“Yeah—I don’t want to.” Making sure I spoke clearly and didn’t catch her off guard, I squeezed Hailey’s leg as her smile widened. The knots in my chest dissolved instantly, and I leaned back against the sofa only for her to rub the pad of her foot and toes against my abdomen over my shirt.
“Okay.”
Chapter 23
Hailey
“I’m not saying I don’t want to go, babe, I just don’t know Marissa or her husband all that well. It’s kind of awkward to go to their anniversary party.” Licking my lips heavily at Anthony’s rationalization, I frowned as I watched the suburbs of Marissa’s neighborhood flow by beyond the windshield.
“The only reason you have to go is because she explicitly asked me to ask you, Anthony.” His palm resting on my thigh flexed, fingers squeezing my flesh and sending goosebumps down my leg, and I sighed heavily. “Trust me—there’s a reason you haven’t met my brothers-in-law yet.”
Nibbling on my bottom lip, I tilted my head to catch Anthony’s curious stare, and my frown deepened. The honest to God truth was that I didn’t want anyone to recognize him and beg for money. Just the idea of it was mortifying, and I flushed even as I opened my mouth.
“They… they can be a lot to handle. Especially when there are no kids around. It’s not often they get to be boys and get tipsy. They’re all pretty young, with lots of responsibility.” If Anthony could tell I was only telling half the truth, he didn’t show any indication of it, and he nodded firmly. The car rolled as he took his foot off the gas, and I twisted to glance at Antonya’s soft, wispy hair peeking up over the back of her car seat. “Marissa’s had this babysitter for four years, and Tracy’s babysitter will be there, too. That’s the only reason I’m comfortable going. I don’t drink, and I don’t want Antonya around drinkers—even social ones.”
“…You never told me what happened to your dad—you only talk about your mom.” My breath caught, and my heart stuttered in its cage at Anthony’s none-too-subtle shift of conversation. Stiffening as the vehicle glided towards my sister’s house, I opened my mouth only to close it as he watched me from the corner of his eye. His hand dragged up and down under my sundress, and I felt the blood rush from my face.
“I’m not talking about it.” My voice cracked harshly, and I inhaled a shaky breath as we came upon Marissa’s already packed driveway. “Ask one of my sisters.”
The subject of alcohol and my distaste for it must’ve given Anthony the impression that my father was a drunk, but he couldn’t have been more wrong; I wasn’t going to correct him, though. Reaching to rub my chest as it tightened to the point of suffocation, I held my breath in fiery lungs while he pulled up on the curb. Music pulsed up from the wheels and through the windows, and I closed my eyes to focus on it.
“I’m sorry, babe, I won’t ask again.” Regret roughened Anthony’s voice, and he twisted the key in the ignition to halt the rumbling of the engine. Unbuckling myself, I popped open the door even as the sense that he had more to say settled on my shoulders. Pausing with one heeled foot on the sidewalk, I turned back to him to lean across the center console and plant my lips on his.
“He wasn’t an alcoholic… I just don’t like it.” When I pulled back, Anthony’s expression was torn between relief and spiteful disgust, but I didn’t dwell on it as I climbed out of the car. Shutting the door behind me, I rolled my neck and shoulders, flexing my fingers wide and curling tightly to get rid of the dark vibes that tainted my very smell. Ducking into the passenger seat, my body warmed at the intense stare he gave me, and I cracked a smile when Antonya’s wandering eyes met mine. “Hi, baby girl. Ready to p-l-a-y?”
“She’s just going to sleep through the afternoon, babe. I’m honestly surprised she’s even up. You fed her right before we left.” Anthony made an honestly impressive attempt to be cheerful and upbeat, and I flashed him a grateful smile as I unbuckled Antonya’s seat belt. “Then again, she did eat immediately—not like usual.”
“She’s two and a half months old, Anthony… you heard the doctor the other day—she’s going to start being more active.” He only rolled his eyes at me before shuffling out of the driver’s seat, and I turned my attention to our daughter to carefully extract her from her car seat. “There she is! ♪Who is such a good girl♪?”
