All for Maddie

by Jettie Woodruff

  “I can’t live with you.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re a psychopath.”

  “I am not. What else are you going to tell him? Tell him that you ran into me at that wedding. Tell him you told me about Maddie and that we’ve been together ever since. I’m coming there this weekend.”

  “For what?”

  “I want to spend the weekend with Maddie.”

  “My dad will shoot you between the eyes.”

  “Not if you tell him you’re in love with me.”

  “I am not telling my dad that I am in love with you. I don’t even like you. You can’t come here.”

  “I’ll be there Friday after work.”

  “No you won’t, we’re fully booked for the next month.” Ha, that’ll teach him.

  “That’s okay. I’ll either stay with you or get a room and take Maddie for the weekend. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “You’re not doing either, Alex! Alex!” Oh my God, I hate that man. I hate, hate, hate him. Somebody needed to put him in his place. Knock him the hell off his high horse.

  <><><>

  Alex continued to call every day, not once but three times. I never talked to him again. I wouldn’t even answer it. If Maddie wasn’t with me, I would ignore his call and send him a text telling him she wasn’t with me. If she was with me, I let her answer and hung up as soon as she was done.

  It was already Thursday, Maddie hadn’t let the cat out of the bag yet and I was hoping that Alex wouldn’t show up the next day. I thought for sure Maddie would have blabbed by now, not that I was complaining. I knew I had to work up the nerve when I got the text message from Alex later in the afternoon, kindly letting me know that he would arrive around five. I responded: You’re not taking Maddie.

  That’s fine. I’ll stay with you. See you around five.

  Of course he wouldn’t answer when I texted back, telling him to stay away. He would be there. There was no question in my mind. I learned pretty quickly that Alex Wesson did what he wanted.

  “You’re partying with us tomorrow night, right?” Jaron asked, pulling me from the empty screen on my cellphone, waiting for asshole baby daddy to text back.

  Brilliant…..

  “You know what? Yeah, I think I am,” I decided.

  Gaining a weird look from Jaron, he said, “Um, okay. Good, I’ll see you later.”

  Alex wants Maddie. Okay, Alex can have Maddie. He wanted to come and spend the weekend with her. Fine mommy was going to have fun. She would be right there on the resort and in her own bed. I’d show Mr. Big Shot Alex.

  I walked up to my dad’s to get Maddie after waiting tables for a while so that Naomi could be late, again. I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something to tell him. I was taking his baby girl away from him. How in the hell was I supposed to justify that?

  Hey Dad, by the way, I’m being forced to take Maddie and live with a rapist. You can come and visit. Grrrrr. I honestly did hope that Alex Wesson died a slow painful death. I wished he was on his death bed right that moment.

  “Papaw read a book,” Maddie informed, sitting on the deck with my dad. She was on his lap, and he just opened the book and began to read. She wasn’t leaving yet.

  “Johnny was excited. Johnny was going to the zoo,” my dad began.

  “I go to the zoo,” Maddie educated him.

  “Papaw will take you to the zoo before summer is over,” he promised.

  “No, no, Maddie alweady go to da zoo. My daddy take me.”

  Well, hell.

  My dad looked straight to my startled face.

  “I seed a monkey and a dis many fish,” she explained, holding out her arms, stretching them as far as she could.

  “Did she go to the zoo?” my dad asked, wondering why I hadn’t disclosed that information.

  “Uh-huh, me did,” she assured him.

  “Whitley?”

  “Yes, Dad. She went to the zoo.”

  “With?”

  Oh man.

  “With her dad.”

  He stood up and sat Maddie on the swing. “What do you mean her dad? I thought you didn’t know who he was. I thought you only had a first name.”

  “I lied, I was afraid you would go after him. He’s older than me.”

  “How much older?”

  Shit, I didn’t know how old he was. Okay, if I was seventeen and he was a senior in college that would make him about…twenty-five. Yeah, that sounded about right.

