Chapter 17: Reckless
I stood with my hands clenched into fists at my sides, taking in his smug overly white smile easy-going stance with his hands in his trouser pockets, one foot crossed over the other like he owned the place. Like he wasn't the scum of the earth.
"Get out," I growled taking a step toward him.
"Bella," he started in a calming tone, but I was in no position to be calmed.
"How dare you just show up here like this!"
"It's my house...,"
"That you abandoned along with everything and everyone in it," I snapped. I punctuated each of my words with a finger to my chest. "I've been paying the bills by myself, providing everything we need. By. My. Self. You have no right. How dare you?"
He looked down, the smile fading from his lips. "Look, I know, okay? I just needed to see Mckayla. I texted her a few days ago and she hasn't responded. I got worried."
I laughed humorlessly. "Oh, now you're worried? Where the hell were you the last year? She could have used some of your interest then."
"Guys...," Mickey interrupted us and I had forgotten she was even still standing off the side of us. "Please don't fight."
Her hands found their way to the sides of her head, her eyes swimming with tears. My anger smashed down, but not forgotten, I glared at Riley. "Outside." I jerked my head toward the door.
"Mom," Mickey started and I looked at her with as much patience as I could muster.
"Just go to your room. It's late. You need to be in bed."
She looked at her dad for a moment before dropping her head and her shoulders, she turned to the stairs and was halfway up before Riley spoke to her.
"I'll see you soon, Mckayla. I promise."
She looked back at him and gave a small smile before running up to her room and closing the door, hard.
I walked to the front door, opening it and gesturing for Riley to walk out before me. I had half a mind to close it on him and call it a night, but the bigger part of me wanted to scream at him and make him feel as small as he made me feel a year ago.
He walked down the porch steps quickly and then turned on his heel to look at me, the smile was gone, but his eyes dancing as if he were enjoying this. I sure as hell wasn't.
"Look, Bella, I know I should have called you before just showing up, but I needed to see my daughter. I had to. Knowing she was so close and I couldn't see her was killing me."
I laughed at that, head thrown back and maniacal with rage. "It was killing you? How about this last year? Was it killing you then?"
"You have no idea how sorry I am about what I did. I just needed to get out. Life was getting so... so tedious."
I cocked a brow. "Tedious? Life got too boring for you so you decided you'd pack up a bag and leave your kid behind for some young little skank?"
"Victoria was a mistake." He bowed his head. "It was all a mistake. I missed you both so much." He took a step nearer to me and I countered with a step back, glaring at him.
"Well, I didn't miss you. Good fucking riddance as far as I'm concerned."
"But Mckayla missed me, didn't she?"
"She shouldn't have had to miss you! You bastard, how could you hurt her like that and then show up out of the blue and try to get her on your side behind my back."
"I didn't know you wouldn't be here," he spat. "Who would have known you'd be out on the fucking town while Mckayla was home alone."
"Don't you dare," I seethed stepping up to him. I ran down the steps and came up to his face as much as I could with my height. I looked up into his face. "I'm allowed to have a life. Being a single mother is hard work. I get some nights to myself."
He looked down, his face at least somewhat contrite. "I know, I'm sorry. I guess it's really none of my business."
"You're damn right."
"I wanted to see you both and get this all settled. I wanted a civil conversation between the three of us."
"I don't give a shit what you want."
He nodded. "As you shouldn't. But I want to fix things. With you and Mckayla."
I took a step back and appraised him from his slick brown loafers to his perfectly coiffed hair and then spat. I pursed my lips and spat on his dumb shoes. He took a staggering step back and looked at me, appalled.
"Fuck you. You will never fix things with me. You broke my daughter's heart into a million pieces." I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I never had such an urge to punch someone in my life. I locked my hands behind my back because the impulse was almost too much to ignore.
"You broke her heart and her trust. You know she thinks I'll abandon her too? That's how little faith she has in the sanctity of parenthood. You did that. You."
He bowed his head and sighed. "I want to repair the damage I caused. Whether you like it or not, she is still my daughter. I have a right to see her and try to fix things. That is my right as her father. So you better get used to me being around. I'm not going anywhere this time. Deal with it."
I sneered at him, my body vibrating with hate. My hands unlocked of their own volition and before I could stop myself, I attacked him. My hands slapping and punching and scratching at his face and shoulders and anywhere else I could reach. "Fuck you!" I screamed over and over again during my attack. He finally got his hands wrapped around my wrists and he pushed me back, his hand going to his bloodied lips.
"Are you crazy?"
I felt crazy. I felt fucking blissfully insane. I went after him again but he pushed me back and I fell on the steps, my hands reaching back to catch my fall, a sharp pain springing up my arm.
I screamed and held my hand to my chest. "Ow, fuck!"
"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry," he said hurriedly as he ran over to me. I kicked at him with my legs.
"Leave!" I yelled. "Get the fuck out of here now before I stab you with my keys, I swear to God I will kill you."
His eyes widened and he took a few staggering steps back before turning on his heel and jumping in his car. I cried and held my hand to my chest as his car sped off down the street. I grabbed for my purse that lay next to me on the steps and pulled out my phone. I dialed the only person I needed at that moment.
"Hello, gorgeous," his voiced purred into the phone. "Did you make it home okay?"
