Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
DANI
T oday has sucked.
Badly.
It might have been the worst day of my teaching career so far, and while I know that six school years into said career isn’t a lot, it’s enough to know the worst day ever, and this was it.
It’s Friday, and that’s my only saving grace.
Because between two kids messing their pants, one kid deciding to be a cannibal and bite three students before I could stop her, and a parent who demanded to know why I’m not teaching her child multiplication—they’re five, ma’am—I’m ready to forget that I’m a teacher at all.
“Are you excited to see your grandma and grandpa?” I ask Birdie as she slips her hand into mine, and we walk outside for after-school pickup.
“Yeah, we’re going apple picking tomorrow,” she says. “And maybe even go to the punkin patch on Sunday.”
“That’ll be a fun weekend. Did you know that I know how to make apple butter?”
“You do?” Birdie grins up at me, her eyes going wide. “What is that, anyway?”
“It’s something delicious to spread on toast or biscuits or just about anything. I’ll make us some. Do you want to help?”
“Definitely.”
She nods, making me smile, and now the day is starting to melt away, and even I’m looking forward to the weekend with Bridger and his family.
“Birdie!”
My hand tightens on Birdie’s at the sound of that voice, and a chill runs down my back.
I wasn’t wrong.
It was her.
Has she been in town since the concert?
“Birdie, oh, baby. It’s so good to see you.”
Angela’s smiling at the girl at my side, who moves behind my legs and clings to me.
“Now, is that any way to greet your mama?” Angela looks up at me and plasters on a fake smile. “Hey, Dani. So good to see you. I’m picking Birdie up today.”
“No.” I shake my head firmly as adrenaline surges through me. Over my dead freaking body, you bitch. “You’re not. You’re not on the approved pickup list.”
Angela scoffs at that. “I’m her mother. Of course, I can pick her up. Come with me, baby. We’re going to go have some fun.”
She lunges for Birdie, who starts to cry, and I block Angela’s way.
“You won’t touch her,” I say, catching Stephen’s eye, and I call out to him. “Call the police.”
He immediately pulls his phone out of his pocket, and I turn all my attention to the horrible woman in front of me. It should be illegal for her to still be pretty. Even as the nastiest girl in school, boys liked her. Seeing her is putting me in a bad headspace, and I can feel my shoulders stiffening.
Why her? Out of all of the women in the world, why did he have to sleep with her?
“Jesus, you’re being so fucking dramatic.” Angela rolls her eyes and tosses her perfectly curled blond hair over her shoulder. “Bridger knows that I’m picking her up.”
“If that were true, he would have signed something with the office, and I would have been notified.”
And he would have texted or called me.
“Give me my daughter.”
“Not on this or any other day.”
Her eyes narrow, and her mouth peels back in a sneer. “You stupid, fat, worthless piece of shit. Did you think that I wouldn’t find out about you two? That my friends wouldn’t see you and then call me so we could laugh about how fucking pathetic you are? Do you think he loves you? Fuck, no. You’re a distraction. You probably begged him to let you spread your legs for him, didn’t you?”
“What the fuck is going on?”
A crying Birdie is lifted into Bridger’s arms, and she buries her face in his neck. Angela’s eyes widen, and she takes a step back. She was obviously too focused on tearing me down to notice him walking up behind me.
At the same moment, a police car pulls up to us, the lights flashing. I recognize the cop as Rod DuVall, a guy I’ve known for a long time.
“She wouldn’t let me have my baby,” Angela says, as her eyes fill with tears. “I just want my daughter.”
“No.” Bridger’s voice is ice cold. “You don’t. You made that clear a long, long time ago.”
Bridger turns to Rod.
“She’s not allowed to see Birdie, let alone pick her up from school, and she knows it.”
“We could call this attempted kidnapping,” he says, and Angela’s face goes white.
“I didn’t do anything wrong.” She licks her lips and then glares at me. “I fucking hate you. You stay away from my family, you hear me?”
“They’re not your family,” I say, speaking through the absolute rage that’s boiling through me. “They’re mine. And you’ll never touch her again.”
“Ma’am,” Rod says, taking Angela’s arm. “You have to come with me. Bridge, you need to get a restraining order.”
“Consider it done,” Bridger says with a nod.
I’m shaking as Rod leads Angela away .
