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He cursed something in Spanish as I placed a hand on my chest, trying to calm my beating heart. He threw me one last glance, filled with regret, but something told me it wasn’t for our almost slip. It was because we couldn’t make it true.
The person rang it again, and whoever’s impatience started to get on my nerves. It was even worse when I heardhervoice.
I barely knew the woman, but there was a reason Andrea waspersona non grataaround his family and friends. Correction: several reasons.
“Daniel, open the damn door.” Even her voice was annoying. “I know you’re at home, Daniel. Open the fucking door!”
Danny groaned, rubbing his hand over his face, and marched to the front door. I looked to my side to see a worried Sofia, and I cursed the she-devil once again. No one had the right to put that emotion on that little girl’s face. I stretched my hand and smiled at her, trying to convey with it that everything was okay, then guided her back to the living room until we knew what was going on.
“Finally! When I come to you, I expect—”
“Lower your voice. You don’t need to yell for me to hear. What do you want?”
“I came to pick up my daughter.”
“Absolutely not. Is that all?”
“What the fuck do you mean?” How could someone be so loud? “I have a right to—”
“First of all, you arenotto curse in my house. You’re also not welcome to bang at my front door whenever you want.” His severe baritone shouldn’t be such a turn-on. “Second, the only right you have is to visit Sofia once a month, at a place of my choosing, and with someone of my trust present. Today isn’t visiting day, and you can bet yourSanchothat I’m not letting you walk away with my baby under any circumstance.”
“You’re such a sore loser. After everything you did to me—”
“Please, enlighten me, Andrea. What did I do?”
“You were always away, always working. Then when you got home, all your attention was devoted to your daughter, like I didn’t even exist,” she snapped.
“Our daughter, you mean?”
I startled out of my eavesdropping and tried to guide Fee to her bedroom as silently as I could. But pulling a page from Danny’s book, I ended up stepping on one of her speaking toys. I could swear that thing had never been so loud.
“Who do you have there?” She stomped her way inside to find us trying to escape through the hall. “Since when do you have a new bimbo?”
“Watch it.” Danny’s words were low, but their impact rang louder than if he’d screamed them.
At least she was smart enough not to proceed with that kind of bother. Andrea stared down at a wide-eyed Sofia, impatience oozing from her hateful face. “Come on, Sofia. Give your mother a hug and let’s go.”
The little girl squeezed my hand and hugged my arm, getting closer to me. I wasn’t a violent person by any means, but I craved to feel Andrea’s face with my hand. My closed hand.
“You’re not going anywhere with my daughter. And if you keep pushing on this matter, I’ll get a restraining order. Don’t. Test. Me.” Not once did he raise his voice.
Still squeezing my hand, Fee whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
When it was clear Andrea wasn’t up to making things easier, Danny smiled reassuringly at her. “You don’t need to worry about it, Princess.” He looked at me. “Please, Lisa, go with Sofia to her bedroom. I’ll call you when this is over.”
Andrea threw a nasty look my way, and I wasn’t mature enough not to give another one right back.
As I took Sofia away from her evil mother, I couldn’t help feeling like I had experienced all four seasons in just a few hours.
I woke up living a dream, I enjoyed my morning like a commercial, I camethis closeto kissing Danny, only to be reminded he had the kind of baggage I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to withstand.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After the morning from hell, I was finally able to convince Andrea to leave. Not on good terms, though. But I had no illusions that could be possible. We were never on good terms, not even when we were together.
All I wanted to do was soak in a pity party and drown in the many issues surrounding me. The photos from the night before. The vindictive ex who felt entitled to blame me for cheating on me with a member of a cartel—although she claimed it was over. The pile of private cases we were working on at Bryants Walker that was taking a toll on us. Our main investigation against the cartel, which was either going nowhere or killing us. The slip of my control when I almost caved and kissed a woman twelve years my junior. Being interrupted right before finally kissing the said woman.
I had a lot to lament. But being an adult was like licking your wounds while buying groceries because someone had to cook, and that someone was you.