I cried into the phone. "E-Edward."
"Bella? What happened?"
"I-I need help," I whispered pathetically, my eyes scanning the street and seeing a few faces watching me from their porches. My eyes widened and I scrambled up from the steps grabbing my purse and pushing my way back into the house.
"What happened?" he asked again. I could hear his keys jingling in the background and muffled voices.
"I think I need to go to the hospital."
"Bella, what –,"
"I'll explain everything when I see you."
"Where are you?" he asked and I could hear a door slam on his end.
"I'm at home." I gave him my address and hung up the phone, my body falling onto the sofa as I clutched my arm to me wincing in pain.
I couldn't stop the cries that emanated from me as the adrenaline left me and my body crumpled into the sofa, head laying on the armrest.
"Mom?" Mickey came barreling down the stairs. "What happened?" She was next to me in an instant, her hands on mine over my hurt arm.
"I-I fell," I lied. I didn't want to tell her I attacked her father and he pushed me. Things were bad enough I didn't want to add to it.
"You fell?" she asked, disbelief in her eyes. "Did Dad do this?" she asked angrily.
I sighed and tried to stop the tears. "Edward is on his way to take me to the hospital," I answered, ignoring her question.
"I'll go with you," she said vehemently.
"No," I said quickly. "No, you need to stay home and get some sleep. It's late."
"Are you serious?" she yelled. "No way. I'm going with you."
I groaned and buried my face in the arm of the sofa. I felt her soft hands on my back, rubbing soothing circles. This was not how I wanted her to meet Edward for the first time.
Soon, there was a knock at the door and Mickey jumped up to answer it. I stood on unsteady feet, the pain making me feel sick to my stomach. Edward rushed into the living room with Mickey close behind him, both of them looking equal parts panicked and confused.
"What happened?" Edward demanded as he came to stand next to me, his arm circling my waist.
I looked over at Mickey and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I'll tell you later."
Mickey glared. "Dad did it," she spat. "Right?" She looked at me with a challenge in her eyes.
I sighed and slumped against Edward. "Is that true?" he asked, deadly calm.
I nodded into his chest and I felt his chest rumble beneath me. "I, uh, went after him," I admitted since we were being honest. "I was just so mad," I cried and Edward tightened his grip around me, leading me to the door.
Mickey followed behind. She grabbed my purse from the floor by the couch and ran after us making sure she would not be left behind. A large truck was parked outside my house and Edward guided me to the passenger side of it. There was just enough room for me to sit in the middle and lean against Edward while Mickey took the window seat.
The ride to the hospital was quiet save for my heavy breathing and cries of pain at every pothole we hit. Edward cringed over a particularly brutal one. "Sorry," he muttered.
After fifteen minutes we mercifully pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Mickey jumped out first and Edward ran to the passenger side to help me down. We three walked into the ER and I signed in. It didn't take long for them to take me back and get an X-ray on my arm. I had a small hairline fracture to my right wrist and they put a brace on it, telling me to come back for a cast in a week.
I didn't even want to know what the bill would be for all of that. I had insurance but it sure didn't cover much of anything.
The ride back to the house was quiet as I was on some pain killers that I would need to pick up from the pharmacy the next day. I laid lazily on Edward's shoulder while Mickey played with the edge of my brace on her lap.
When we pulled into my driveway, Edward sighed. "You going to be okay?"
I nodded. "I just need to sleep." The painkillers were really kicking in.
"I'll walk you two in," he said quickly jumping from the cab of his truck. He rounded to the passenger side just as Mickey jumped out. She surprised me by looking up at him for seemingly the first time. "Thanks, Edward. Thanks for taking care of my mom."
He smiled down at her and nodded. "Of course. And it was nice to meet you. Just wish it was under better circumstances."
Mickey smiled tiredly up at him and moved to the side so he could help me down. He walked me to the door and Mickey unlocked it, letting us all in.
"Do you need anything else?" He asked me, leaning down to my ear.
I shivered as his breath washed over me. "I'm okay. Thank you so much for coming here and taking care of me."
"Of course, Bella," he scoffed playfully. "If you need me, I'm only a call away."
I smiled at him and pulled away, squeezing around his waist before letting go. "I'll see you soon."
"I'll see you tomorrow," he replied adamantly. "Will you be working at the library?"
I shook my head with a sigh. "I'm calling in."
He nodded, a smile on his face. "Good. You could use the break right now with everything going on."
"No doubt," I huffed.
Mickey sidled up next to me and handed me my purse with a small smile.
"Well, I'll let you two get to bed," Edward said making a move for the door. He looked like he wanted to say something else but shook his head and smiled, walking out the door.
"He's nice," Mickey observed when the door closed behind him. I walked over and locked it.
"He really is."
"Mom," she called. "Why did you attack Dad?"
I groaned and laid my head against the door. "I really don't know. Pent up aggression, maybe."
She nodded. "I understand. Do you need help up the stairs?"
I shook my head. "I'll make it," I told her quietly. She left me to go to her room and I sighed falling to the floor against the door, my hands crossed over my chest.
Things were going to get ugly. Well, uglier.
Thank you SO MUCH for your kind words on the last chapter. Y'all are making writing so much more enjoyable.