“I’m going to have to get a proper lock for the guest bedroom, then, huh?” Choking lightly at the jibe, I sucked in a sharp breath as Anthony rounded the front of the car. His hands wrapped securely around my waist, and my smile strained at the knowledge that he had no problem grabbing my ass in public. “Relax. I’m your dirty little secret, remember?”
“This isn’t 2005, you know.” Holding Antonya to my chest, I carefully backed out of the back seat, and my ass-cheek twitched when Anthony’s jeans brushed against the skirt of my dress. “I don’t care, everyone pretty much knows about it anyway.”
“Knows about what?” Tracy’s curious tone drew my gaze, and I watched her saunter down the walkway with a big smile stretching her lips and hands outstretched eagerly. “Everyone knows this little cutie is gonna have such a good time with Auntie T? Right!”
“What happened to the second babysitter?” Frowning under furrowed brows, I watched Tracy shrug carelessly, and she scooped up my daughter so I could shut the door firmly. “She canceled? I thought you organized it weeks ago?”
“I did, but her dog ate two remotes and, like, six empty water bottles, so she needed to take it to get emergency surgery. It’s not a big deal. Everyone was worried about the logistics of today, so this just makes things easier.” My eyebrows shot up at that, and Tracy shot me a wry smirk as she held Antonya firmly against her chest. “I didn’t ask, honestly, I almost think she’s lying. Anyway, you go on and enjoy. I got this. Everyone else is already here.”
“Uh, okay.” Taking Anthony’s hand, I followed Tracy back towards Marissa’s house, and he laced our fingers together. The smell of the grill permeated the entire area for at least a block, and I knew that at least three dozen people had shown up for this party. The sun hid behind huge, fluffy, white clouds, and there was no breeze to cool the 90 degree temperature.
Thankfully, Marissa had a sizeable pool in her backyard, and I’d worn a bathing suit underneath my dress.
“So… is no one worried that your mom will show up?” Posing his question just as we made it to the front door, Anthony cast me a sidelong glance even while I shook my head instantly.
“No, she won’t. She shows up for the big things, but aside from that, will rarely do more than call. That’s how she hasn’t found out about Antonya yet—she doesn’t care unless it feeds her twisted sense of motherly pride.”
“But she does care… just… in an old-fashioned way, and she can be really mean when her way is challenged.” Tracy spoke over her shoulder, and I huffed in agreement as we crossed the threshold and into Marissa’s space. My eldest, youngest sister’s home was typical suburbia perfection, and we wandered to the staircase at the opposite end of the living room before Tracy stopped at the bottom step. “By the way, did you guys ever find out who that guy was from your work?”
“Oh, yeah. My father hired him. I gave him a call and made it very clear that if he came anywhere me or Hailey or any of you that I’d put his ass in jail.” Just thinking of that day that seemed longer than just two and a half weeks ago seized the muscles in my abdomen. Squeezing Anthony’s hand, I ground my teeth absently as my gaze dropped to Antonya. My memory of the incident didn’t come with any threatening vibes, but it still made me nervous to think someone had been watching me and I never knew.
“Yeah… well, hopefully he listens to you. You know what they say—the goal of being a parent is to make sure your kids are better than you were.” Leaving us with that short, parting sermon, Tracy made her way up the stairs with soft babbles and smooching noises trailing behind her. Inhaling a deep breath, I closed my eyes to force away the feelings that had bubbled up since the car ride, and Anthony wrapped his arm around m
y waist to pull me to his side.
“Why didn’t you tell your sisters before now? You know they worry about you, Hailey.” Exhaling slowly through flared nostrils, I looked back on these past two weeks as the sounds of muffled, rambunctious conversation floated in my ears. Anthony was patient with me, but I really didn’t have an answer for him.
“It just never came up again, I guess. We had a bet going that Marissa would get pregnant again, and that took up a lot of time.” Grunting absently, Anthony didn’t press the issue, and I opened my eyes and threw back my shoulders with a slight nod. “Right, let’s go. I really hope this doesn’t get crazy.”
