Thirty-One
Lucas
After two monthsof going back and forth between her home with us and Marc’s parents’ house, things weren’t getting any easier. In fact, I was pretty damn sure they were getting worse. The custody arrangement changed to every weekend after about a month. Robyn was trying to get the hearing moved up but couldn’t do anything about it at the moment. Bella was happy when she got home on Sunday nights, but as the week progressed, she got quiet and withdrawn. When Marc came to pick Bella up on Fridays, she would give us the saddest look before she left, tearing both our hearts out.
We weren’t stupid—Marc’s mother had been the one taking care of Bella. I could guarantee he was still the same douche he’d always been and was staying out all night. Even though I was positive she was the evil mastermind behind this whole mess, Sam was confident Bella was safe with her grandmother. Miserable like Sam and me—but safe.
Last night wasn’t just miserable. It was fucking awful.
“Shh. Bella, please. Don’t cry, baby.”
Sam knelt down to hold Bella in her arms, rocking her back and forth in an effort to calm her down. Big tears streamed down Bella’s face as she clung to her mother for dear life. I looked into my girl’s watery eyes and knew it was a matter of time before she broke down, too.
I joined Sam and Bella on the floor and rubbed Bella’s back as I put my arm around Sam. Both my girls were upset, and I had no idea what I could do to make it better. I looked over at Marc, who couldn’t have cared less. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, rolling his eyes as Bella’s wails got louder. Putting my fist through his face wouldn’t help anything, but it would’ve mademefeel a hell of a lot better.
I remembered what Robyn told us about being amiable and cooperative, and while pummeling the bastard would feel really fucking good, it would only hurt us in the long run.
“Bella, come on. Enough already. Grandma is going to get pissed at me if we’re any later.” Marc let out a long sigh and shook his head at his daughter.
He tried to pull Bella’s arm off Sam, but she wouldn’t budge. Sam attempted to remove her daughter’s grip from around her neck, but it only made her cry harder.
“Butterfly, come with me. I want to talk to you.”
I pried her away from her parents’ tug-of-war and carried her into her room. I put her down on the bed and took a seat on the floor in front of her.
“Talk to me, Butterfly. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Bella’s face was red and blotchy, and her eyes were swollen. She cried just like her mother, and it tore up my insides the same way.
“Why can’t I stay with you and Mommy? Don’t you want me around anymore?”
Bella was only three and a half feet tall but managed to gut me in under a minute. This back and forth was getting to all of us. She didn’t belong there; she belonged here—with us. This poor little girl was in the middle of a power struggle and was suffering because of it.
“That’s not true. Of course, we want you. Right now, Grandma, Grandpa, and your daddy want to spend time with you, too. Sunday night we’ll come to pick you up, and we can go anywhere you want. Sound good?” I kissed her forehead and put my arms around her.
Her crying looked like it slowed a bit, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“They won’t be there. They’re going away.”
Bella looked down at the floor, and instead of sad, she looked scared.
“Who’s going away, Butterfly?
“Grandma and Grandpa. Tomorrow morning they’re supposed to see Aunt Mary, and they come home Sunday. Daddy doesn’t like me. He yells at me a lot.”
Bella was going to be alone with Marc. No wonder he was in such a rush to get her back to his parents’ house. His mother probably wanted to see her before she went away for the weekend.
I didn’t like this. At all.
There wasn’t a goddamn thing I could do. Keeping her here would be a violation of the custody agreement, and knowing that wretched woman, she would use it as leverage to keep Bella for longer. My hands were tied, and Bella was looking at me for an answer I didn’t have. It would have hurt less to plunge a knife into my own chest.
I took her Hello Kitty pad and pen from her nightstand and tore off a piece of paper. I jotted down my cell phone number, folded up the paper, and put it in her hand.
“Listen to me. If you need me, call this number like we showed you. I don’t care what time it is. I’ll come get you. Okay?”
Bella made a fist around the paper and flung her arms around me. I held her as tight as I could.
“I love you, Lucas.” Bella’s words were a faint whisper as she buried her head in my neck. If only I really were Superman, I’d fly her and her mother far away from this horrible situation to where no one could hurt them. Right now, reassuring them both was the best I could do, even if I didn’t believe it myself.
