So sorry for the wait on this. I have no excuses, because it's been written since before I posted the first chapter. I hope you're all still here with me, and as always let me know what you think of this.
Damon
I knew if she looked like that and she was asking for help then it must be important. I was almost positive it had something to do with her daughter.
"What do you need?" I asked.
"I need you to drive me somewhere, please tell me you have a car here." She pleaded.
"Yeah I have a car. Let's go." I said as I took her elbow and lead her away from the table. She kept pace with me and she still looked worried.
"Thank you for this Damon." She said and I brushed it off.
"Where am I going?" I asked her and she reiterated an address.
"I'm really sorry about disturbing your lunch Damon. But Liam, Scarlett's father is here trying to force my babysitter to let him see Scarlett. I need to get her out of there." She told me and I couldn't believe the audacity of that asshole. He walked out and now he thought he had some sort of rights to a child he abandoned.
"Don't worry about my lunch, let's get your kid." I said as I followed her directions which were crystal clear. I couldn't get past the idea that I was about to meet her daughter, an honour I don't think she bestowed on just anyone.
When I parked the car, she didn't even wait for it to be turned off before she was getting out.
"Would you wait here if I asked you too?" She asked me and I nodded. I didn't want to cause her anymore problems, but if I saw the asshole doing anything or saying anything inappropriate I would get out and help her in any way I knew how. I watched as she pushed past a guy who was standing at the door. I could hear him yell after her but she didn't respond. From my spot, I saw an older lady wave a phone at him, I could tell that she was threatening to call the police if he didn't leave immediately. The guy who I was assuming was Liam put his hands in the air and walked down the stairs to the black sedan behind me. Asshole had money judging by the make of the car. Penniless deadbeat dads didn't typically drive shiny black Audi's, only deadbeats with money did. I saw Elena come out the door and hug the lady while holding the hand of a little girl. I also saw that she had a booster seat in hand. When they got to the car, Elena got Scarlett situated in the back then pushed the seat back so she could get in.
"Everything okay?" I asked her concerned.
"Well let's just say it's not over. I just don't want to talk about it with her in the car. She doesn't need to know everything that's going on." She told me and I understood.
"Well why don't you introduce me? It's not too often I get to have two beautiful girls in my car. Especially two that look almost identical." I said and I saw the little girl smile. She was the spitting image of her mom, that girl was very lucky.
"Alright, Scarlett why don't you introduce yourself sweetheart?" Elena asked her little girl. She sat forward and reached out her hand to me.
"Hello, my name is Scarlett Rae Gilbert, it's a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?" She asked shaking my hand as Elena was trying to hold back laughter.
"My name is Damon Salvatore. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady." I introduced myself shaking her hand firmly. When she was done she sat back Elena put her seatbelt on and I started the car. "So, do you want me to take you home?"
"I was thinking we'd go for lunch somewhere. My treat for rescuing us back there." She suggested. I agreed with her but there was no way I was letting her pay for a meal for me.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked and Scarlett's eyes brightened in the backseat.
"Sweetheart, we're going to let Damon pick this time." Elena said to Scarlett and she pouted a bit.
"We can go wherever she wants." I said with a laugh.
"She wants to go to the park by our place. There are food trucks there and she loves it. She thinks she gets ice cream after she eats and she plays on the equipment. It's the only place she truly loves going to eat." She told me and that settled it for me.
"The park it is." I said getting directions from her. The second Elena had Scarlett out of the backseat she was rushing towards a table.
"This is our table. We always sit at this table." She told me and I nodded.
"So what does everyone want to eat?" I asked.
"I will come with you to show you. I know what mommy and I like to eat." She said hopping up and taking my hand. I was startled for a second but she was so impossible not to like. I let her lead me over to the burger truck and she told me what to order for her and Elena. I ordered myself a burger too and I was going to wait until Scarlett pulled me away to the fry truck. "The burgers will be done when we're done ordering fries, so while the fries are cooking we'll go get out burgers then come back." She explained. She had me order onion rings and mushroom fries for her and her mom, citing that they always shared and I ordered mine. Like Scarlett said by the time we put our order in, our burgers were ready so I went and grabbed those.