“Thanks for calling the police,” I say to Stephen, who’s walked over to see if we’re okay.
“Thank you,” Bridger echoes, nodding at the other man.
“Of course. You handled that really well, Dani. Have a good weekend.”
A small crowd has gathered, but they’re dispersing now, and I am shaking like a freaking leaf from the adrenaline.
“I have to close down my classroom.”
“We’re with you,” Bridger says, but first, he grips my chin and makes me look up at him for the first time. His brown eyes are full of anger and love and concern, and I bite my lip to keep from crying.
“Not here. Please.”
He searches my face and then nods once, looping his free arm around my shoulders. “Let’s get you finished up here so we can go home.”
“Who was that lady?” Birdie asks, sniffling away the last of her tears. “She scared me.”
“She’s no one to worry about,” Bridger assures her, kissing her cheek. “It’s okay, peanut.”
“She said mean things.”
I take a shaky breath as we walk into my classroom. I’m just gathering my purse and coat, turning off the lights, when the principal, Miss Shephard, pokes her head in.
“I heard what happened. Dani, if you have time this weekend, would you please email me a statement so we have it on file?”
“Of course.”
She smiles at me reassuringly. “I hear you did very well. Thank you.”
When she’s gone, I close and lock my classroom, and Bridger slings his arm around me again, kisses my temple, and I lean into his side, soaking in his warmth and strength.
“I love you so much, sweetheart.”
Some of Angela’s words roll through my mind, the way she’d intended for them to do, and I have to blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
“I know.” I swallow hard. “I love you, too. Both of you.”
I’m surprised when we get outside and Bridger leads me to my SUV.
“You picked it up for me?”
“Just came from the garage, yeah,” he says as he helps Birdie get settled in the back seat. “Brooks says it’s good to go.”
“How much do I owe you for it?”
“Nothing.”
I shake my head as I lower myself into the seat. “Bridger, I’m happy to pay for my car.”
“He didn’t charge me anything,” he clarifies as he buckles himself in and then leans over to kiss me, right on the mouth. “But even if he had, you don’t owe anything, kitten.”
I can’t argue with him right now. My mind is foggy from the craptastic day and the altercation with Angela, none of which I can talk about right now because we have little ears in the car, and she’s been traumatized enough as it is.
The drive home takes less than five minutes, and then we file out of the car, and Bridger follows us into his house, where Pickles comes running to get some attention.
“Pickles,” Birdie says, happy to see her favorite feline. “Come sit with me and I’ll tell you all about school. It was not a good day.”
Bridger’s eyebrows climb as he looks over at me, and I nod in agreement with Birdie.
“Come here.” He crooks a finger at me, and I walk right into his arms. He folds himself around me, and I cling to him. And then, to my surprise, I feel Birdie hug me from the side, and I reach down to hold her against me. “Family hug time.”
“Oh, this is really nice.”
Birdie lets go first and goes back to talking with Pickles.
“You have to call someone, Bridge,” I whisper to him. “Right now. Because I don’t know what her deal is, but she’s in a mood, and?—”
“I’ll make a call as soon as I know that you’re okay,” he replies, clearly understanding who I’m referring to.
His ex-wife. The woman who’s clearly been in town for weeks and just tried to take my kid.
“I’m okay.” I square my shoulders and lift my chin, pulling away from him. I already miss his warmth and the safety of his arms, but I can go back there after we take care of some business .
I want to keep things as normal as possible for Birdie.
“Hey, pretty girl, your daddy has to make some calls, so why don’t you and I go make a snack in the kitchen?”
“Can I have some yogurt?” she asks as we walk into the other room, and Bridger walks down the hall to the bedroom to make his call.
“Of course, you can. Do you want some granola and honey in it?”
“Yes, please.”
Keeping myself busy is the best thing for me right now, because if I let myself think about what happened at the school, and what it means, or could mean, I’ll make myself nuts.
Not to mention, Angela’s mean girl antics were right on brand for her, and she sent me right back to being fifteen and completely unsure of myself. I’m shaking so badly that I have to try three times to get the lid off the yogurt.
“I got this,” Bridger says, his big hand covering mine as he takes the container from me. “Go change and take a breath, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want her out of my sight,” I whisper, unable to look up from the countertop. If I look him in the face, I’ll cry.
