“Go feel her fucking forehead! And roll your eyes at me again.”
I took another step toward him and got in his face. “Idareyou.”
Marc huffed. “Excuse me, Candie. I’ll be right back.”
Marc followed me over to Bella and reluctantly felt her forehead. His face fell, and he stepped back.
“She wasn’t like that when we left. She must have just gotten sick. Great, the one weekend your grandmother isn’t here. Ugh! We’ll go home in a little while.” He turned to walk back to the counter, and I grabbed his arm.
“Your daughter is sick. She can barely lift her head up and needs to see a doctor. Are you that fucking stupid?” I was doing the exact opposite of what Robyn told us to do, but as far as I was concerned that all went out the goddamn window if Bella was in trouble.
Marc pulled his arm away.
“I said give me a little while. God, you still bitch like a woman.”
He headed back toward Candie, and I’d had enough. I took my jacket off, wrapped it around Bella, and picked her up.
“Come on, Butterfly. I’m sorry my jacket is sweaty. We’ll go wait in the car for Mommy and go to the doctor.”
I bolted toward the door when Marc grabbed my arm.
“Who the hell do you think you are? This ismykid, not yours. Same as it’smywife that you’re sleeping with inmybed. Why don’t you get your own damn life and stop taking my leftovers.”
If Bella wasn’t in my arms, Marc would’ve been on the floor, bleeding and possibly missing teeth. But she was, and I didn’t want to scare her.
“They’re yours in name only.” I kept my voice as flat as possible. “A real father wouldn’t ignore his sick daughter. He would be worried as hell and running to the doctor, not trying to score with an underage waitress. Samantha and Bella are mine, more than theyeverwere yours. Even this bullshit custody fight your mother started won’t change that.”
I stormed out the door and carried Bella to the car, texting Sam with one hand to let her know where we were.
“Lucas?” Bella sounded so weak, and it was scaring the shit out of me.
“Yeah, Butterfly?” I sat with her on my lap in the driver’s seat, trying to warm her up before I strapped her in the back.
“You saved me. You’re just like Superman.”
I tightened my arms around her and kissed her still burning forehead.
“I’ll always save you. No matter where you are.” She gave me a little smile and closed her eyes, cuddling into my chest.
Sam’s class would be over in five minutes, and I knew as soon as she read my text, she would run here. If I knew where her doctor was, I would have taken her myself.
I had loved Bella for a long time—how could I not?—But I couldn’t remember exactly when things changed. All I knew was the little girl in my arms was my life now, as much as her mother was—and I would be just as broken if I ever lost her.
Thirty-Two
Lucas
I couldn’t understandhow Sam was so calm. We sat in pediatric urgent care—thankfully a two-minute drive from the gym—for over an hour. I was getting more and more pissed off as the nurse called in kids who didn’t look nearly as sick as Bella. She was sitting on Sam’s lap, half sleeping on her chest with flushed cheeks.
I marched up to the check-in counter to ask the nurse what the hell was going on.
“Excuse me. Can you please check when Isabella Christensen is supposed to get called in? She has a high fever and has been here for a while.” I watched her check the sign-in sheet with a lack of urgency that grated on my already frayed nerves.
“Should be about fifteen minutes, sir. There are two children before her.”
“Two children before her? I have a sick kid here. Can’t you move her up?”
“Sir, they’re all sick kids. We’ll call her when they’re ready.”
