12. Daphne
Daphne
I watch as Eli takes Cammie inside. I want to call out to him to stay with me, but I know it’s better that he protects my daughter.
All at once, I feel my father’s hand squeeze mine.
My gaze moves down to our joined hands. Then, I moved my head slowly up to stare into my dad’s eyes.
I saw reassurance there, maybe even love.
It was hard for me to believe it after the last few years.
I didn’t trust it. Yet, right now, I’d take reinforcements anywhere I could get them.
Before I could say anything to my dad, a voice I’d hope to not hear today interrupted me.
“Where did that man take my daughter? You were warned that I would be coming to visit Cammie today and be here for her party,” Dane snaps, his superior attitude leaking through every word as if he was a king talking to his peasant followers.
It always grated on my nerves when he’d do that.
It was directed at me often and each time I wanted to slap his face. God I’ve been such a fool.
“I know you lost brain cells since hooking up with Serena, but surely you could see that Eli took her inside the house.”
“Pettiness doesn’t look good on you, Daphne.”
I roll my eyes. “Being a lying whore doesn’t look good on you either, but here we are.”
“Enough Daph. We’re not here for you to hurl insults. We’re here to see Camila. She’s my daughter too, and the court granted me permission to be here.”
“The name is Daphne. You lost the right to use my nickname, Dane. As for seeing Cammie, I believe the court order granted you permission to be here from two to four this afternoon—which was the time of her party. It is only twelve thirty. That means you’re extremely early.
I don’t believe I have to agree to let you in my house until time for the party. ”
“So, I’m early. It shouldn’t be a big problem. I want to spend time with my child,” Dane argues.
I know in my heart that he’s not telling the truth. He’s here early for a reason. “What is it you always said when an opponent in court tried to change times on you. Oh, yes, I remember. “ An order is an order for a reason ,” I respond, arms crossed at my chest.
“Are you really going to be this petty? Doesn’t six years of marriage mean we can try and be adults around one another now?” he asks, definitely belittling me.
“That’s rich considering why our marriage is ending,” I quip. “Fine, even though your actions are interrupting time with my family, I’ll let you join us early, but you still only are ordered for two hours. So you’ll have to leave when the time is up, unless Cammie asks you to stay.”
“You really think you can play hard ball with me, Daphne ? I’ll eat you alive if you try. You don’t have the money or the stamina to go toe-to-toe with me. You better think twice about this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I’m just trying to adhere to the judge’s order.
I agreed to let you stay—even though the order stated just you and instead you showed up with the woman you were fucking in my bed when I was out of town.
I’m even being nice and letting you interrupt time I set aside to spend with my family.
Plus, I said you could stay longer if Cammie wanted you to.
I think I’m being pretty flexible here. If you’re not happy, just turn around, leave, and we’ll meet back in court,” I reply sweetly with a shrug.
For the first time since Dane put a ring on my finger, I find myself standing up to him and it feels …
exhilarating. I can also see the surprise on Dane’s face, even though he’s trying to hide it.
“A pity you didn’t reveal this side of you when we were married. I may have kept you around,” he quips snidely.
“That’s probably why I didn’t. Self-preservation,” I murmur quietly, making my father laugh.
“Let’s go in and get this over with,” my dad says. It’s weird but when I look up at him, I think I see pride shining in his eyes.
Dane and bitch-face go in front of us. I pull on Dad’s arm to hold him back. “I wanted to warn you, Mom will be here today.”
His fingers brush through my hair, his thumb stroking the top of my cheek. “I’ve been a fool. I know sorry won’t solve it, and the two of us need to have some hard conversations, but I promise you, I’ll do better. I can even handle seeing your mother. I just want time with my girls. Is that okay?”
I kind of felt like I was in the twilight zone.
I didn’t really trust what he was saying, but I’ve wanted time with my dad for so long that I pushed all of that aside for now.
“I’d like for you to stay. I know Lucy would like to see you too.
She’ll be here.” A moment of pain flickers on his face, but he nods.
Lucy isn’t the most liked person in the Devil’s Blaze.
She hurt one of the original members years ago.
She went through an abusive relationship and made a lot of mistakes since then.
I do think she finally has her head on straight now.
She’s dating some new guy, and they seem really happy. I just hope it works out.
My parents didn’t have a traditional relationship.
Mom and Dad were married, but there was another man in the relationship—my dad’s best friend Latch.
I never met him, but I’m told the three of them lived together happily.
Once I got older, I realized they shared a bed.
I wasn’t around to see them together. Latch was overseas when I was born.
I was five when he died overseas in a helicopter accident.
So, I never met him. After his death, though, everything fell apart.
Dad lost himself in a bottle. Mom was broken.
I’m not sure what happened, but I think maybe my father loved Latch more than he loved Mom—he took his loss that bad.
Mom didn’t react well to his drinking and being shut out of his life.
Drew and I were just stuck in the middle.
I had two years of memories with my dad being a whole person and I ached for that man to return—despite it being a lifetime ago.
“I’ll be good, I promise. At most, you’ll just have to worry about me killing your asshole ex,” he jokes, making me laugh.
“I guess we better get in there,” I grumble. “I think that man is trying to make me miserable for the rest of my life.”
“I won’t let him do that, Daph. I promise.”
I wrap my arm around his back, pressing my fingers into his side with a squeeze and we walk in.
When I walk into my living room, I’m not sure what I expected to see, but seeing my daughter in Eli’s lap, trembling and burying her head into his side as she nervously looked at her father with tears in her eyes, is not it.
“What’s going on?” I ask, having Cammie’s scared face, Serena’s smirk, Dane’s angry one, and Eli’s apocalyptic one, all turn to stare at me.
Shit. This can’t be good.