Lainey #2
“No. I’m not. I promise. Birdie and I had thought at one point this place might be perfect for me and the baby, but it’s not my home.
It’s meant for someone else. Because we already found where we belong, didn’t we, Reid?
” I asked, dropping my eyes to Reid, who was scrunching his nose up while still fast asleep.
“Daddy would be so upset if we weren’t right there with him. ”
“Oh my heart.” My sister was now the one with tears in her eyes.
“Glad it’s all working out how it’s supposed to.
You’re so good for him, Lainey. You and Reid.
We’re blessed to have both Calloway girls in this family.
” Danny cleared his throat. “Alright. Enough of that sappiness. I swear, the older I get, the softer my heart goes, and adding more girls to the family is just making me a big ol’ marshmallow. ”
“Marshmallows always were a staple in the Calloway girls’ house.” I smiled.
“Good to know. Hey, Birdie, have you seen my jigsaw? Beau borrowed it a few weeks ago for something out here, and Doll’s got an itch for me to finish something up at the house.”
“Oh, yeah. Come on, it’s in the garage. Lainey, if you want to come out, I’ll show you the tile I picked for the back splash!”
“I’d love that.”
We made our way to the garage, Danny heading toward the pile of tools over in the far corner while Reid yawned in the carrier on my chest. He was going to wake up soon, and I was really hoping to get to speak with the potential donor before he did.
“Oh, Lain, slide that box in front of the door, would you? So it doesn’t close?”
I nodded, kicking the cardboard box over to the door frame before I walked over to Birdie, who was already elbows deep in the box of small tiles.
“Oh, I love this pattern. I think it’ll be perfect for—”
“Hello?” A calm voice called out from inside the house.
“Oh shoot!” Birdie’s eyes went wide as she looked at me. “She’s here!”
“Hi! We’re in here! The garage!” I called out, hustling to put the tiles back in the box as Birdie handed hers to me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure fill the door. “I know I’m a few minutes early, but waiting was never my strong suit.”
No.
No. That voice couldn’t be familiar to me. It shouldn’t be familiar to me. I didn’t know anyone with the last name Delong. My stomach bottomed out as I turned to face the woman in the doorway.
The last tile slipped out of my hand, shattering against the concrete into a million little pieces.
“Lainey?”
“Don’t move,” Danny ordered. “There’s a broom right over here. I don’t want either of you cutting up your feet.”
Birdie looked over at me, but I couldn’t breathe. What the hell was she doing here?!
“Hi, I’m so sorry about that. We were just coming—”
“Get out,” I whispered, my hands shaking as I covered Reid’s back.
“Lainey?” Birdie whipped her head towards me, but I refused to take my eyes off of Jasmine.
“She’s right.” Jasmine laughed. “I shouldn’t be here. But I just couldn’t help myself.”
Jasmine kicked the box that was holding the door open out of her way, stepping further in the garage.
“No! Oh catch—” Birdie’s words didn’t matter, because Jasmine didn’t move, and the door clicked closed behind her.
“Don’t panic.” Birdie laid her arm on mine, but sweat was already starting to prick at the back of my neck. It was hot in the garage, but knowing we were trapped…and she was here…I wanted to throw up.
“You two know each other?” Danny walked over from the corner of the garage, stepping in front of me.
“This is Jasmine. Greg’s wife.”
“What?!” Birdie gasped as she walked past Jasmine, trying to get the door open. “Shoot. Nate was right. It’s really stuck.”
“Okay, no one panic.” Danny swept the last of the ceramic shards over to the corner. But that’s exactly what I was doing. I bounced on my feet, trying to keep Reid asleep.
“I don’t understand,” Birdie said as she walked back over to me, looking at Jasmine. “Why are you here? Why would you want to donate to my charity?”
Jasmine placed her hand on her belly. “Oh, I don’t.
My private investigator told me about this place and its mission, and well, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what Lainey’s lies had inspired.
That’s right, by the way. I know all about how you lied to get a restraining order against Greg.
How you used your connections to a deputy in your family to submit a false report.
It’s absolutely disgusting. You’re trying to ruin my family, after everything you’ve already done. ”
“I wasn’t lying, Jasmine. And if Greg’s uncle wasn’t a sitting judge in this county that did a favor for him, I think that the protective order would have been issued a lot sooner.
We shouldn’t even be having this conversation right now.
