Chapter Twenty-Two
“Mom, are you even listening?” Farrah whines, making me smile.
Who would have thought that taking her to the clubhouse would make my daughter’s smile reappear? I was already starting to see the old Farrah, but now it’s like I got her back again for good.
Shit, I don’t think she’s given me attitude once since we got home.
“Mom…” she says again, bringing me back to the present.
“Sorry, baby, you asked me a question, but I missed it,” I say as I lean against the counter, giving her my undivided attention.
She rolls her eyes but smiles.
“Were you daydreaming about a certain guy next door?” she teases, making me laugh.
“No, I was thinking how good happiness looks on you and how much I missed seeing you smile. Now, what did you ask?” I ask, trying to get back on topic.
“I asked you if I could switch schools. My friends go to Woodrow, and we’ve agreed it would be awesome if I could go there with them,” she informs me.
Friends. Not the ones she grew up with, but the ones she made at the club. Teens who reassured her that their parents were just like anyone else and that they just ride bikes.
“Baby, don’t you think that’s a little fast? You just met these friends. You hung out once.”
“Mom…” she whines, tipping her head back.
“Besides, I think we have a bigger hurdle to jump before we can even think about you changing schools,” I say pointedly.
“If you say yes and sign the papers, we could just do it,” she tries to interject, but I continue.
“Like your dad.”
“Ugh. Why do you have to be such a buzzkill?” she asks, banging her head on her hands that rest on the dining table.
“Stop doing that,” I scold.
“Can’t you convince him?” she pleads.
“Baby, I would love to, but this is your dad we are talking about. I think we both know that if he knew where you wanted to go and why, he would say no faster than you could blink. If it was just my choice, though, I would sign you up on Monday. I like that you have friends that you seem to enjoy being around.”
She starts messing with the hem of her hoodie sleeve and speaks quietly, avoiding eye contact. “It’s not fair.”
I want to tell her that her dad rarely does things that can be considered fair. Remind her that he’s always been selfish and that his wants come first, but I won’t.
As much as I hate him, he’s still her dad, and I won’t speak too poorly of him.
“I know,” I say simply.
“Do you think he will change his mind before the end of senior year?”
“I’m not sure, but if he doesn’t, just remember that you can still hang out with them. That they will still be your friends. Who knows, maybe that means you can go to two proms instead of just one.” I shrug.
She sighs heavily. “I guess.”
“Or when you turn eighteen next December, you can sign up for yourself. He wouldn’t be able to stop you then,” I remind her.
She mumbles something before she looks away.
Then her phone buzzes next to her, making her face drop. It’s almost as if she completely shuts down. All traces of her previous happiness gone in the blink of an eye.
“What’s wrong?”
“He just texted me saying he’s almost here.”
“He shouldn’t be texting and driving,” I say automatically.
“Yeah, well maybe he will wreck and make all of our lives easier,” she mutters as she stands, gathering all of her stuff.
“Farrah Grace, take that back. You don’t mean it,” I scold.
“Sorry, I know. I’m just frustrated.”
You and me both.
I follow her outside and watch as her dad pulls in, and I swear my heart breaks all over again when I watch her shut down even more in his presence.
How did I miss this before? Was I really that blind because of my feelings toward him that I was ignoring her reactions?
“Hey Farrah, did you have a good weekend?” he asks as he approaches.
“I did.” As soon as the words leave her mouth, I see the regret cross her face.
His eyes narrow slightly. “What did you do?”
Farrah keeps her mouth shut and looks down at the ground.
“Farrah…” he growls.
I clear my throat, making him look my way. “We actually went to the clubhouse for family day. She got to hang out with some of the brothers’ kids.”
Billy shakes his head slowly and chuckles darkly. “Care to repeat that, wife? I think I misheard you. There’s no way you let our daughter go hang out with a bunch of miscreants.”
“Don’t call them that!” Farrah snaps.
“Ex-wife,” I start, needing to reinforce that. “I was with her. She was perfectly safe and had a good time. She made friends. That’s what matters, right? Farrah’s happiness…”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Are you insane?” he hisses, stepping closer to us.
Farrah steps back, but I hold my ground.
“The only person whose sanity should be questioned is yours,” I say without thinking.
“I gave you everything! I gave up my entire life for the two of you, and this is how you repay me? Playing house with some child and taking our daughter around hardened criminals? I swear to God, Samantha…”
“Dad, stop! It’s not like you said it was. They were all really nice. I liked them. They were better than your work people. If you gave them a chance…” Farrah pleads.
“I’m not giving those people…” He spews “people” as if it’s a dirty word. “A chance, and I’m sure as hell not going to have them around my daughter!” he shouts.
“Billy, stop. People are watching.” I nod toward Mr. Wilson’s house, where he’s sitting on his porch.
“I don’t give a shit about an old man. I’d take him. Now tell me, where is your boy toy? Is he in our house? I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. It was bad enough that he was touching you, but now that he’s influencing our daughter? I won’t fucking have it, Samantha!” he roars.
He reaches out and grabs Farrah’s arm, shaking her. “Come on, let’s go!”
“Dad, let go of me!” she cries out, trying to pull away.
“Billy, knock it off!” I shout.
I hear a door slam shut in the distance but I don’t take my eyes off the angry man in front of me.
