Chapter 12
Because I Love Her
Eddie
When I show up at Deirdre’s house the following week, she yanks the door open before I even have a chance to knock.
Never a good sign.
She isn’t shouting yet, which somehow feels worse. Her whole body is rigid, a live wire barely holding itself together, one hand braced on the door while the other grips her tablet hard enough to crack the damn thing.
“This,” she says, voice tight as piano wire, “is Kiki?”
My gaze drops to the screen, and a low groan escapes me.
Shit.
Another article about Drake. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, with the upcoming trial, but I will never understand why they insist on pulling Kiki into the fucking mix every single time.
It’s never enough to report on the monster himself.
No, they always have to drag her through the dirt, too, usually with some old photo of her looking like hell, head bowed, sunglasses on, trying to get past a mob of reporters while the whole world acts like she’s the one on trial.
And here we are again.
Deirdre barks out a short, humorless laugh. “I’m sitting there drinking my coffee, reading the news, and Theo walks by, points at the screen, and says, ‘Look, Mom. It’s Miss Kiki.’”
“These are old photos,” I say evenly. “They were taken months ago.”
“I don’t give a crap when they took the damn photos,” Deirdre snaps, cutting me off. “This is the woman you’re dating? The woman who was married to that piece of shit?”
Of course Theo picks this exact moment to poke his head into the room, interjecting himself into the conversation. “Mom? Is everything okay?”
Deirdre doesn’t even look at him, just points toward the other room. “It’s fine. Go wait in there.”
I scrub a hand over my face, a headache beginning to pound behind my eyes. “Deirdre, please calm down.”
“Calm down?” She steps closer until we’re damn near nose to nose. “Do you know what this man is accused of?”
“Yes,” I manage, swallowing down the anger rising in my throat. “Everyone does. But Kiki was never charged with anything. She was cleared of any connection to what he did.”
“Oh, bullshit.” She spits the words like bullets. “She was married to a man who trafficked young girls, and you think she knew nothing?”
I lower my voice, barely restraining my temper as Deirdre tears into my girlfriend. “He’s a monster, and Kiki will tell you that herself.”
“Oh no, Kiki will not tell me anything.” Her eyes flash. “There is absolutely no way I’m going within a hundred yards of that fucking woman, and I’m not letting my son anywhere near her either.”
I lift both hands, desperate to stop this from going completely off the rails. “Deirdre, Kiki is a good person. Please do not base your opinion on how the media spins shit.”
But Deirdre is in no mood to hear my side, or any side.
She crosses her arms, her lips twisting with rage.
“She must have a very talented pussy, because the Eddie I know would never put his son in harm’s way like this.
And I swear to God, if she’s got you that damn turned around, I’ll make certain you don’t get the chance to put him in harm’s way again. ”
Just like that, she goes too far.
I step in close, jabbing a finger toward the floor between us.
“I would never, ever put Theo in any kind of danger, and you know that. I love that kid more than anything on the face of this fucking planet. I would die for him in a heartbeat. So do not stand there and act like I would ever be careless with our son. Not for anyone.”
She opens her mouth with a retort, but I cut her off. I’m too pissed to stop now.
“If I thought for one second Kiki was bad for Theo, this would have ended before it ever started. Trust me on that. But she’s good to him.
She helped him with his reading when he was having trouble.
Sat with him while he sounded out words, never once rushed him.
She loves him, and he loves her. All I’m asking is for you to meet her before you pass judgment.
She has had enough of that bullshit to last a lifetime. ”
Deirdre rolls her eyes. “So what? I should pity the bitch?”
Nothing like hitting a complete stranger with a barrage of names. Poor Kiki. I see even more clearly now the hate tossed her way on the daily.
And more than ever, I’m determined to shield her from the onslaught.
“You really want to go there?” I smack the doorframe, because yeah, we’re getting into it. “Fine. Let’s talk about people being judged by the company they kept.”
Deirdre’s glare cuts through me, because she knows the first stop on this conversation train. Her darling baby brother, also known as the bane of her fucking existence. “Don’t,” she snaps.
I let out a humorless laugh. “No? That’s convenient. Because for somebody who knows exactly what it feels like to get turned into a pariah over someone else’s choices, you’re sure as hell comfortable doing it to Kiki.”
“That is not the same thing.” Her voice tightens, as if she can barely form the words around her anger.