Chapter 24
Anthony
What I suspected the real reason was that Hailey didn’t want me at this party became apparent as soon as we stepped into the backyard. Someone had recognized me instantly, and I had to force a smile for the first time in a long ass time. Business talk droned in one ear only to get pushed like sewage out the other, and I was one more ‘Mr. Richards’ from jumping in the pool.
Hailey and I hadn’t even been here ten minutes, and some guy I didn’t fucking know was laughing buddy-buddy like in my face.
“Why are you laughing?” Next to me, Hailey’s dull, monotone question caught the guy off guard, and he clamped his mouth shut to stare at her with wide eyes. For the first time, I noticed that he wasn’t in shape, but he wasn’t overweight; he was also younger than me, and there was a star-struck twinkle in his light brown orbs. “That joke wasn’t funny, Dex. It’s not even applicable to the situation—you just took a different joke and added context that made it confusing and tacky.”
“Well, pardon me for not being original, H.” That familiar sensation that I was being lied to weaved between my spinal vertebra, and I pursed my lips tightly together. Dex glanced nervously at me, but he must’ve realized—finally—that I wasn’t interested, and he wasn’t interesting. “Anyway, I’m going to go get another soda. It was great talking to you, Mr. Richards.”
Dex stuck out his hand for a shake, but I only stared at him through narrowed eyes. The sweat beading his forehead became thicker, a droplet slipping down the side of his face, and his friendly smile faltered noticeably. Awkwardness stiffened his strides as he walked away, and I waited until he was out of earshot to speak up.
“Is he always such a… an idiot?” I barely registered anything Dex had said; it wasn’t anything that hadn’t been spewed at me before by countless other people just like him. Against my bicep, Hailey nodded firmly at my question, and I reached up with my free hand to swipe my jaw roughly. “The things I do for you, babe—”
“Hey, now! I’m not the one with pedigree here, Anthony.” Chuckling at her high-pitched protest, I shook my head slightly before scanning the vast backyard. Aside from the adequately sized pool that took up a took up a chunk of the back corner, there was a shaded seating area that stretched down to the back porch. The rest of the yard was coated in thick, healthy grass, and there were a few games set up. Most every face was unrecognizable to me, but I didn’t worry about that so much. Catching sight of the impressive, expensive grill-slash-bar-slash-island opposite the sliding glass doors to the house, my mouth watered as the smell of cooking meats intensified.
“Are you annoyed?” The question caught me off guard, and my gaze flew to Hailey as she stared at me with unbridled uncertainty. “I made you come because Marissa invited you, but I knew it might not be the most comfortable situation to be in…”
“I’m not annoyed, babe… I just forgot what it was like for that to happen. Honestly, I’m glad no one else has tried to rush me.” Dropping a kiss on her crown, I squeezed her to my side, and she sighed heavily. Gazing out across the yard, a light sensation filled my chest at the utter lack of attention I was getting. As haughty as it sounded, I was used to being fawned over; everywhere I went, someone wanted something for some reason.
But a harsh clatter from the fence’s side gate facing the road sent a cold prickle down my spine, and Hailey stiffened under my arm. Everyone seemed to freeze around us, and I twisted to catch sight of a familiar, beet-red, wrinkled face that I had hoped never to see again.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” My incredulous words rolled heavily off my tongue as my father managed to open the gate. Spinning at a dangerous speed, my mind fumbled over itself trying to figure out if I had passed out while Dex was talking to me. A man whom I assumed was Marissa’s husband strode to meet my dad, and I took less than an 8th of a breath before the violent, burning rage that had been dormant in my chest flared to life.
“Excuse me—this is a private party. You need to leave, sir.” The deep, male voice was firm, strong, and it rang through the yard to send a jolt to kickstart my heart. Releasing Hailey to clench and release my hands by my sides, I stalked across the large, outdoor tiles that lined the path from the house doors to the grill. My father opened his mouth, but his sharp, demeaning gaze found mine before he could say something incredibly shitty and self-centered.
“You need to leave now.” All those months of therapy helped me cope with the maelstrom of anger and resentment that swirled inside me, but it did nothing to dull those feelings. Even so, I’d never felt so powerful in my father’s presence despite how I had to hide my shock and confusion. “You’re not welcome here.”
