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Craig said goodbye and left to go meet with everyone. I finished up too and headed out in search of Dee and the others. We all agreed to meet up outside the main entrance. That was just where I found Dee. Except when I did, she wasn’t alone. Some strange dude was trying to talk to her while she looked like she either wanted to kill him or cry. Maybe both. The stranger hung on her every word, even though he had a fresh-from-the-factory Tami knockoff hanging on his arm. When he tried to touch Dee’s arm, I lost it. My vision went red and I stormed towards them. If that was who I thought he was, it would be a cold day in hell before I let him get close to her again. Dee deserved a man who would love and cherish her, and who would stick by her no matter what. And I was the man to do it.
fifteen
Dee
“DEE!”Mynamesoundedacross the space as I stood waiting for Travis and the rest of our co-workers. The game had ended with a win for the home team. Russell suggested we all go out for dinner since it was still early. On the way out of the stadium, everyone but me needed to stop for a comfort break. That was how I found myself alone and on the verge of a huge surprise. I looked up to see two familiar, lovable faces racing towards me. My heart swelled with happiness as a wide, ecstatic smile stretched across my face.
“DEE! DEE!”
“NATHAN! DANIEL!” I looked up just in time to see the two little boys who owned my heart. That same heart pounded in my chest. I was nearly in tears as they sped towards me. It had been months since I’d seen either of them. It had been so hard not seeing them every day, but for some reason, the gods decided to bless me and temporarily soothe the ache that now was a permanent fixture in my chest.
The boys reached me in seconds flat. I dropped to the ground and welcomed them into my arms, hugging the crap out of them, and not giving a shit what Dennis would think if he were here. Which, I was most certain he was. I couldn’t stop holding my precious little boys. I kissed their little faces, breathed in the scent of their hair, squeezed and tickled them until they were both giggling in my arms.
“Dee!” Nathan said against my cheek. “Dee, wemissed youso much! Why didn’t you move with us? Why didn’t you come with us?” His little arms wrapped around my neck and I had to hold back the rush of tears that blurred my vision.
“Dee Dee,” the youngest, Daniel, clung to me like I was about to disappear. “I miss you. Please come home with us. I don’t like Diane,” he whispered as if he’d get in trouble for speaking the truth. “She’s not nice.”
“It’s okay, little man.” I kissed the top of his little six-year-old head. “It’s okay not to like someone.”
“She’s mean to us!” Nathan admitted and I saw red.
“Yeah! She’s so not nice, Dee! She doesn’t like us.”
“What do you mean by she doesn’t like you?” I asked because I needed to know. If that bitch had done anything to hurt either of them, I was definitely going to jail and losing my law license. The boys were not mine by blood, but they were mine all the same. I’d helped raise them. I loved them like they were my own and I didn’t care what anyone said either. They were my kids and by God, I was going to massacre that bitch if she’d hurt them in any way.
“She yells at us when Daddy’s not home. She tells us we’re stupid and ugly and disgusting and makes us stay in our rooms. We can’t even go to the potty until Daddy comes home and even then we have to be quiet.” Little Daniel was on the verge of tears. I heard the crack of my tolerance shattering as I hugged him extra tight.
“She threatened to hit us with Daddy’s belt if we didn’t shut up too. She was going to lock us in the closet!” Nathan tried to be strong but the wobble in his voice betrayed how scared he was.
“Don’t you guys worry.” I pulled them back in for another hug. “I’m here now and I’m going to speak to Daddy. I won’t let Diane do anything to you,” I promised. And I would. Whatever that bitch was doing, I was going to put a stop to it. I highly doubted Dennis knew that the skank was flat out abusing the boys. Dennis had always been a good father. The boys always came first, no matter what. Knowing that Diane had blinded him infuriated me. When I saw Dennis again, I was going to let him have it. Hurt my kids? Oh, I don’t think so. The bitch was toast.
“Boys?” Dennis shouted frantically just as fantasies of punching Diane in the mouth popped into my brain. “Nathan? Daniel? Boys, where are you? Oh, God! Where could they be? Where are my boys?”
“Over here. I’ve got them over here!” I shouted back. My gut clenched as I looked up just in time to see him and Diane the Skank headed our way.
“Don’t tell her we told you,” Nathan whispered and hugged me with a death grip. “She won’t feed us if you do.”
“I won’t. I promise I won’t.” I pulled back to look them in the eye. “Can I tell you a secret?” Both boys nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t like her either, and I’m meaner than she is!” I whispered back as I kissed their soft little cheeks. The boys giggled as they leaned against me. All of us needed to be close after so long apart.
“Dee? Oh, thank God! I’m so glad you found them!” Dennis rushed ahead, dropping Diane’s hand in the process.
“It’s more like they found me.” I stood up but kept my hands on the boys until Dennis reached us. A pang of anguish squeezed my heart as Dennis dropped to his knees and pulled the boys in for a hug. A pang pierced my chest as he smothered their little faces with kisses just like I had. Seeing it brought back my happy memories and left me heartbroken that I would no longer be a part of moments like this.
“Dennis? Did you forget about me?” Diane barked out, clearly annoyed that he wasn’t giving her all of his attention. Both boys visibly tensed up as the Slimy Lizard Woman caught up us and began tapping her high-heeled foot impatiently. I must have scowled because she scoffed through her nose and proceeded to check me out as if I were the competition.That ship has long since sailed,I thought as I swallowed down a scoff of my own.
Diane was dressed head to toe in designer duds. Clothing thatwas notbaseball friendly and must have cost a small fortune. Her skirt was barely legal and her blouse clung to her like plastic wrap. Why didn’t she just wrap herself in cellophane? It would still send out the same slutty message, plus it would be a lot cheaper.
“What are you looking at?” she sneered again as I continued to take her in. Her hair was twisted up in some kind of French hairdo while her makeup looked like it had been slathered on with a trowel.
“I’ll tell you once I figure it out,” I shot back. Both Nathan and Daniel snickered behind their gloved hands. Diane’s narrowed eyes darted downwards with a warning that even made my blood run cold.
“You’ll shut up if you know what’s good for you,” she threatened my precious little angels.
“Talk like that to them again and you’re going to regret it," I clapped back. Like I said, hurt my kids? Prepare to suffer the consequences. Unintimidated, I stared back without breaking eye contact. Diane did the same until the last minute when she rolled her eyes.
Yep. I was about to lose it. If she kept this up, I wasdefinitelylosing my law license and wasdefinitelygoing to jail.What the hell did Dennis see in this bitch? The words repeated in my brain as I glanced down at the boys and saw their frightened, anxious little faces. Not one for confrontation, Dennis ignored us and switched topics before she could respond.
“What did I tell you guys about running off?” Dennis scolded the boys before stealing a glance up at me. The genuine remorse and gratitude I saw reflecting in his eyes startled me. I wasn’t prepared for how it would affect me. And it affected me. So much so I wanted to fucking cry.
