THAT SUNDAY
“Lowe, stop it,” Levi says as he sets down my suitcase by the front door of my apartment. “I’ll go pick her up. It’s no big deal. You unpack and shower in peace. I’ll be back with her in like half an hour, okay?”
“You’re too good to me,” I mumble, wrapping my arms around his waist.
He kisses the top of my head as his arms pull me in tighter. “Nonsense. Now, get inside. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Giving him a quick kiss, I watch as he disappears down the hallway and turns the corner to head to the elevator before I enter the apartment. I leave my suitcase in the entryway and make a beeline for the bathroom, turning on the shower and making sure it’s nice and warm.
Stripping out of my travel clothes, I run my fingers through my hair before hopping under the stream. I’m not sure how much time passes as I shampoo and condition my hair, scrubbing my skin with my body wash and end with exfoliating. I reach for my towel off the back of the bathroom door once I turn off the water, wringing out my hair before wrapping it tightly around my body.
I step out of the shower and wipe off the fog from the bathroom mirror, having forgotten to turn on the fan before I climbed in. With a quick spray of my leave-in conditioner, I pull my spare brush out of the drawer and work through the knots. Once I can get the brush through without trouble, I set it down on the countertop and reach for my microfiber towel, flipping my hair down to wrap it up to dry.
I slip out of the bathroom and cross the hall to my bedroom, dropping the towel from my body into a heap on the floor as I step into my closet and open my dresser drawers. I put on a pair of black sweatpants and grab a dark grey band tee out of the top drawer. Just as I hang my bathroom towel back up in the bathroom and remove the towel from my head, I hear knocking on the front door.
Walking toward the door, I don’t bother looking through the peephole first, assuming it’s Levi and Claire arriving back. But as I pull open the door, my stomach bottoms out, coming face to face with a red faced, liquor smelling Travis.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, a quiver evident in my voice as I grip the doorknob tightly in my left hand. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Because of these?” He seethes as he pulls an envelope out from behind his back. “You served me with a restraining order and custody papers? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, rolling my shoulders back to make myself feel stronger than I actually am. “You showing up here like this is the perfect example of why I did. Now you need to leave before I call the cops.”
“I’ve been trying for over a month to talk to you, and you’ve refused.” He pushes his way in, forcing me back against the wall. I move to close the door behind me but leave it cracked open in the hopes that someone hears and either comes and helps meor calls the cops themselves. “And then you have the audacity to pull this shit?”
“You showed up at my work and laid your hands on me,” I remind him, crossing my arms over my chest as I walk down the hallway to see him pacing in the living room. “Which isn’t the first time you’ve hurt me, Travis. If you had just left your attention on me, I might have left it alone. But you threatening to force your way back in to see my daughter? That’s where I draw the line.”
He whips his head in my direction, his hands fisting at his sides, crinkling the paper in his grasp. “She’s my daughter! I have the right to see her.”
“You actually don’t. Look, I don’t know how many more times or ways I can tell you the same damn thing before it gets through your head, but I’m tired of this.” I’m unsure what comes over me, the fear no longer weighing me down, but a newfound—albeit reckless—sense of strength and anger comes bubbling to the surface. “So, let me say this for the last time as clearly as possible. We. Are. Done. I do not want to see you again. You will not see Claire until you are sober, and the judge feels confident enough to give you visitation.”
I sidestep into the kitchen, opening the junk drawer to grab that small black box he pulled out all those months ago. Walking back into his line of sight, I toss the box in front of him. “And you can take that with you. If you want to speak to me, you can contact my lawyer. His number is in the envelope. Now, get the hell out of my apartment.”
I’m vaguely aware of a door closing out in the hallway, and I find myself praying that whoever it is helps in some shape or form as Travis picks up the ring box and stares at me with a lethal sense of calm. Subconsciously I take a step back, but my leg encounters… a head? Turning to look down, I see Winstonlooking up at me, panting softly with his head tilted. I glance up just in time to see Levi enter the apartment, and I sag in relief.
“You okay, baby?” He asks, approaching me and resting a hand on my lower back. Winston nudges the hand hanging at my side and I absentmindedly scratch between his ears. The look on my face must be answer enough because Levi fully steps in front of me, blocking me from my ex. “I don’t know how many times we need to keep having the same conversation, buddy, but it’s time for you to go.”
“Don’t you dare buddy me,” Travis seethes. “This is my house.”
Levi laughs. “Pretty sure it’s my clothes in the dresser and my toothbrush in the bathroom, not yours.” I roll my eyes behind his back at his obvious attempt to upset Travis. “I’m also confident that those papers you’re holding state you are no longer to be in contact with Marlowe or your daughter until deemed otherwise. So, I suggest you leave. The cops are on their way.”
Footsteps approach, and Levi loops an arm around me, pulling me out of the way as Travis stomps by. Winston growls lightly at my side at his retreating back, causing Travis to stop at the front door and glance back at us. His eyes narrow on Levi before falling on me.
“I will contest these,” he tells me, holding up the crinkled envelope. “I’ll be getting a lawyer of my own. Looks like I’ll see you in court, Mar.”
Once the front door closes, Levi turns to face me, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders. I rest my head against his chest and release a shaky breath as Winston runs into the living room and jumps up on the couch. Hastily stepping back, I look up at him.
“Where’s Claire?”
“Next door,” he tells me. “I heard his voice. I didn’t want him to see her, nor her to see him. Your neighbor is a sweetheart.”
I smile, stepping back and running a hand down my chest. “She’s such a sweet woman. Misses her grandchildren a lot, I’m told.”
“Are you okay?” He suddenly asks, and I fully step out of his grasp and walk over to sit on the couch. My elbows rest on my knees and I wring my hands together.
“I thought this shit would be over by now,” I grumble, covering my face with my hands. “I’m just so tired of worrying he’s going to show up everywhere I look. It’s just… I want peace.”
Sensing Levi kneel in front of me, I drop my hands. He grips them tightly between his own as he looks up at me. “We will get you that, I promise.”
