“Don’t mention them. You were just inside of me.”
It’s been a week since that ugly confrontation with her mother and sister. Since then, her mother has called every day, but Eden has not answered. Her father returned home last night, so their showing up here today is not surprising. I was expecting it.
“They’re here.” I hand her my phone, and she sighs. “What do you want me to do? Ignore them, let them in, or shoot them?”
The last is meant to be a joke, but she sits up and gapes at me.
“I’m kidding about that last one. Let's let them in.”
The rift between her and her mother hurts my wife. I can tell. Each time her mother calls, she gets excited, reaches for the phone, and then remembers.
“Fine, but I have to go freshen up.”
Once she’s gone, I put my dick back in my pants and open the gate. By the time I make it to the door, they’re already on the porch.
“Thank you,” Serena says once I let them in.
We stand at the entrance, awkwardly looking at each other. No one says another word.
Serena cranes her neck but does not see Eden. “Is Eden here? We want to speak to you both.”
Now, that shocks me.What the fuck do they have to say to me?
“Talk to your daughter, not me.” I gesture for them to follow me into the dining room. I offer them a seat at the table, but nothing else. The next few minutes are filled with tense silence, then Eden arrives.
When I hold out my hand, she takes it. She leans into me and rests her head on my shoulder. “I’ll let you three talk while I start dinner.”
“Don’t leave. This is your house.”
I give her the side eye. “Our house.” As I kiss her forehead, I notice her mother watching us.
“Our house,” she concedes before she whispers, “I need you.”
Her parents approach us, and both of them pull her into a hug. She hugs them back, but reaches back for my hand. The embrace ends quickly, and she glues herself to my side again.
“Dandy, I’ve called you every single day this week, and you’veignored me. Why would you do that?” Serena gently cups Eden’s cheek. “I know you’re angry at me and Sylvie, but I thought you would understand that what I did was about your niece and nephews. Do you begrudge the kids their mother? Would you rather they stay with Levar? Sylvie is a good mom, and just because you’re mad at her doesn’t mean we should let them suffer.”
“On that note, Mom, goodbye,” Eden says. “I’ll help you make dinner, honey.” Eden pulls me toward the kitchen, but her parents follow.
“Hold on, now,” Sheriff Rose says. “We need to talk.”
“I said all I had to say.” Eden opens the fridge and pulls out ingredients to make a salad.
“Well, we haven’t.” Rose slams his hand on my kitchen island, and I raise a brow at him. He ignores me. “We love you.”
“I know you do, and I love you both. That’s never been an issue.”
My wife grabs a big knife and slams it through a head of lettuce. I take it from her and gently push her away from the cutting board.
“Then what? I want to fix this.” Serena grabs Eden’s hands and pulls her away. “I’ve missed you. We’ve never gone more than a day without talking, Dandy.”
I let them continue and chop the lettuce. When I look up, Serena’s looking at me.
“And I want to thank you, Ripley, for helping us. I don’t know what you said or did to Levar, but it worked. He has hired a divorce lawyer, and they’ve been in touch with Sylvie’s. I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. I told you when you asked that I didn’t want anything in return. I would never negotiate with Eden’s mother. It’s done. Stop talking about it.”
“Mom, why didn’t you ask me to ask Rip?” Eden snaps. “Because you know what I would have said. It’s unfair to ask him for favors when you all have treated him like he’s some serial killer. You can’t call him a criminal and then run to him to do shady things for you, like take kids from their father. The same kids he wasn’t allowed to be around. That’s my issue. It’s hypocritical. And no, I don’t want the kids to suffer. I love the kids, but theirmotheris the one who decided to have them with a sexist pig who treats them like dirt.” The sheriff opens his mouth to speak, but Eden talks over him. “And let’s not forget how she was lashing out at me because she was unhappy in her own life. But, yeah, it’s okay for her to manipulate everyone with her poor-me attitude.”
