“Potty time,” she sang.Her attendant protested, but the woman waved her away.
“If that dog urinates on me—” Trent began, but he winced when I bent his thumb back more.He tried to smack at me with his free arm, but Luka maneuvered in closer, a snarl slashing his mouth.
“Better here on this sick bastard than some poor soul on the plane,” the woman said.
“Let me go,” Trent howled.
“Why?”I snapped.“You didn’t listen to me when I asked.”
We were drawing a crowd.People were murmuring, probably taking pictures of me gripping Trent.
Luka shifted his large body to partially shield me from Trent, which also put him in my way.Dammit.I have this under control.
My jaw clenched as I shot Luka a fiery glare.His expression tightened before a mask fell into place, shielding his thoughts and shuttering his eyes.
“That is ancient history, Millie,” Trent said.“We were just…messing around.You gotta let bygones be gone and all that.”
“Two years isn’t enough time to forget or forgive,” Millie murmured.“There isn’t enough time.”
“Doesn’t seem the young lady agrees with your assessment,” the elderly woman said.“It’s okay, Gus.You go right on ahead and do your business.”
I laughed, giddy with pleasure when Gus lifted his leg and let out a stream of urine over Trent’s suit-clad leg and into his shoe.Trent cursed and tried to kick the pup, so I applied more pressure to his thumb.
“You don’t kick animals.Just like you don’t force your will on people who are smaller and weaker than you,” I hissed.
“Good dog.”The white-haired lady nodded, and when Gus hopped back onto her lap, she waved the attendant to push her forward again.The teens were no longer paying attention to Luka.My standoff with Trent had become more captivating,especiallybecause he was now cursing and dancing, clearly disgusted by the wetness on his ankle and in his shoe.
That was not good.Sonot good.Dammit.I wanted to break Trent’s thumb—breakhim.
I pressed harder for one more beat, enjoying the last of Trent’s squirming before I flung his hand away from me.
The weasel straightened his suit even as he winced.Then he glared.“I’ll be sure to tell your father you’re in town.He’ll be thrilled to know he’s getting the grandbaby he always wanted.”
I held it together until Trent passed, refusing to breathe in his cologne—I detested that scent.But once he was down the terminal, out of reach, I swayed.My breath pumped nearly as fast as my heart.Luka wrapped his arm around me, trembling slightly.
He’d hated standing by.I could hear the frustration in his voice when he spoke to our audience.
“Sorry, guys.My girlfriend isn’t feeling great.”
I let him lead me from the terminal and out to the parking lot, my ears still buzzing and my legs feeling stiffer with each step.There would be pictures of me posted online.Luka had been right beside me, called me his girlfriend.My father would sniff those out with ease.So much for staying under the radar.I hadn’t even made it out of the airport before I ran into one of my nightmares.
But I’d survived that interaction—not only survived but proven my ability to take care of myself.My breathing turned a bit ragged.Trent might be my personal hell, but he wasn’t my biggest threat.My father was, and Trent had probably already called and told him everything.
“What the fuck was that?”Luka asked.He’d stopped walking and stood rigid, jaw tight, eyes flashing.
The air was muggy, and it settled over me like a comforting blanket.Sure, it was smoggy and hot, but it was right.I’d missed this.So much.
We stood in front of an SUV.It wasn’t new, but it wasn’t old either.
“Where’s your car?”
“I sold the Corvette after you told me about Bree.We need something safe for her, something that can hold all her gear.”
I swallowed.He’d sold his Corvette, his “favorite toy,” I remember he’d said, and bought our baby a car.
“This one’s a couple of years old.I got it because it has the best reliability and safety rating on the market.”He shoved his fisted hands in his pockets.I heard the faint rip of a seam.“I wanted to make sure it was really the safest one.”
Still, I remained silent, too taken aback by his thoughtfulness—by this huge step forward in parenting that left me completely…
