Chapter 14
Lila
The past month, Bronson and I had gotten into a rhythm.
And yes, he did take me out for dinner.
Inevitably, it was to Giovanni’s. In his words, the place had been perfect, just the man that I sat across from wasn’t him.
I had shared with him about the date with Hans, and that Hans was gay and very in love with his partner.
He had growled and promised to paint my ass red for that.
Thankfully, we had just finished eating.
Because he saw the way I shifted in my seat.
The check was paid shortly after, and the moment we got to his truck, he hauled me across the console and then proceeded to spank me.
To say I was glad that he had pulled into the lot in a dark corner would be an understatement.
I rode his cock in ecstasy.
And that night, he dropped me off at my house before he had to get to the kids, he kissed me stupid.
We had also started going to things as a couple.
I had even shown up at his gym during my lunch breaks. Just to see him.
He even started making sure people left him the fuck alone when I showed up.
We even did a couple of double dates with Carter and Harlee, Garrick and Tatum, Alec and Cassie, and Dominik and Talia.
At first, we made love at my house until one day when the kids asked why I wasn’t coming over.
So, I started coming over.
And more often than not, I found myself at their house, and staying.
Staying in a way that I had my hair care and face care products on the left side of his bathroom counter.
One morning, he had seen me putting them in my bag and growled.
He tore my bag out of my hand, moved to the counter, and set them all there one by one.
Once he was done, he lifted his brow.
I grinned.
He kissed me stupid.
To say the kids were worried about this new turn of events, finding me there at night or first thing in the morning would be a lie.
No, they loved it.
They relished it.
So much so that some days when their friends wanted to hang out, they would either choose to stay at home with us or ask us if we could do something as a family.
As. A. Family.
Oh, my sweet stars.
Because of that, we started something called family game night.
It occurred on Wednesdays.
We all voted on a game and played it.
Things tended to get a little heated because the McKinnon clan took rivalry to heart.
Trash talking bound.
And on those nights, we had pizza.
It was on such a night that I had just walked up the stairs to talk to Madalyn when I paused.
She was talking to someone.
Just before I started to turn around and go back down the stairs, something inside of me halted my movements.
“What’s going on?” I knew that was her friend, Crys.
“What do you mean?” Madalyn asked.
“You never want to hang out anymore,” Crys said.
“I’ve got a lot going on at home, Crys,” Madalyn said, sounding exasperated.
This must be something that has been happening a lot as of late.
“Yeah, so does half the country. Look, I didn’t call to fight with you. I called to tell you about a party over at Hanover Mill tonight. I want you to come. Please don’t make me go alone.”
The moment I heard it was at Hanover Mill; I moved that way.
Hanover Mill was awesome.
And it was owned by an older couple who started parties for teens as a way for them to have a good time, but be watched, and they made sure things were safe.
On the party nights, a few uniformed officers were also there to supervise.
My friends and I found ourselves there more times than not during high school.
“Tonight is family game night. I can’t. Sorry.”
I peeked my head into her room and winced when her gaze snapped to mine. Softly, I whispered, “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop. If you want to go, you should go. As long as you have fun and are safe.”
She spoke to Crys, “Hang on a sec, okay?”
Then she dropped her phone and said, “You know about Hanover Mill?”
I smiled and nodded, then I shared with her my thoughts from only a moment ago.
She was excited as she got dressed, and I smiled at her.
“Have a good time. Bax is there tonight to supervise. He will bring you home. Okay?”
While she had gotten dressed, I had called him for a favor.
He had been happy to do it.
***
“Where’s Madalyn?” Cole asked.
I looked at him, then at Bronson, who furrowed his brows.
“There’s a party at Hanover Mill tonight. I told her she should go.” I said with a smile.
Bronson and Cole were silent.
Silent in a way that had me shifting my feet.
And then in a low tone that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul, where his anger and rage resided, “Come again?”
“I told her she should go,” I told him in a soft tone.
And what happened next... it was something I never thought I would ever see from Bronson.
He grabbed the glass of water and threw it so hard into the wall that the glass shattered on impact.
I jumped.
Cole winced and gave me and I’m really sorry look.
“Who in the hell do you think you are to tell my daughter what she can and cannot do?” he roared.
“I....” I tried to speak.
“It’s bad enough you taught her how to use tampons, without speaking to me about it first. Pads are safer for my daughter.” I winced when he emphasized the word my.