  “Whitley?”

  “He was only twenty-one at the time.”

  “How does he know about Maddie?”

  “We ran into each other at Kylie’s wedding a couple months back. We’ve been talking ever since. That is why I went there last weekend. I went to see him, not Kylie.” And the lies flowed like the river. “He’s coming here tomorrow.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants to see us. I’m going to move there with him, Dad,” I couldn’t stop. I had to keep going. If I let my lies stop, I might not get them started again.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Dad, I’m twenty-one. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do anymore.”

  “Why would you do that, Whitley?”

  “I love him, and he is so in love with Maddie.” I felt sick. It was the worst thing that had ever fallen from my mouth. I love him? Ugh….

  “How can you say you love him? You don’t know him. He doesn’t know Maddie. I’m not going to let you take her almost two hours from home. And when were you going to tell me any of this?”

  “I’m telling you now.”

  “Only because your daughter doesn’t lie. You’re not doing this. Forget it, Whitley. Your life is right here. You’re not taking Maddie away from here, this is her home. What is wrong with you?”

  “Dana Ray,” Dana called from the door, trying to calm the raise in his voice.

  I’ll never forget the look on his face. He kind of shook his head and walked away from me, off the porch and around the house.

  “Papaw didn’t read a book,” Maddie pouted.

  “Come on, you can take the book.”

  “You okay?” Dana asked, touching my arm.

  I smiled at her. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied again. I wasn’t fine. I was far from fine, not only was I being forced to live with a monster, I had just broken my dad’s heart.

  “I drive?” Maddie asked, carrying the book under her arm.

  “What are you going to drive, silly? Mommy walked.”

  “My wegs hurt,” she whined, three feet out of the yard.

  “You haven’t walked ten steps yet.”

  “My wegs hurt,” she whined again.

  I picked her up. “You’re a little bit of a brat. You do know that, don’t you? And you’re too big for me to carry.”

  “I free. I have a birfday a morrow.”

  <><><>

  My dad always came to the office on Friday mornings. He sat and drank coffee with me while I started the check in process for the weekend guests. He didn’t come. I hated the strain this was causing between us. I hated Alex fucking Wesson.

  “I have a feed a fish,” Maddie said. I was sure she was wondering too why papaw hadn’t come for her yet. They always fed the fish, every morning.

  I finally texted him. Maddie had been standing at the glass doors looking out for almost two hours. He had no reason to be mad at her.

  Come and get your granddaughter. She has been standing by the door waiting for you all morning. You can be mad at me. Don’t be mad at her.

  You’re going to take her away from me. Tell her I’m on my way.

  My dad didn’t come inside. He opened the door and Maddie jumped in his arms. I never saw him again until later in the afternoon.

  I was going over who hadn’t checked in yet with the high school boy, Ryan, when I saw him pull in. Damnit, he hadn’t died a slow painful death.

  “I’ll see you later, Ryan,” I said walking out. I saw my dad and Maddie coming on the golf cart
in the other direction. I needed to be out there to intervene. He might have caused a slow painful death himself.

  “Hi,” Alex smiled as I met him getting out of his car. Damn. Why couldn’t he be ugly? Wait, he was ugly. What the hell was I thinking?

  “Hey,” I bitterly spoke.

  “I’m going to kiss you.”

  “What? No, you’re not.” Yes, he was. Damn, I wasn’t expecting that.

  “That was for your dad, you know, to help you with the show and all,” he said, close to my lips with his arm around my waist. I was going to be sick.

  I didn’t have time to respond. My dad was pulling up with Maddie. He looked mad. He looked furious. Alex didn’t care. My dad didn’t intimidate him one bit. He did me. I was intimidated as hell, standing between the two of them.

  “Maddie! Come here, I missed you,” Alex exclaimed, dropping to one knee. She ran right to him, let him pick her up, and hugged his neck. Pathetic.

