31. Daphne
Daphne
I’m just finishing up making a batch of gingerbread for Crank to take with him to the clubhouse.
Cammie is in her room playing on her Leapfrog tablet, so I was feeling a little lonely.
Baking always helps me get out of my head.
Honestly, Cammie may be asleep. She helped me and Crank water all my flowers outside, then played on her swing set.
Crank even put her in her wagon and pulled her all around the yard.
She’s had a great day. The only thing that would have made it better is if Eli was here with us.
The doorbell rings as I take the pan out of the oven. Crank comes in. I frown. “I can get it,” I tell him, taking off the oven mitts I have on.
“Until we know what’s going on with the club, it’d be better if I do.”
I stare at Crank and barely stop myself from rolling my eyes, but just shrug and turn back to my gingerbread pieces. They’re going to be perfect. Gingerbread can be tricky because you don’t want the outside nor the inside to be dry. It’s a delicate balance.
“Who in the hell are you?” I hear Dane’s voice snap. If you had asked me a little over a year ago, I would have told you that despite everything he’s done to me, I couldn’t hate him. This last year however has been an eyeopener. I don’t know how I ever cared for him at all.
“Who the fuck are you?” Crank growls and I can tell he intimidates Dane because he takes a step back.
Dane goes to the gym, so he’s in good shape—something he held against me because I could never lose all of the baby weight from Cammie.
I can’t count the number of times he referred to me as fat and letting myself go.
I pull myself back into the here and now when I hear Dane’s reply.
“I’m Daphne’s husband. Now, what are you doing in my home?”
I look at Dane, thinking the man must have lost his ever-loving mind. “You aren’t?—”
“That’s funny, because I’m here because Skittles’ old man wanted someone watching over her because he had to go out of town. Now I’ve seen them two together and I don’t see Daphne wanting someone like you at all. You’re not man enough.”
I have to fight to hold my laughter. The look on Dane’s face is one I haven’t really seen before.
I hate that I can’t fully enjoy it. “Dane is my soon-to-be ex-husband. He’s the one that knocked up my ex-best friend, then informed me I was boring, lazy, fat, didn’t care about my appearance, and not the type of woman a man like him should be seen with because he needs a woman of refinement and taste,” I explain, listing every complaint he had about me the day he told me he wanted a divorce.
I do it counting them off on my fingers, while smiling with great glee at Crank.
Once his words nearly destroyed me, but if Eli looks at me and sees value, if he loves me, then I don’t give a shit what Dane thinks about me. He never deserved me anyhow.
“You’re shitting me. Is she like a Playboy centerfold?” Crank asks.
I scoff. “Hardly. Hang on. I get my phone out, open the Facebook app, and then search for Serena’s profile. Here you go,” I murmur, handing my phone to him.
“Damn man, has she put you in the poor house with all the work done on her face and tits?”
“She doesn’t have work done,” he denies at once. “Really, Daphne, is this the kind of trash you hang out with these days?”
“Sorry, Dane. You know how us little people are. All I was ever good for was to put you through law school and wait on your ass while apparently you were fucking around me with my ex best friend.”
“So bitter. You really should work on yourself more.”
“Hey man, let me ask you something. If your new chick falls out of bed, does she bounce up to the ceiling?”
“Oh my God, Crank,” I laugh, picturing that in my mind.
“What? he asks, clearly having a lot of fun taunting Dane. “It’s a real question. Those tits are bigger than a basketball.”
“What do you do? Own strip joints?”
“I’m a lawyer and I’m preparing for a run as Circuit Court Judge. You should watch how you speak to me or anything about my fiancée. I’m not a man you want an enemy of.”
“I’m just asking legitimate questions. This chick could impress people connected with a strip joint.”
“She’s not a fucking stripper!” Dane growls. I know I should stop this, but honestly, I’m enjoying it way too much.
“Oh! I know! A female wrestler. She’d make a hell of a lot more money if you entered her into those fights where water and Jello are used.
You could let the crowd vote on what shakes harder when she jumps, her tits or the Jello.
I bet people from the crowd would pay extra to lick the Jello off her?—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dane growls.
“Whatever you say. Didn’t mean to piss you off. I was just admiring your side piece, since she clearly wants men to do that. Every picture in her profile shows her in clothes she can barely hold together. I swear a couple of those buttons are only hanging on by a sheer miracle.”
“Daphne. I need to speak with you alone,” Dane says, after giving Crank a hateful look.
“I guess it’s a good thing you don’t have a plastic allergy,” Crank adds, as if Dane hadn’t even spoken. I’m tempted to let him continue but really, I just want Dane to leave.
“What on earth do we have to say to one another, Dane? Just talk to my lawyer,” I dismiss.
The last thing I want is to talk to him, or worse, be alone with him.
“However, since you’re here, would you like to see your daughter?
” I ask, figuring he will turn me down. I can have Crank as a witness.
I’m gathering as much proof as I can to show how he doesn’t even want to spend time with Cammie.
“I don’t have time, I’m already late,” he says immediately.
I know if Cammie could hear him, she’d be glad.
At one time she wanted to spend all her time with her dad.
He destroyed that. She’s more than a little afraid of him now, which makes me feel like a horrible mother for staying with him for so long.
The fact he turned down a chance to see his daughter—especially since he missed his last visitation and hasn’t seen her since Cammie’s birthday—where he left early after making a scene—is sickening.
“You really are a piece of work, Dane. If I agree to speak with you privately, will you leave quickly so I don’t have to look at your face?” I ask.
“Trust me, I have no desire to stay here with you and the junkyard dogs that you seem to hang out with these days,” he grumbles.