“If you’ll let me...” I again tried to speak.
But he brought up his hand to silence me, “A lot of the time, I don’t say shit because you're right. But this... where the fuck do you get off?”
“Bronson, if you would calm down and let me speak, I’ll tell...”
Bronson
My brain was screaming at me to stop, but I didn’t listen.
I should have fucking listened.
Because I had a bad habit of running my mouth when I felt as though I were backed into a corner.
I punched the door right above her head, “Don’t fucking tell me to calm down.”
Then I got right in her face and snapped, “You don’t know fucking shit. What fucking hell have you been through? Huh?”
“I...” she started to speak, but I cut her off.
“Oh, your father walked out on you. Fuck you.” I sneered.
Sadly, I missed the way her entire being changed.
Gone was that light I swore to protect.
Gone was that hope in her eyes.
Gone was the love I saw shining in those crystal baby blue colored eyes.
“I’m done.” She said in a dry tone.
A tone I’ve never heard from her before.
Then she moved underneath my arm, grabbed her bag and walked out of my house.
I growled.
Then, I started to go after her, only for my son to block me, “Dad. Not fucking cool. Don’t you ever raise your hand in anger in front of her again. You do. I’ll kill you.”
I glared at my son until what I had done clicked into place.
And then I staggered back into the wall.
I had punched the wall only inches from her face.
I fell down to my ass and placed my head in my hands.
The shit I had spewed at her.
Where the fuck did I come off?
Who in the fuck did I think I was?
A piece of shit. That’s fucking who.
Cole growled as he stormed away from me.
Needing to calm my ass down, I got up, grabbed the bottle of liquor I had, set it in front of me, and sat down on the barstool.
And I stared at the brown liquid.
I hadn’t had a drop of it since Madalyn was placed in my arms, and I walked away from my career to be a dad.
It wasn’t until Madalyn came into the house, only an hour later, with a smile on her face, that I truly realized how badly I’d fucked up.
And seeing me sitting at the island with a bottle of liquor in front of me, her smile dropped.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I looked at her, “I fucked up.”
She winced. “Let me guess. Lila told you she said I could go, and you got pissed?”
I nodded my head in shame.
She sighed, “You’ve got to let it go, Dad. Lila isn’t like that piece of shit who gave birth to us.”
Cole came in then and agreed.
They were referring to the time I had been at a fight.
Cole was eight, and Madalyn was six.
I had won, and then as I came out of the cage, Clutch growled and handed me his phone.
The dumb bitch had wanted to get high.
So, she had taken them with her to a party and left them there in a dingy part of a basement.
A locked door.
No way to use the bathroom.
No food.
No water.
To say I wished I’d have killed her that night... wouldn’t be a lie.
***
That night, as I braced my hands on the counter, I stared at her stuff on my counter.
Fuck me but it looked so right there.
Then I looked at myself in the mirror.
I thought soulmates were a crock of complete shit.
That was until I met my Lila.
My world, my heart, my fire.
And now... well... now I had my work cut out for me.
She told me that I had taken one too many shots to the head, and now, I think she’s right.
Yes, you heard that I correctly... a man just said that a woman was right.
Ah hell.
I sighed and started thinking about the things I could do to get back in her good graces.
I could buy her something ridiculously expensive... but that wasn’t Lila.
I could show up at her work with every single bouquet within a hundred-mile radius... but again, that wasn’t Lila.
And then... a thought occurred to me.
I would need help to pull this off... but if I could...
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket.
The texts and calls I had made to Lila had gone unanswered, then I scrolled to Carter’s name.
He answered on the third ring with, “Yo.”
“Hey man, are you with your better half?” I asked.
He snickered, “Too fucking right. Yeah. Hang on.”
I sat there as the silence from the house settled around me, and then I heard, “Carter, shut the hell up. Hey, Bronson, what’s shaken?”
I grinned, “I need your help.”
She was silent for a beat, then hesitantly asked, “With what?”
I tried to grin, but fucking hell, I had fucked up, “I fucked up with something. She said she was done. And I need her back.”
She gasped, “If you're not talking about Lila, then I will be throwing paint all over your gym. And not the cheap shit that you can just wash off with a little water. No. I’m talking about the good shit.”
I chuckled, “Guess my gym will be free of your torment.”
I had my work cut out for me.
Cause I knew that the way I treated Lila was like her dad had treated her mother.