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“He’s better.” I dig my phone out and show him the picture from this morning.
“He looks like a space alien.” His eyes grow wide.
I smile at the reference, thinking of Annie. “He does.”
“Can we go see him?”
“In a few days. He’s on some heavy medicine. Once he’s feeling better, we’ll go over.”
“What about Darby? When can we see Darby again?”
“Soon.”
He accepts the answer, not hiding his disappointment.
“I’ll see if we can do dinner on Sunday night when I pick you up from your Mom’s,” I add, hoping Darby will agree.
“Okay.”
“Go wake your sister up. It’s time to get ready for camp.”
He sprints back out of the kitchen, yelling his good morning to Mom and Dad.
My phone rings, and at the sight of Connie’s name, I hit ignore and start breakfast. This happens twice more before the texts pour in.
Why isn’t Maya answering her phone?
Where are you?
I want to speak to my kids!
“Answer that woman before she calls my phone.” Mom takes over the eggs.
The best route is to text her back, allowing a record of our conversations.
Maya no longer has a phone. It has been confiscated. We are at my parents’ having breakfast. If you’d like to speak to them, I can have them call you on our way to camp.
Connie: You confiscated her phone? What are you, the police?
No, I’m her dad.
Connie: You have balls. Did you take her phone after she got upset over your engagement?
I took her phone after she made a poor and irresponsible decision that caused an accident and almost killed Darby’s dog. Not to mention injured a man and resulted in thousands of dollars in damage. Maya and Cole witnessed every second of it. All of this because of your lies and manipulation. By the way, they know you’re not allergic.
Nothing comes through for another minute, and I pocket the phone. The kids can call her in the car if they wish, but going forward, all communication from me will be in the form of writing or through our lawyers.
Chapter 29
Darby
Pierce is waiting out front when we arrive at Rosen’s. He’s wearing a basic white oxford, opened at the neck to show off his tan skin, and a pair of navy slacks that mold to him. He straightens, crossing his arms, and a shiver races up my spine at the sight. His eyes stay trained on me as he makes his way to open my door, hauling me out of the back seat.
“You’re late,” he gripes.
“Blame it on Mom.”
“You should have let me pick you up.”
“You should learn the art of patience.”
His jaw clenches tight as his eyes trail slowly over me, my skin tingling under his gaze. Mom scheduled another day of beauty. This time, she and Lynda joined me, knowing that tonight is special.
His eyes meet mine, and I catch the smoldering desire right before his mouth crashes down, his tongue plunging inside. I fall into him, whimpering when his hands fist into my hair, slanting my head and diving deeper. He kisses me greedily, the contrast of his soft lips and hard strokes sending a shiver through my bones. I’m powerless to him in this moment. The world around us is forgotten. My brain blacks out the fact that we are on a busy sidewalk with strangers passing by. My family is no longer a few feet away, and his family is inside.
It’s only us, and this is him, making his statement.
I grow lightheaded, twirling my tongue in rhythm with his. He growls down my throat approvingly as my nails dig into his side.
“We’re going inside. Pierce, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ruffle her hair and makeup too much. We have pictures to take.” Mom’s request cuts through my haze, and I slowly float back down to reality.
Pierce sucks my bottom lip into his mouth once more before pulling away and pressing his forehead to mine. “You are stunning.”
“You are, too.”
We stay like this for several minutes, our bodies pressed close, his molten eyes locked with mine. Silently sharing our thoughts.
My heart swells and dives at the same time. It’s been three weeks since the incident with Maya, and the results have taken a toll on him. He wasted no time jumping into action. The first thing he did is enforce the original custody agreement set in place years ago. No longer is there a loose schedule where the kids can float back and forth. It immediately went back week-to-week with each parent. Drop-offs and pick-ups are done in a public location or at one of the grandparents’ houses. Pierce refuses to be alone with Connie without another adult present. He isn’t going to risk his kids witnessing any type of argument or altercation, nor does he want to give Connie any ammunition to use in the privacy of her home. Anger toward her still scorches inside, and he can’t look at her without thinking of the emotional damage she caused.