Crank replies by first, growling like a dog, drawing out the noise. “Grr …” I have to admit he sounds ferocious. He follows it up by making a high-pitched barking noise, but it’s more jarring than scary. “Ruff!”
Dane jumps back two steps, falls back into my island and almost falls. I can’t hold my giggle back, which pisses Dane off even more.
“Maybe I need to tell my lawyer the reception I get when I come by to talk to you about our daughter and some worries that I have about her safety.”
I roll my eyes. “Crank?”
“Yeah, Skittles?”he says with a smirk.
“If you were so worried about your daughter that you dropped by your ex’s house to talk to her unannounced—obviously because you were so-o-o worried.”
“Obviously,” Crank snorts after I draw out the word so.
“Don’t you think you would at least want to see said daughter?”
“You would think, but don’t blame ole’ Dane. The fumes from the plastic at night probably has caused issues and his brain is malfunctioning.”
“That’s it. If you’re not willing to act like an adult and a mother, you’ll hear from my attorney.”
I exhale, letting him hear my annoyance. “Fine, we can speak out on the porch. I feel the need to get you out of my house before it starts stinking.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go outside with him alone,” Crank points out.
“I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. You can stay in here, if I need you I’ll call.”
“For God’s sake, Serena. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Once upon a time, I would have believed you. That was before your dick couldn’t stay in your pants, you didn’t take every opportunity to belittle me, and maybe you need to be reminded of the times you left bruises on my body.
” When he just stands there looking at me, I huff.
I should’ve known he wasn’t man enough to admit to everything he’s done.
Dane leans on the porch, staring at me. “I have stuff to do, Dane. Can you just spit it out?”
“Fine. It’s about the men you’re letting in your house.”
“Which man would that be? Is it the contractor I had to get to fix the plug ends in the bathroom you never got around to doing? Maybe it was that pesky mailman who was nice enough to carry my boxes inside? Oh, wait! I know. It was the pizza delivery guy.”
“Stop joking around. You know exactly who I’m talking about Daphne,” he growls. “I want you to know I know who that criminal is you’re dating.”
“Oh, come on, Dane?—”
“You need to listen, Daphne. If you don’t break it off right now, I’m going to push hard for full custody of our daughter.”
“That’s rich. You can’t even go out of your way to see our child, but you’re going to fight me for full custody.”
“I love Cammie, despite you getting pregnant without my permission.”
“You asshole. You say that like I planned on getting pregnant. I suppose you think I had divine powers and willed the damn condom to break!”
“You should have been on birth control, or agreed to have the tubal, I demanded.”
“Too bad you didn’t tell your whore to have a tubal,” I respond snidely.
“I needed a child to impress my boss. He’s opening a new firm and is looking to appoint someone to oversee it,” he says with a shrug.
“You already had a child, you asshole—and a wife.”
“I’ll be taking Cammie in the divorce. If you’re nice to me, I will allow you to visit.”
“You hated taking care of our daughter, even for a minute. Serena sure as hell isn’t the kind to take care of a kid,” I growl.
“We have a live-in nanny now. We let her start early, since mine and Serena’s child is coming soon. She can take care of Cammie too. She’ll be better with them than a mother who has no income and a thug with a felony record living with her. The court will definitely agree with me.”
I frown at him. “What are you talking about?”
He lets out a cynical laugh. “I see you don’t know everything about your lover.
He killed a man and was charged with reckless homicide.
He killed someone by his own hand and that’s the kind of man you’re letting near our daughter.
When I’m done introducing my evidence, there’s no way any judge in America will give you custody of our daughter. ”
“Dane—”
“Or, if you agree to stop seeing this man and kick him out of your life. I’ll let you keep Cammie. I’ll come by here and there and the three of us can be happy. I won’t be able to be here full time, but enough that I can make sure all your needs are met.”
My stomach rolls. I can tell exactly what he means and the urge to vomit all over him is a real thing. “You can’t be serious,” I whisper hoarsely.
“You have until tomorrow morning to let me know what you decide,” he informs me oozing confidence. He’s positive he’s won and is going to get what he wants. I won’t lie. I’m scared, but I refuse to show him that he’s getting to me.
“You knocked up my best friend, have never been faithful, why the hell are you so intent on making me miserable, Dane? What’s the real reason behind all of this bullshit?”
“You’re my wife, Daphne. Just because we’re divorced, doesn’t mean you’re still not my property. You’d do well to remember that.”
Before I can respond, he’s already walking to his car. I let him go. Nothing I can say will change this mess. I need to be alone for a bit. Once his car leaves my driveway, I go inside.
“Is everything okay?” Crank asks when I get back inside.
“Yeah, I just have a killer headache. I need to check on Cammie.”
“She’s sound asleep, I just came from there,” he explains, studying my face.
“Can you let me know when she wakes up? I’m going to take some meds and lay down for a bit.”
I don’t even wait for his agreement. I’m barely hanging on as it is.
Once I get to my room. I close the door and then fall on the bed, burying my head in my pillow so it can muffle the noise of my crying.
I’m not sure what just happened. Maybe Dane is confused and thinks I’m dating someone else.
Or he knows it’s Elie but got the wrong information.
All I know is that Eli isn’t a man who would just kill a man for no reason.
I need to know the whole story. I’m too upset right now.
I need to get control. Then, I can fuel my rage properly.
Later there will be time to let my anger out—because I am very upset.
If Eli did do something like what Dane just said and didn’t bother telling me—allowing me to be blindsided.
I don’t know what I’m going to do. I love Eli with every fiber in me, but I can’t lose Cammie. And most all I’m terrified that Dane will succeed in taking everything from me, just when I finally have the chance to be come was finally happy.