Zach had them installed after Honey broke it off with him and he found out her friend had stolen her key and slept in his bed. Not that that's important right now. Right now, I need to figure out how to get my baby daddy off the porch before my cousin gets home and loses his damn mind.
I lock the playroom door with shaking fingers, then grab my phone, and dial 911. My thumb hovers over the green call button just in case. If he’s still out there, I’m done playing nice. I will call them if I have to. Quiet as a whisper, I tiptoe to the window and peel the curtain back just enough to see through the gap and brace myself for whatever’s waiting on the other side.
Nothing.
He’s gone.
Thank goodness, but for how long?
My fingers tremble as I let the curtain fall.
One slammed door isn’t going to be enough for Jamie to leave me alone. Honey told me he attends Southern Collegiate, so he flew across the country just to haunt my doorstep.
He’s not leaving.
No. He's coming forher.
I feel it in my bones.
“Mommy.” Ella's voice sounds distant, and I realize I'm hyperventilating, sucking in air that's not reaching my lungs. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision as Ella's worried face blurs before me.
My chest feels like it's caught in a vise grip. The room shrinks and the walls feel like they’re closing in on me. I can't think straight. All I want is to find a hole to crawl into and disappear. To wake up and discover this was just a nightmare.
“Mommy,” she calls again, her little face crumpled with worry, and I want to hold her. To promise everything's okay, but I'm paralyzed by the realization that everything could come crashing down around us at any moment. Zach might be able to pay for a fancy lawyer for us, but it’s nothing compared to the fucking Sanderson and Nicks law firm coming for you.
What if they take her? What if I lose the only thing that gives my life meaning?
The thought of Ella being ripped away, of her living in the cold, sterile Nicks mansion with people who didn't even want to know her name, is unbearable.
I'd run away with her and burn the world down before I let that happen.
“Mommy.”
The second her tiny hand touches mine, I pull Ella into my arms and clutch her like she might vanish if I let her go. She wriggles, confused by her normally level-headed mother suddenly acting so unhinged. I bury my face in her blonde hair, breathe her in, and pray that it’s enough to keep me centered.
“Mommy, it’s too tight,” she protests, pushing against my shoulder.
“Sorry, baby,” I whisper, loosening my grip but not letting go. Not yet. “I just love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she says quickly. It sounds so simple when she says it. To her, it is. Her love is pure, untainted by the toxic mess I got us into when I decided to have my first time at a stupid party in high school.
“Tiff? Ella?” Zach tries the playroom door handle, his voice jolting me back to reality. “The door’s locked. Are you both okay in there?”
He bangs against the door so violently, I swear he’s going to knock it down if I don’t do something soon.
Letting go of Ella, I rush to the door, unlock it and find my very concerned cousin on the other side. “Tiff? Are you okay?”
I see it in his eyes. He knows something’s happened, and I can’t believe I’m about to lie to my best friend. He's helped me ever since I showed up at his parents’ door, clutching my stomach and crying, and I'm going to repay that with this.
“We’re good,” I squeak out, hoping it sounds convincing because I’m most certainly not good.
“Uncle Z!” Ella squeals, running over to Zach as he pushes the door open further. He scoops her up into a hug and then settles her on his hip.
“Hey, Ella-bear.” He kisses her on the forehead and she leans into him. “How are you?”
“Good,” she says. “But mommy-”
I interrupt her before she can finish that sentence. “What are you doing home? I thought you had practice?”