I’m barely holding it together here.
“I’m right here,” he reminds me. “Baby, I’m right here.”
My nod is jerky, and then I walk down the hallway and close the bedroom door, leaning on it as I swallow through the fear and anger in my throat. I manage to get my skirt and sweater off and grab my leggings and one of Bridger’s T-shirts out my drawer, but then I sit on the end of the bed, just in my underwear with the clothes in my hands, and stare blindly ahead.
Angela tried to take her. She’s been gone for years , but she showed up today and wanted to take her.
Why?
Why now?
I knew that I saw her at that concert. When Bridger and I were dancing, and I was people-watching, I knew it was her that I saw, but then she was gone, and I thought I was seeing things.
This is my fault. I should have said something to Bridger, right then and there. At least then he would have known she was in town, and we all could have been on alert.
“Jesus, why didn’t I say something?”
I hear the door close softly, and then Bridger’s kneeling in front of me, pulling my hands away from my face and placing them on his chest before he cups my cheek.
“Say what to who, baby?”
“It’s my fault.” I’m shaking my head.
“Dani. Look at me.”
My eyes find his, and he’s not angry with me at all.
“Say what to who?” he asks again.
“When we were at the concert.” I lick my lips, and I want to close my eyes again, but he’s holding me firmly in place, keeping his gaze on mine. “I thought I saw her there. It was a split second, and I would have sworn I saw her in the crowd, but then she was gone, and I thought I was seeing things, and then we were dancing and kissing, and I didn’t give it another thought, but I should have said something, because?—”
“Breathe.” He tips his forehead to my own and drags his hands up and down my arms. “Baby, there were more than ten thousand people at that event. It’s likely she was there, but you didn’t do anything wrong.”
My eyes fill at that because it feels like I did do something wrong.
“You didn’t. This is a free country, and Angela can come in and out of town as she pleases. And she does. This isn’t the first time she’s been around, but it is the first time that she’s tried to see my daughter, and that pisses me off. It makes me irate that she scared Birdie and you. That you had to deal with her at all. She has no right to Birdie, at any time, and my attorney is filing a restraining order with the court right now, before they leave for the day. He assures me that after what she pulled at the school, it won’t be denied.”
“Good.” My shoulders sag a little. “That’s good. I’m sorry. Wait, where’s Birdie?”
“My parents are here.” He winces. “It’s bad timing, but they just got to town and they wanted to see her, so they’re hanging out with her right now while I check on you.”
“You should go hang out with your family, Bridge. I’m okay. Actually, maybe I’ll go to my place for a while and unwind a bit. I could use some alone time.”
“No. ”
His voice is hard, and now he looks mad.
“What? Why not?”
“Because you’re not alone, and you’ll never be alone again. If you need to fall apart, you’ll do it with me, and then we’ll put the pieces back together as a team. If you’re pissed or sad or hurt, you’ll tell me and let me help you. I don’t want you running away from me, kitten. I’m the one you always ran to before, and that’s how it’s going to be now.”
Without another thought, I move into him, wrap my arms around his neck, and hug him so tightly that there isn’t a millimeter of space between us.
“My mom asked to take Birdie out for dinner,” he murmurs in my ear. “And I’m going to let her so you and I can talk.”
“Bridge, I?—”
“Let me do this. We both need it.”
With a deep sigh, I nod, and he pulls back, wiping the tears off my cheeks I didn’t even realize had fallen.
“You get dressed, and come out whenever you want.”
“Okay.” My voice is a whisper, and he kisses the top of my head so tenderly, it makes me swoon.
Once the door is closed behind him, I wiggle into the leggings and then pull his T-shirt over my head and tie it in a knot at my waist, then I walk out to the living room in time to see his parents pulling out of the driveway, and I join Bridger at the door, waving at them.
“Were they mad?” I ask as I wrap an arm around his waist.
“No, they completely understood, and they’re thrilled to have Birdie all to themselves.” He lifts me in his arms, sits in the corner of the couch, and cuddles me to him. “Now, about what Angela said to you.”
My head comes up. “Wait, you heard that?”
“Most of it.”
“Look, it’s nothing that she hasn’t said to me before when we were kids.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
“Well, that’s not true. The last part about me begging you was new, but the rest?—”
He growls, and I look up at him. He’s so mad on my behalf that it makes me lean up and kiss his cheek.