My tone was deceptively low, and I crossed my arms over my chest just as realization slammed into me like a brick wall.
The stupid fucking P.I. was still following us—keeping tabs on us—he just stopped being obvious about it.
“Babe, call Tracy.” Hailey’s soft footfall loudened as she came up next to me, and I could feel her protest before she’d even opened her mouth. Glaring at her over my shoulder, I kept one eye on my dad while she stopped short, and she slowly slipped her hand into the pocket of her dress. Turning back to my father, I sneered openly at the appraising way he looked at her, and my body moved without thought to stand between them.
“So, it’s true, Anthony. You shacked up with some woman and just ignored your responsibilities.” Disdain laced my father’s voice thickly, and I stiffened as the urge to punch him nearly overwhelmed me. Sucking in a harsh breath through flared nostrils, I ground my teeth as dozens of pairs of eyes flickered between us. “Do you even understand how hard that was to believe? I thought the private investigator was lying. Not only that, but you’re living with her, too—like some messed up loser.”
This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening here; this couldn’t be happening now.
Those were the only thoughts I could conjure as Hailey spoke with Tracy quietly behind me. My lips twitched into a hateful sneer, and I stiffened as my father’s venomous words slithered into my ears. His eyes, darkened with age, blazed fiercely, and my eyelid twitched in agitation; this man had made excuses around his heart attack for years, but he still had so much fire in him.
And this was most definitely happening.
Silence rang as I hesitated, and the music that filled the yard became garbled in my concentration to figure out what to do. Arguing with my father would ruin the party, but he wouldn’t just leave. I didn’t want to be alone with him just in case things got physical, either, but shame clawed at my throat that people Hailey was close to were getting this impression of me.
“He doesn’t know about Antonya, Anthony.” Hailey’s soft whisper in my ear sent rigidity seizing my muscles, and my eyes narrowed even while my mind churned vigorously. “He would’ve brought it up first, right? He just thinks I’m your sex friend.”
“I guess that P.I. has some morals after all.” Mumbling more to myself than her, I leaned back on my heels and into her warm, firm palms. I glared at my father and spoke up loudly. “I honestly don’t mind being a loser.”
“What did you say?” I had to actively hide my smirk as my father practically roared in shocked ferocity, and I inhaled deeply. My mind flicked through every memory I had ever created of any time I’d confronted my father, but I
couldn’t find a single instance in which I had agreed with him. We fought constantly, and Hailey’s words from that first night sounded loudly inside the tight confines of my skull.
He’s waging psychological warfare on me, and I have no chance of winning. He needs to back out himself.
“I said I like being a bum loser.” Unable to hold back my smirk, I reached behind me while my father only stared, dumbstruck with his mouth open. Pulling Hailey in front of me by the arm, I dropped to my knees to grip her left thigh in both my hands, and my gaze never left his. “She bought these clothes I’m wearing—picked them out herself. I even let her take me to dinner a few times. And I’m on the bottom when we f—”
“You shut up.” Hailey’s harsh snap sent a weak thrill through me, and I squeezed her flesh in warning automatically. The notion that she could try to order me around was only overshadowed by the simple fact that she backed me up.
She backed me up, and she didn’t expect anything in return.
“If you want to say anything to him, you tell me, and I will tell him.” Someone, somewhere in the yard, choked loudly on what sounded like laughter, but Hailey didn’t even twitch. “Well?”
My father would never let anyone get the best of him, and silence met Hailey’s hard-pressed demand. Watching him go purplish-red in his cheeks, I almost worried that he might give himself another heart attack. His glare could cut steel, but Hailey never wavered. Her whispering to me, breaking me from my deathly enraged uncertainty, only cemented that he thought this wasn’t an act. After all, my father didn’t give two shits about my sex life; I could’ve been gay, and he would’ve never noticed.
He hesitated only for a moment before turning on the heel of his $4,000 shoes to storm out the way he’d come. Triumph ripped through me like a tornado, and I narrowed my eyes on him as he flung open the gate and disappeared behind the side of the house.
Needing Her Page 12
