Page 25 of Written with Regret (The Regret Duet 1)
She just stood there. Her shoulders had rounded forward, but I couldn’t see her face because of her hair. Her fucking red hair.
“Say you understand me,” I seethed.
“I understand you,” she replied softly, but not gently. “But I don’t think you understand me.” She lifted her head, her hair falling away, and stared me right in the eyes. “I do exist. And one day, I will exist to her whether you want me to or not. At some point in the not-so-distant future, Keira’s going to want to know who her mother is. And I’m here today because I want to be the one to tell her.”
Keira?
Jesus Christ. Keira.
That little blast from the past lit me on fire.
“Her name is Rosalee, not fucking Keira. You don’t even know your own daughter’s name and you think you deserve a role in her life? You’re delusional.”
Her head snapped back. It may have made me a dick, but I enjoyed every second of her pained expression.
She blinked, devastation crumbling her bravado. “You…you changed her name?”
“I didn’t have to change it. She was never yours to name.”
Her mouth fell open, but she didn’t have time to get a word out before the cops rounded the side of my house.
Taking a step away, I shot her a smile. “Perfect timing. Maybe these guys can get you to talk.”
She flicked her gaze to the approaching officers, not appearing the least bit surprised that they’d been called.
“Talk? Is that what you want?” She took a step toward me. “Because short of demanding that I give you my name, you’ve been too busy running your mouth for me to talk at all.” She took another step toward me. “My name is Hadley Banks. And I know you hate me for what you think I did to our daughter. But the fact that you love her enough to be this angry proves that I did something right. So, before this goes any further, let me be very clear. I’m not here to take her from you.”
I should have laughed. It was such an absurd statement. The woman was about to be arrested for theft and child abandonment. She was in no position to be taking anything from anyone. But to my ears and to my heart, it was a threat all the same.
“You will never take her from me!” I roared.
“I just want to know her!” she roared right back, her wild greens locked with my feral blues.
The cops jogged over, stepping between us, one shoving at my chest as the other guided her back a few steps.
I had so much I wanted to say to that woman. What I thought of her. Where she could shove her bullshit. The fact that I would bury her before ever letting her take my daughter. But as badly as I wanted to unload the years of hatred, rational thinking hit. I needed her as far away from Rosalee as I could get her.
“I want her off my property. Now,” I snarled.
“Okay. Let’s calm down for a minute,” the cop urged, but I was way past that.
“No. I’ll follow you to the station. Whatever you need me to do. But that woman is wanted on multiple charges and I’d like to add trespassing and attempted kidnapping to the list.”
“Kidnapping?” Hadley gasped, leaning around the cop. “I didn’t try to kidnap her. Officer, I simply asked her what she wanted for her birthday. I never even touched her.”
There were other words spoken.
By the officer in front of me.
By the officer in front of her.
By Hadley.
But I said nothing else.
Because when I tore my gaze from the green eyes I hated more than anything in the world, I saw an identical pair staring back at me as Rosalee fought like hell against Ian’s attempts to drag her away from the window.CAVENThirty minutes after the party had started, the last of the guests were trickling out the front door while Rosalee cried in my arms. I’d tried to get people to stay, all but begging a few of the parents, but three cop cars, six officers, and a screaming match in my backyard had really killed the vibe.
The cops had been ecstatic when I’d stomped away, leaving them alone outside with Hadley. One of them had followed me inside, but I’d only had eyes for my daughter.
The good news was, when she’d seen the police outside, she’d thought one of them was my brother, Trent. Just the year before during a visit to Pennsylvania, where he was the chief of police, he’d taken her for a ride in a cruiser, letting her play with the lights and siren.
The bad news was that she’d seen enough out the window to know that Trent wasn’t there and that Daddy was really mad.
By the time I’d reached her, peeling her out of Ian’s arms, she was scared and had a dozen questions, including wanting to know what the “nice lady” had done wrong.