“I know she’s wrong.” My voice is low but strong. “I know she is, babe, but for a minute, it stung.”
“Don’t tell me you believed her for even one fucking heartbeat.”
“No, of course not. God, she doesn’t know us. She doesn’t know anything about us, including Birdie. And I’m telling you right now, I was ready to claw her fucking eyes out if she laid a finger on that little girl.”
His lips twitch. “You’re pissed.”
“I’m livid. I’m not a violent person at all, but I wanted to hurt her almost as much as I wanted to protect Birdie. I would never let her do anything…” My voice falters at that, and he pulls me to him, hugging me tightly.
“I know, sweetheart.” He kisses my head and then my forehead. “Do you know how sexy it was to see you defending Birdie like that? You were so fucking fierce and strong, and I knew that Birdie was safe. I wasn’ t worried about that for a second. I was pissed off that Angela had the balls to try something like that.”
“What would she have done?” I have to pull back to look up at him now. “What would Angela have done if she’d managed to get Birdie? She doesn’t want her; she just wanted to fuck with me.”
“You keep using the dirty words, which tells me you’re still worked up.”
“But that’s what she did. She saw us at that concert or heard through the grapevine that we’re together, and it made her mad enough to do this. Because I’m telling you right now, it wasn’t about that little girl at all. It was about me.”
“I know.”
My eyes widen when he agrees so quickly. “You know?”
“I thought the same as soon as I saw what was going on. It’s one of those I-don’t-want-them-but-I-don’t-want-you-to-have-them situations. I don’t know, maybe things fell apart with the guy from New York, or maybe it’s just a classic case of jealousy. Given that I don’t give a rat’s ass about her, I couldn’t say, but I can guarantee you that she won’t touch either of you again. I added your name to the restraining order.”
I blink up at him. “You did?”
“Of course, I did. The attorney also added the school itself, the dance school, the ranch, and anywhere else I could think of where you and Birdie often frequent. She’ll get bored with it and go away.”
“You sound so sure. ”
“I am. She’s a bully, remember? You stood up to her, and she’ll leave town with her tail between her legs.”
I blow out a gusty breath. “She never backed down from anyone else before, Bridge.”
“Did you or anyone else stand up to her?”
I blink, thinking it over. “I guess not.”
“Then trust me. Now, what else happened today?”
I frown up at him, not understanding, and then I bust out laughing.
“You know, I’d almost forgotten. It was just a monumentally bad day. From start to finish. But my super-sexy, smoke show of a boyfriend picked my car up for me, and he’s snuggling me, so it’s not all bad.”
“There she is, my optimistic girl.” He kisses me softly. “I think we can make it an even better day.”
“Yeah? How’s that?”
Before he can answer, his phone rings, and I recognize the ringtone for his job.
“I have to answer it,” he says, closing his eyes.
“I know.”
“Blackwell.” His eyes narrow on me as he listens. “How in the hell did they manage that? You’ve got to be kidding me. Yeah, we’re going to need ladders and climbing gear, and I’m on my way.”
He hangs up and then leans back on the cushion and growls.
“Is someone hurt?”
“Someone fell between two old buildings downtown, and they’re stuck. ”
I frown and blink into the middle of the room, trying to figure out how that’s even possible.
“I don’t know what that means.”
“I’ll take pictures.” He turns my face back to his. “Baby, I don’t want to leave you tonight.”
“Someone’s stuck,” I remind him. “You have to go get them unstuck. I’ll be fine here. Are your parents bringing Birdie back after dinner?”
“Yeah, they’ll be back soon.”
“Then Birdie and I will watch a movie and hang out. Don’t worry about me.”
He doesn’t move me off his lap, and he doesn’t say anything, and I can see the fight in his eyes.
“Hey.” I take his face in my hands. “I knew what I was getting into when we started this. You have a demanding job, and sometimes it’s going to interrupt us.”
“It feels like it always interrupts us.”
“And then you’ll come home to me.” I kiss him sweetly, and he groans as he leans into the kiss, taking it deeper, his hand drifting down to my ass where he grips my flesh with his fingertips. “When you get here, I’ll be ready for you.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
I laugh and kiss his chin. “Sure, you do.”