"Now we go get drinks and when we get those the fries will be done." She told me and I obeyed. Scarlett ordered both her and Elena a bottle of water, so I had the same thinking there was a reason for it. Like she said by the time that was done the fries were up so we grabbed those and went back to Elena.
"That's quite a process." I said when we sat down. She laughed and nodded her head.
"We do it once a week." She told me. We all ate, throughout the whole meal Scarlett was regaling me with her life story.
"Mommy can I go play for a little while?" She asked and Elena nodded, pulling the rest of Scarlett's onion rings across the table. The little girl managed to eat her whole burger but only ate a couple onion rings so Elena started finishing them off.
"Do you want some? Otherwise I'm going to eat them all and I'll look like a pig." She said and I laughed and took a couple. I didn't think it was possible for her to look anything but perfect. She was gorgeous and she clearly didn't know it.
"So, do you want to talk about it yet?" I asked.
"Liam wants to go for full custody. He has a team of lawyers behind him who are convinced that if they find enough dirt on me they can take her. I can't even afford one lawyer let alone a whole team of them." She told me.
"But he's never been there for Scarlett. How does he even have a leg to stand on in court?" I asked.
"He thinks he can prove that I'm a negligent mom. He says he can find witnesses to it and then I'll lose her completely. Even visitation will be up to the courts." She told me and the idea pissed me off.
"What are your other options? Assholes like that don't ever appear with an easy option for all involved. He knows you can beat him in court so there is always an option he wants more." I said and she sighed.
"He wants visitation and somewhat shared custody. He wants half of the holidays and other times she's out of school. But I just can't imagine lying down and letting him take any time with her. He's not supposed to be here at all." She told me and I understood where she was coming from.
"Well tell you what then, if you want to fight him then you fight him. I'll help you out however I can." I told her.
"I couldn't let you do that." She said. I looked over at Scarlett who was happily chasing another kid around the playground. She was happily distracted so I took Elena's chin in my hand.
"I can help you Elena. I have the money and the resources. I could even testify on behalf of you being an incredible mom. I don't want to see that little girl's life change for the worse. Please let me help you." I implored her.
"Why do you want to help me?" She asked finally.
"Because even though you've made no indication that you feel the same way, I like you Elena. I don't want anything about you to change, and that includes the way you live your life. Scarlett is the biggest part of you and I don't want her to lose you or vice versa. I am entangled in your life now, at least from my standpoint. Let me help you." I pleaded with her.
"Okay. But you have to let me do what I can." She decided.
"I can do that." I agreed.
Later that afternoon after Scarlett played enough and ate a double scoop of cotton candy ice cream I drove them back to their apartment. It was an older building and they were on the third floor.
"Do you want to come in?" She asked when we made it to the door of her unit.
"I shouldn't. I'm supposed to meet my father and brother for dinner tonight. Once a month my father makes time for dinner with just us." I told her. It would also provide me with an opportunity to talk to my father about Elena's predicament.
"Okay, thank you so much for today. For everything." She said standing in the doorway. Scarlett had rushed into the living room and I could see her head just barely over the back of the couch as she watched some kid's show I didn't recognize.
"Don't thank me. I wish I could do more to help you." I said to her. We were talking low so Scarlett couldn't overhear us. The dynamic had changed between us since I offered to help her. She was looking at me differently and I wondered if she would let me kiss her. I really wanted to kiss her. I took a deep breath and leaned in. She didn't move until my lips touched hers. Her arms stayed locked at her side but she stepped closer to me so she could partially close the apartment door so Scarlett couldn't see. She kept the door partially open with her hand, the other one was on my stomach and I was unsure if she was trying to pull me closer or push me away. I kept the kiss innocent but long. I didn't try deepening it, but when I pulled back she was out of breath.
"Wow." She said shaking her head.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." I chuckled. She smiled at me and pulled the door open again.
"I'll see you tomorrow." She said backing into the apartment.
"You bet. Have a good night Elena." I said. I waited until she was inside her apartment before I walked back down the stairs, buoyant from the best kiss I'd ever had.