Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Dakota
“Kota.” Ivy’s hand lands on my shoulder, bringing me back to the moment.
The terrifying moment that my worst fear was spoken into existence.
I drop my cell, my eyes darting to hers.
“It was your dad?” She runs her hands up and down my arms.
“He’s….”
Said he was coming home. He’s being released? Why?
“He said he’s coming home,” I whisper.
Her eyes widen before she reaches for her own phone. “I’ll tell Maddox he can go to the cabin. I’ll stay with…”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m ok.”
Lie.
Billy was probably lying. Trying to scare me. I never could trust a word coming out of his mouth.
“Are you sure? Cooper isn’t home yet, and I don’t want you to...”
Be impulsive. Reckless.
As usual.
On any other day I would. But I have a twelve year old girl down the hall who needs me to be in control.
“Seriously, Ivy. I’m alright.”
I’ll break down later.
She studies me a second before she slides her phone back into her pocket. “Ok.”
“I need to check on Arizona anyway. I’m sure she’s wondering what the plan is from here. That’s what we should focus on.”
With a quick nod, she wraps me in a hug. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks, Ives.”
Once the front door shuts behind her, I take a deep breath.
He can’t hurt you.
He’s far away.
He won’t come back here.
My palms land on the countertop as I close my eyes. The urge to run is strong. The urge to ride. To hideout. But it was time I stopped letting Billy Sterling wreak havoc on my life. Even from behind bars.
Moving my feet, I start down the hallway, stopping in front of the guest bedroom door. I knock twice, waiting for Arizona to respond.
“Come in,” she calls.
I crack open the door, peeking in. “You got a sec?”
She sits her notepad down on the bed. “Step into my office.”
This girl has such a personality.
Pushing my way through the door, I make it to the bed, sitting down on the end while she’s resting against the headboard.
“So, how are you doing?” I ask, wincing when she keeps a blank stare.
“Fine.” She fidgets with her pencil. “Are you ok?”
“Me? Of course.” I pull my legs up, tucking them beneath me. “I just wanted to make sure you were settling in. See if there was anything you needed. I’m sure you are wondering what the heck is going on around here.”
“I’m good. I actually have a bed to sleep in, so no complaints here.” She shrugs.
My heart pangs. Then anger rises at my mother. How careless she was.
“Well, you will always have a bed to sleep in here. I promise you,” I tell her with sincerity.
“Now that Cooper and I are legally married, we can file the paperwork to request custody. It will most likely be temporary at first, and we have to jump through a few hoops, but I don’t want you to worry.”
“Ok.” She flickers her eyes up to me.
“And we need to get you into school soon. What are you in, sixth or seventh grade?”
“I was in seventh in New Orleans. But it’s not like I was there all that often.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Bea wasn’t an early riser.” She tucks a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. “She wouldn’t wake up in time to take me, and it was a really long walk. The area wasn’t very good, and I wasn’t about to end up on some random missing flyer in the Seven Eleven.”
“Who took you to school?” I curl my hands into fists.
If Bea was still alive, this is about the time I’d be paying her a visit.
“Sometimes I took the bus. Or sometimes she would take me if she never went to sleep the night before.” Her expression is flat as she relays the formation.
Like it’s normal.
I remember the first time I really understood what was happening at my house wasn’t normal. Not until I met the Mayson’s, did I realize what a loving family really looked like.
“I’m really sorry, Arizona.” I meet her eyes. “It wasn’t fair.”
“Life isn’t fair. Right?” She picks up her pencil, going back to her drawing.
I watch her hunched shoulders loosen when she starts scribbling. Her pencil moves in steady strokes as she lets out her feelings through the lead.
This is her outlet. Her peace. Just like horses are mine.
“Ok. I’ll let you get some rest. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so. Tomorrow, I have to work, but it’s just here at the ranch for a few hours. You are welcome to come out to the arena and watch.”
She nods. “Ok.”
Sensing she needs time alone, I climb off the bed, glancing back to the clothes she has piled neatly in the corner of the room. She hasn’t even put them in the dresser. Another pang slashes across my chest. She’s never had a home. And I was determined more than ever to give her one.
Closing the door behind me, I quietly slip down the hall and back to the kitchen. I had just made it to the island when the front door flew open and Cooper stormed in. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving.
He was in front of me in three strides, tossing his hat onto the counter with narrowed eyes before asking, “What did that motherfucker want?”