“Hey, step away from them!” Loyal shouts, making my heart drop.
Goddammit. Just when I think things couldn’t get any worse…
Music is blaring through the speakers as I wrap plumbers’ tape around the pipe before attaching a new showerhead.
I hope I picked the right one.
I scoff at the thought.
Never in a million years did I think I would be installing a different showerhead just to make my girl happy, but here I am.
Dropping the tape, I grab the showerhead and put it on. Once it’s secure and straight, I drop my arms.
Sick, now all I need to do is turn the water on and make sure there are no leaks.
My phone makes the sound I have set for Sami’s house, telling me that someone’s on her property. Frowning, I step out of the shower and grab a rag off the counter. Cleaning my hands, I head to the window that overlooks the front yard.
Farrah and Sami step off the porch and wait on the sidewalk as they wait for Billy to park.
I hate that guy.
I wish I could be down there with them. Just to try and protect them from his inevitable wrath, but I know it would only make it worse, and that’s the last thing either of them needs.
“God, I can’t stand that guy,” I mutter when I see Billy getting out of his car.
Leaning against the windowsill, I watch the scene unfold.
Sami and Farrah approach him. Farrah with her bag over her shoulder and Sami with her arms crossed over her chest. I don’t know what he says, but whatever it is causes Farrah’s body to tense, making me frown.
Sami looks over at her daughter with something that looks a whole lot like concern before she responds.
Next thing I know, Billy is losing his cool. Movement across the street catches my attention. Mr. Wilson takes a seat on his porch to watch the show.
“Nosy bastard,” I mutter before looking back at the three of them. Minute by minute, Billy gets louder, making my jaw tense and my hands flex at my sides.
“God, I want to lay him out,” I say out loud.
Next thing I know, Farrah is flinching and stepping back, but my girl stands her ground.
“Fuck this shit,” I say, pushing off the windowsill.
I rush downstairs and head straight outside. What I see makes my blood go cold. He’s got his hands on Farrah, trying to drag her off.
“Hey, step away from them!” I yell, catching his attention.
Farrah’s head snaps toward me, and her eyes go wide. Sami’s eyes are also wide as she shakes her head. I can already hear her telling me this isn’t a good idea, but I don’t fucking care.
I’d rather have his hatred aimed at me than them.
Billy lets go of her and spins toward me.
“You! You just don’t know how to mind your own fucking business, do you? Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” he spews, finger pointed toward me as he marches my way.
“I would mind my own business if you didn’t make your shit public. If you didn’t take your anger out on those you supposedly care about,” I tell him.
“They are mine!” he snaps.
“Again, Billy, as I’ve pointed out in the past, they aren’t possessions. They are women. You don’t own them.”
He gets right up in my face, chest brushing against mine.
“You think you’re so smart don’t you? Think you’re invincible because of the patch you wear. I’m not afraid of you. I’ll fucking kill you,” he hisses.
“Billy, back off,” Sami pleads.
“Fuck this. I’m calling the cops,” Farrah mutters.
“Do it,” I tell him.
His eyes narrow in confusion.
“You think you can kill me, do it.” I hold my hands out to the side. “Hit me. Fight me. Just do it. Stop talking a big game and fucking do it.”
His arm draws back, and I hold my ground, letting him punch me right in the face.
“Loyal!” Sami yells.
“Dad, stop!” Farrah cries.
I chuckle as I rub my jaw. “You shouldn’t have done that…”
“You told me to,” he hisses as he shakes his hand.
“Yeah, but you hit me first, which means I can finish it.”
Before the words can register, I draw back and hit him once, twice, three times, following him all the way to the ground. Like a little bitch, he reaches up and grabs onto my hair, trying to pull my head back.
“Seriously? That’s the best you got,” I hiss as he gets a shot in on my ribs.
We trade punches back and forth and don’t stop until police pull up to the curb.
“Step away from each other!” a cop shouts as they approach.
I get off of him and step back, hands raised in surrender.
“I want to press charges. He started it,” Billy demands as he scrambles up.
“Bullshit, he hit first!” Mr. Wilson shouts from across the street.
“Fuck you, old man. Mind your business,” Billy shouts back.
“Enough!” another cop snaps.
One of the cops approaches me, holding out his cuffs. I turn around, placing my arms across the small of my back.
“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” I tell him.
“What, you can’t arrest me. I’m not a criminal!” Billy screams.
I look over and watch as the other cop puts cuffs on him. Billy, like an idiot, doesn’t make it easy for them. Fighting it the entire time.
“Are you going to question me here or down at the station?” I ask as the cop grabs my upper arm.
“Station. I know who you are,” he mutters.
As we start walking toward the car, Sami calls out, “Loyal…”
I look over at her right before I slide inside. “Call Bailey, tell her what happened.”
She nods as she holds a crying Farrah, and another cop stands, taking their statements.
“Farrah,” I call out, and she looks at me right in the eye. “I protect what’s important.”
She nods, understanding my meaning. I did this to protect her.
I get into the car and look back at Billy. The fucker is still fighting the cop every step of the way.
“That guy really doesn’t know when to stop, does he?” my cop says quietly as he slides into the driver’s seat.
I chuckle. “You have no idea.”
Leaning my head back against the headrest, I close my eyes.
Well, this isn’t how I planned to spend my evening, but I don’t regret it.