Page 59 of Rebooked For Us
“Move!”
“Skye.”
“I said move, Cane! Or I’ll punch you in your shit too.”
I fought against him, trying to get one more shot.
“You don't mean that.”
“Try me. I’m sick of her.”
Bianca finally found enough sense to stay where she was, one hand tangled in her hair, breathing hard. A strand of that expensive weave hung by her ear. She was a mess, and she was furious about it.
Good, I’d been wanting to do that since she scuffed my damn shoe.
“You lucky he’s holding me back,” I shouted. “Keep my daughter out of your mouth, you borrowed-time-ass bitch.”
“And you picked her.” She laughed once, bitter and breathless. “This is the woman you gave everything up for?” Another breath. “Ruben spent years trying to save you from this ghetto bird.” She jabbed a finger toward me, her hand still trembling from the fight. “Ducane, she hid a child from you. What else do you think she’s hiding?”
Nobody moved.
Ducane let me go.
He looked from Bianca to me.
Then back again.
His hand found my chin, gently forcing me to look at him.
I tried to turn away so he wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes because this was going to be the test.
“Baby, what is she talking about? What child?”
A lone tear slid down my cheek. He didn’t budge. His hands were still on my face, his eyes searching mine. I had nowhere left to go.
“I’m sorry, Ducane.”
“Sorry for what? Skye, I need you to tell me what I’m missing right now.”
I exhaled.
“We have a beautiful six-year-old daughter named Cadence Noelle Simmons. That’s what I was about to tell you before this bitch showed up.”
He went completely still. His hands stayed on my face, his eyes on mine, but he’d gone somewhere I couldn’t follow. I watched it move across his face, everything hitting at once, none of it landing anywhere yet.
He blinked once.
His hands fell to his sides.
Without a word, he turned away from us and walked a few steps toward the water. He stood there with his back to us, shoulders rising and falling as he drew in one slow breath after another. The ocean stretched out in front of him, calm and endless, the opposite of what I know he felt.
That caused me to lash out at Bianca again, “Do you feel good about yourself? Did you win?”
That wiped the smirk right off her face.
Then Ducane turned around.
His eyes were glassy, his jaw tight enough to crack a tooth. He looked at me first. There were a thousand questions behind his eyes, but there wasn’t an ounce of hatred.
