Page 3 of Guarding Over You
“I don’t want to.” Maybe she was being a hard ass, but after the year she’d had with her ex and the emotional trauma on their daughter, this was the best way to be.
He had to know she meant business. She’d never been a pushover, but she had a bleeding heart. Normally reserved for her clients and patients. Billy had taken advantage of that too many times.
Never again.
“You can’t do this to me,” Billy snapped. “You’re being a controlling bitch.”
“Swearing at me isn’t going to help your case. And lower your voice. You’re drawing attention from my neighbor.”
Billy turned to follow her gaze. “We’re fine,” her ex told the man watching them. The stranger lifted his eyes to hers, held her stare, but she nodded her head. Then he turned and went into his place and shut the door. She saw the blinds open to keep an eye out just the same.
It was oddly comforting. At least Billy would know to cut the shit. She hoped.
“You need to leave,” she said. “I mean it. Next weekend you can see Gracie at your normally scheduled time. And no, this Tina person can’t be there.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you read the custody agreement you’d see she needs court approval after she gets it from me.”
“Well, you need to do that same thing.”
She laughed. “First off, men are the last thing on my mind after being married to you. Second, I’m not the one on probation who has to be on their best behavior right now. Showing up here unannounced and causing a ruckus isn’t going to help your case.”
Billy’s nose twitched, the snarl ready to be unleashed, but he pulled it back... barely.
The door opened, and they both turned their heads to see Gracie in the doorway.
She got between Billy and the door and backed up towards her daughter.
“Hi, Gracie,” Billy said.
“Mom?”
“It’s fine, honey. Shut the door. Lock it, please. Mommy is fine. I promise. Daddy is just leaving, right?” she said with more finality than when she served him divorce papers almost two years ago.
“Bitch,” Billy mumbled under his breath. He turned and marched back to his truck, climbed in and sped out.
Her shoulders dropped as she inhaled, closed her eyes, exhaled, then did it two more times.
She got the last two bags of food out of the trunk, went to the door, and tapped lightly. “Gracie, it’s Mommy. Can you open up for me?”
She’d left her purse on the counter along with her phone and key to her house when she brought her daughter and the first load of food in.
The lock clicked, the sound echoing in her head with relief. Sad that she had to teach her six-year-old to do those things. Even sadder there was a need for it against her father.
“Is Dad gone?”
“He is.”
“I only see him on Saturdays. Today isn’t Saturday.”
“It’s not,” she said. “He stopped over to talk to me. Nothing for you to worry about.”
No reason to get her daughter upset. They’d just gotten to a place where Gracie wasn’t afraid to visit with Billy and he had to pull this shit.
Over a damn new girlfriend on top of it.
Talk about ridiculous.
