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Parting shots fired, I slam open the door with force, nearly knocking it off the hinges, and race out of the room. Once outside the door, I look over my shoulder at the devastation I left behind. There she sits, the woman who thought she had it all, but now, she has nothing. Her vacant eyes stare straight ahead, and she hasn’t moved an inch since I walked away.
Good.
“I’m all done here, thanks,” I say, giving the officer a tight smile. “Um. Did you happen to get that interview on camera?” I ask, shutting the door behind me. “Because it sounds like Gloria had a few sleazy things up her sleeve.”
“Yes, Sir. We’ll look into it with the feds and let them know what we caught.” The officer extends his hand, and I grab onto it, shaking it with a breath of relief.
“Thanks, Officer. If you need anything else from me, here’s my number.” Quickly, I jot it down on his notepad and walk away.
I’m sure in the future there will be more I have to do. Maybe go on the stand and tell the court how awful she was. For now, I’m walking away with my head up and my anger gone.
Gloria is in the past.
“Hey, Man,” Asher says, standing up from a bench outside. My eyes fall on Lyric as she smiles at his phone, swaying to an upbeat kids’ song blasting from the speakers. “Everything good?”
“That was a shit show,” I confess, rubbing at my forehead. “She stole earrings, but yet, stole my card, too. She…” Asher clasps my shoulder, gently squeezing in support. “She admitted to fucking everything. She set up your dad to go to prison.”
“Good fucking riddance,” he mumbles, shaking his head.
“She admitted to what she did to River and… Fuck… I don’t know how to feel about this,” I whisper, swallowing hard. “She was a horrible fucking mother…”
“But she was still your mother.” Asher nods in understanding. “That’s how I felt about my dad. I hated him with every fiber of my being. He was an abusive loser. But he was still my dad and… It’s confusing.”
“It is.” I trail off, staring at Lyric, mentally making a vow to never be a bad fucking parent. I’ll make mistakes, but I’ll own up to them every time.
“We got this, man. Every step of the way. Okay? We’ll make sure Cami is ours. We won’t have to worry about her getting hurt by Gloria.”
“You talked to the lawyer?” He gently squeezes my shoulder again, dropping his hands.
“Yeah. Talked to him earlier about applying for custody. He says we have a really good chance since we’re the brothers, and no one else in the family would volunteer. So, we probably won’t have a fight on our hands. It helps we’re financially secure and can prove we’ve been taking care of her, anyway.”
“Thanks, Asher. I don’t think I could have gone through with this…with anyone else.”
“What are brothers for?” he asks as a smile pulls at the edge of his lips.
“Brothers,” I hum, clapping him on the shoulder. “How about we get this baby home? We’ve got lots to plan for.”
“Plan for?” Lyric asks, staring between us.
“Yup!” I say, picking her up from the bench. “Let’s go home.”
Together. As a whole fucking family. No more Gloria. No more stalkers. It’s just us rebuilding what we had before into something bigger and better.
This is our future.
The sun beats down,warming us on one of the last September days. September 29th. The most special day in history. On this day, five years ago, I was blessed with the most beautiful surprise. My baby girl. The one being who majorly helped me through my depression and rage. It’s because of her that I’m living.
Every morning, she brings a smile to my face. Every question she asks or piece of vital information she thinks I need brings joy to my life.
This is where I’m meant to be. Right here. Right now. At Lyric’s ultimate unicorn dream.
The boys really came through when they promised they’d rent out the entire East Point Amusement Park. With little to no bribing, they were able to procure it for us at the last minute. Although the bastards refuse to tell me how much it cost them. Stating they were paying for the entire thing, and that I had better just smile and take it like a good girl.
Okay, that last part may have been during one of our few sessions in the bedroom. I may have thrown out the whole going slow thing, because it’s not really working out for me. I’ve never been one to hold myself back from what I want. Or what my body craves.
My heart soars with what they’ve done for Ly already. And for me. They’re proving themselves over and over again. Making me proud to have forgiven them completely and given them a much-needed second chance.
We’ve been happier than ever, figuring out our new life together. Slowly, of course. I’d never jump into this without caution. Only idiots repeat their mistakes.