But I’m just getting started. “Remember how fast your town turned on you when your brother got into trouble? Turns out embezzlement isn’t quite the calling card he thought, at least not when you’re stealing from friends and neighbors.
Remember how quickly your country club friends decided they didn’t know you anymore?
How your parents, members for years, had their membership revoked, like disgrace was somehow contagious? ”
Her face tightens, the memory still a painful one. “That has nothing to do with this situation.”
“It has everything to do with it,” I shoot back.
“You cried to me night after night about how unfair it was. About people looking at you and your family like you’d done something wrong just because your brother had.
You wanted them to see you as separate. As innocent.
As your own person.” I step closer, my voice dropping.
“Yet that is exactly what you’re refusing to do for Kiki. ”
Deirdre paces the kitchen like a cougar stalking her prey, her hands slicing through the air as she talks. “Why are you protecting this woman? You’ve had a line of women wanting to date you for years, Eddie. What is so damn special about this one? Why do you need her so badly?”
The answer is out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Because I love her.”
My words stop her cold.
Deirdre freezes, her gaze dropping to the kitchen tile like there might be some kind of explanation written between the grout lines. “What did you say?”
Jesus. I haven’t even told Kiki yet. I’ve barely been able to admit the fact to myself, but here it is in the glaring light of day.
I can backtrack and talk my ex down off the ledge… or I can own my statement.
There’s only one option for me.
I blow out a hard breath and brace my hands behind my head, knowing the onslaught that awaits me. “I love her. I’m in love with Kiki.”
A barrage of emotions flashes across her face.
“Wow.” Her voice emerges, reedy and thin. “You never even said that to me.”
I drag my hands down over my face. “This is not about you and me.”
“No, you know what this is about?” she snaps, her anger flaring once again. “It’s about the fact that you’ve been taking my son to spend time with that woman knowing exactly what her husband did, and you didn’t see fit to clear any of it with me first.”
“Our son,” I grit out. “And it’s her ex-husband, by the way.”
“Sure about that?” Deirdre shakes her phone, the article continuing to taunt me. “Because the article says—”
“I don’t give a shit what the article says.” My voice cracks through the room hard enough to make her flinch. “They’ve been separated for months. The divorce is done in every way that matters. He just has to sign the papers.”
She starts pacing again, her arms wrapped around herself like she can hold onto her outrage if she squeezes hard enough. “I don’t like it,” she mutters. “And I don’t like her.”
I pull my phone from my pocket. Time to end this nonsense. “You want me to call Kiki? Have her come over here right now? You two can hash this whole thing out?”
Her head jerks toward me. “Absolutely not. Are you insane?”
Now I’m pacing too, cutting opposite her in the kitchen, the tension worsening with every second. “Then what do you want me to do? How exactly do you want me to fix this?”
“I don’t know.” She yanks her hands through her hair. “I don’t know how you fix it. I just know I am livid right now.”
“Fine,” I snap. “Be livid. Can I have Theo so I can go?”
She pauses, her shoulders squared. “I don’t know.”
A bark of disbelief punches out of me. “Are you serious? You’re going to give me shit about taking my son?”
“Not if your girlfriend is going to be around him.”
Jesus Christ. This is absolute insanity.
“She won’t be around tonight,” I mutter.
Deirdre narrows her eyes, glaring at me. “Are you lying?”
My nostrils flare as I rein in my temper. “I have no reason to lie. I never have. Kiki is a wonderful woman who adores our son, and our son adores her.”
That only seems to piss her off more. Her jaw flexes as she cuts her gaze to the far wall. “I swear to God, if I find out anything—anything—that makes me more upset than I already am right now, that’s it.”
Oh, now she’s threatening me? That’s fucking great. “What the hell does that mean?”
If looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.
“You know exactly what it means, honey.” Her voice drips venom with every syllable.
I bury my face in my hands, a low growl rising from my chest. “Will you please just—”
“Theo, come on baby. Time to go with your dad.” Deirdre’s voice calls down the hallway.
Guess the conversation is over. Nice of her to let me finish my thought.
A second later, Theo runs into the room and I have to get the expression on my face under control before my son gets close enough to read it.
As I reach for the door, Deirdre points a finger at me, her voice low and deadly. “I’m not fucking kidding, Eddie. Do not cross me.”