bar with my tail between my legs.
I can only hope Liam will be long gone by the time I get back to the bar. Avoiding him, ditching him, and returning to the bar on the same night will not look good.
As if the impression I made could get any worse,I think as I climb inside the Uber.
****
When I walk back into the bar, Liam is slinging drinks while talking to a few of the patrons with a smile on his face. He looks comfortable behind the bar, laughing and serving drinks; it’s obviously second nature to him.