  I smiled at them when I noticed the peculiar expression my father was carrying. I was sure he could read the disgust on my face.

  “Dad, this is Alex Wesson. Alex, my dad Dana.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alex said, shifting Maddie and offering his hand.

  My dad reluctantly shook his hand. “You two will be joining us for supper,” my father insisted, turned on his heels, and left us standing there.

  “Ahhh, dinner at the in-laws. How sweet is that?”

  He was really here. He was going to stay at my house, sit at my father’s table, and pretend that he was in love with me. Insane.

  “You driving, Maddie?” I asked, wanting her to leave his arms and get in the cart with me.

  “You come too?” Maddie asked Alex.

  “Yes, but daddy’s going to drive his car. Do you want to go with me?”

  “I can drive?”

  “Yes, you can drive,” he offered, opening the door of his stupid fancy car. I just got ditched by Maddie.

  I shot him a dirty look and took off, allowing him to follow behind. Jaron stopped me as I passed the dining room.

  “Hey, can you sign for this order. I can’t find your dad. Who’s that?” he wanted to know, seeing the car, and Maddie driving on the driver’s lap.

  I looked back after signing the clipboard and groaned. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “She sits on your lap in the car, and you extort me with your fake pictures,” I accused as Alex got out of his car with Maddie.

  “You were on the road. I was on a dirt path.”

  “I was…. Never mind.” I wasn’t arguing with him. It wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.

  “This is quaint,” Alex said, looking around the living room. I could tell he wasn’t impressed. I didn’t care. I loved my house and I wasn’t ready to leave it. I was twenty-one and had my own house. I was proud of that. I’d only been in it for a little over a year. I would be back. I would figure out a way. I would get something on him. I would show him what extortion was.

  “I sweep in der,” Madelyn pointed.

  “That’s your room?”

  “Uh-huh, I show you,” she excitedly said, squirming from his arms.

  I didn’t go with them. I stayed back, shaking my head in disbelief. He was in my house. He was sleeping in my house. He was going to my dad’s for supper, and I had to pretend to be madly in love with him. Yeah, this might be a disaster.

  “Do you really think she needs that many toys?” Alex asked, coming out. Maddie didn’t return. I heard the music playing from her My Little Pony play set. She was occupied.

  “She just had a birthday.”

  “You know, you should probably just chill with the attitude. You’re not hurting anyone but you.”

  My lips instantly formed the position needed to say, fuck you.

  “Don’t!” he demanded with a straight finger.

  “Do you really think that you’re going to treat me this way? I’m not your child. The only way this is going to work is if you stay the fuck out of my way,” I said in a low voice as I walked towards my room, stopping right next to him. “I’m going to shower. Watch my daughter.” I heard him snicker as I walked away. Stupid bastard.

  I was in the bathroom for at least an hour. I dressed to kill, tight dark skinny jeans, red knit shirt with a low cut front that snugged my figure, and a bright shiny belt. Yes, I was overdressed for hanging out by the fire, but he didn’t know that’s what I was doing. I would pull a flannel overtop once I was out of his sight. I curled big loopy curls in my long dark hair, did my makeup, darkening my eyes with smoky gray eye shadow, and sprayed my favorite perfume right between my breasts.

  Yes! His mouth dropped when I emerged. I saw it.

  “You always dress like that for family dinners?”

  “Nope,” I unemotionally replied, sliding my foot into a pair of black heeled boots. “I’m going out after that.”

  “You’re going out?”

  “Uh-huh,” I replied, sliding my foot in my other shoe.

  “I don’t think so.”

  I laughed and bit my bottom lip to keep from saying bad words in front of Maddie.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “No, why would you go out? I came all the way here to spend the weekend and you’re going out?”

  “You didn’t come to see me. You came to see Maddie, remember? Come on. Maddie, we have to go eat with Papaw,” I called. Screw this guy, he wasn’t telling me what the hell I was doing.