And if you were smart, if you cared about your family like you say you do, you’d run from him, too.
Just like I did. I just hope he at least lets you leave with your shoes.
Because he didn’t even have the decency to let me do that. ”
Birdie’s eyebrow pulled together. “And not that it matters, but I didn’t start this charity for Lainey. I started it in honor of a patient of mine who lost her life to her abusive partner. The fact that my sister suffered at the hands of your husband should make you sick.”
“I don’t believe a word you are saying! Greg has been nothing but good to me.
You tried to take him from me! And you have to pay for that.
You know that, right? You broke the sanctity of my marriage, and you have to answer for that.
You’ll tell the courts that you lied.” Jasmine took a step closer to me, and I wrapped my arms tighter around Reid and the carrier.
“You’ll tell the courts that you don't want the baby any more. Or, we don’t even have to go that far!
You could hand him over to me right now.
I’ve got a car seat in my car. I hadn’t thought this would all work out, that you’d be here waiting for me, but it’s a sign.
A sign that you are meant to hand him over to me today.
You don’t have to put my family through the distress of going to court to fight this.
Put someone else first for a change. Let your son have the life he’d never, ever have with you. ”
“You’re insane,” I cried. “Don’t take another step toward us. I will never let you touch my son. You bat shit crazy bitch!”
Danny cleared his throat, stepping between Jasmine and where Birdie and me stood.
“You.” He pointed straight at Jasmine. “Take ten steps back that way and close your mouth. We need to be working on getting out of here. It’s awfully hot, and I’m worried about the babies.
” He pointed to Jasmine’s belly and Reid on my chest. “I left my phone out in the truck, so one of you girls is going to have to round up the guys. They’ll come running when they hear what happened. ”
Danny was right. And I needed Lachlan here. I was losing the grip on my nerves.
“My phone is on the coffee table,” Birdie sighed.
“Shit. Mine too,” I groaned.
“Nice to know that’s the type of language you’ve been using in front of my son. I’ll be sure to document it for the court.”
“I—”
Danny turned to Jasmine. “Unless you have a phone, I would think the best thing to do right now would be to stand there, again, not saying a word. I don’t like people who threaten my family.”
Jasmine folded her arms. “Lainey has done nothing but threaten my family. She’s a homewrecker! You don’t know who she is! You shouldn’t want her anywhere near your family. She’s trash, vile, immoral! She—”
“Enough!” Danny roared. “Lainey is a Ford, in every way that matters.” Oh boy.
There went the last bit of hold I had on my emotions.
“Which means I will not have you standing here on my family’s land, treating her like this!
Threatening her! You better believe that when we get out of here, the first person I’ll be speaking to is my son, who I am sure you know is a Clarence County deputy.
I’ll be pressing charges for trespassing, harassment, and whatever else we can fucking think to add to it.
Unless, you’d like to change your tune and be a decent human for a moment?
Do you have your phone on you? Yes or no? ”
“Yes.”
He held out his hand, waiting for her to hand it over. As soon as she did, he handed it to Birdie. “Call Beau. Now.”
Danny turned back to Jasmine. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, lady, but my grandson is not yours to take.
He has a mother and a father who love him, and an entire family who will stand in your way from even getting close to him or his mama.
Now, I imagine the best course of action from this moment forward is for everyone to just take a breath, and for anyone not in the Ford family to keep their damn mouth shut. ”
“…Cowboy. Please come up to the safe house and let us out. Okay? We need you.” Birdie pulled the phone away from her face, shaking her head.
“He didn’t answer?” Danny asked.
“He usually won’t if he doesn’t recognize the number. But he’ll listen to the message.” She looked at the door. “I’m sure he’ll listen to the message.”
“Try Colt. I want him here anyway when we get out. I’ll bet there are some tools out here I can use to get the door open. Nobody panic. We’ll be out of here in no time.”
“What the hell kind of place is this?” Jasmine groaned. “We can’t get out of the garage because of a faulty knob? This can’t be up to code…You’ve put two children directly in danger today. My team of lawyers—”
“Shut up!” I yelled. Reid fussed on my chest. My shirt was starting to soak through with how hot it was getting.
Jasmine’s face fell. “Do you smell that?” she asked.
“What? Going to try and sue us for a bad smell?” My sister rolled her eyes.
“No. It’s not…It’s smoke. I smell smoke.”