  <><><>

  This wasn’t real. This wasn’t fucking happening. Alex had my dad feeding right out of his slimy hand. They were talking football, stocks, politics, and Maddie! My dad was laughing with him, telling him funny things that Maddie said and did. My dad was supposed to be punching him in his face by now or at least sitting there scowling at him, not being his buddy.

  “You didn’t have to hide this guy from me, Whit,” my dad smiled, giving me his approval.

  Alex smiled over at me and took my hand, resting it on the table. I suddenly wanted to laugh. This was a bad dream. I looked down at our hands as he brushed the back of my hand with his thumb. Un-fucking-believable. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t sit here and pretend that I was in love with Alex Wesson; I hated his ever-living guts.

  “Papaw, you watch dis wif me?” Maddie asked, holding up her princess movie.

  My dad stood and went to her. I instantly jerked my hand from Alex’s, giving him a dirty look. He smirked. I wanted to punch him.

  “Papaw has a better idea. Why don’t you stay here with papaw and nana tonight and let mommy have an adult night?” he offered, smiling over at me.

  Man, this sucked. I didn’t want his smiling approval. I didn’t want him to like Alex. How could he like Alex? Alex was a conspirator. He couldn’t like Alex.

  “No Dad, Alex came here to spend the weekend with her,” I tried.

  “Alex is going to take her away from me. Alex can deal with it,” my dad joked, with Alex.

  “Its fine, sweetie. She can stay if she wants to.”

  I got up to go to bathroom. I had to. I was going to vomit, on him! I leaned in to Alex, catching the smile on his face when he thought that I was going to play his make believe game and kiss him or something. “You’re going to a hotel,” I seductively whispered in his ear.

  “What is your problem,” Alex asked as I stomped across the yard towards my golf cart.

  “You. You, Alex, are my fucking problem,” I said, turning on him, poking him hard in the chest.

  “What the hell did I do?”

  “Are you serious? I swear your brain is in your big toe and it’s been walked on one too many times. Thank you for going in there and wrapping my dad right around your little finger. You’re nothing but a conniving son of a bitch. Now all you have to do is reel him in.”

  “What did you want me to do, Whit? Scoot over, I’m driving,” he demanded.

  I scooted, only because I was too afraid of running his arrogant ass into the river.

/>   “Did you want me to go in there and act like an ass around your family? Would it make you feel better for your father to worry about where you would be living? Do you want him to sit around and think you are miserable?”

  Damn. I didn’t want that.

  “Just take me back to my house, get your car, and get the hell out of here.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Why do you always repeat everything I say? No, I’m not leaving. You’re not going to party with a bunch of people that work for your father. You’re not getting drunk and you’re not taking Jaron back to your house and fucking him.”

  “You are leaving. I am going to party with my friends. I am getting so fucking drunk I won’t remember my name, and you can’t tell me who the hell I am going to fuck! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Alex stopped right in the middle of the pitch dark path leading to my house. I just shook my head. What else was there to do? He was impossible.

  “Now what the hell are you doing?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Stop doing that. I’m not doing anything until you stop acting like Maddie, and use your head.”

  “Use my head?” Really? I needed to use my head?

  “If you do that one more time, so help me God. Think about it, Whitley. Do you really want those people seeing you pack up and leave with me in a week, wondering why you’re rubbing your pussy all over some kitchen help when you’re supposed to be in love with me? What the hell do you see in that guy anyway?”

  Damn. Why did he keep making sense? I was the sane one, not him. “I don’t see anything in him. He is fucking amazing in bed. That’s what I see.”

  “Why aren’t you with someone?”

  “I don’t want to be with someone. Will you go?”

  He started moving. “If you insist on going down to that fire pit and getting drunk, I’m coming with you.”

  “Of course you are.”

  Chapter 6

  I jumped off the cart before it even stopped, walked over to the community cooler that I hadn’t pitched in on, and got a beer. I walked over to Naomi and had half of it gone before I reached her.