“I was sixteen. I wasn’t ready to take care of a mentally challenged child.”
“What the fuck did you just call her?” I growl.
“Stay out of this, asshole,” he says. “I was young when this happened. I still am, but I understand now. Regardless of whether I feel like your mom made the right choice by having you, I know I need to take responsibility for my mistakes.”
I can’t hold back any longer. Grabbing him by his shirt, I nearly break my knuckles on his face. “A mistake is realizing you forgot toilet paper while shitting on the toilet, not having a child, you motherfucker!”
Bernie doesn’t tell me to stop. I don’t think. I’m not sure I could hear much over my rage right now, and after three more hits, he falls to the ground. His eye droops, and I know I broke his cheekbone.
Good.
“Zeppelin, what the hell?” Misty shouts and runs up the sidewalk. “Ben?”
“He—”
“Go!” she shouts. “God, Ben, are you okay? What the hell were you thinking, Zeppelin?”
Glancing at Bernie, I shake out my fist. “Don’t you listen to him, Bernie, okay? It’s not true. Not even close.”
“Wait, what did he say?” Misty asks, finally seeing her daughter standing on the porch crying.
At least I got to beat the shit out of someone today. The fact it was her baby daddy made my day just a little better.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Misty
The last thing I expected to find was Zeppelin beating up Ben on my front lawn. And now Bernie sobs while Zep tells her not to listen to what her father said.
What the hell happened?
“I’m suing his ass,” Ben groans as he sits up.
Helping him, I shake my head. “Probably not a great idea if you want to keep breathing,” I mutter so Bernie doesn’t hear. “Vice president of a motorcycle club, Ben.”
Whatever Ben said pissed Zep off enough to nearly kill him. It’s probably best to find out what he’s doing here and send him on his way fast. For his own safety.
“And you let a criminal around our daughter? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Zep snorts. “You wanna talk about criminals? Let’s talk about your rap sheet motherfucker.”
“Language,” I snap at Zep before turning to Ben. “Wait, what rap sheet?”
“He’s lying,” Ben says.
No, Zep isn’t. I can tell. Ben is.
Istand and move away from Ben as I try to figure out what exactly happened. Bernie sniffles, and I walk toward her, but she holds out a hand to stop me.
“Dad said he was going to take me from you.”
Crossing my arms, I glare down at Ben, suddenly thankful Zep was here. “You did, huh?”
“Then he told me he has to take responsibility for his mistakes. He means me. I’m a mistake, Mom.”
My heart sinks. ‘You said that?”
“Seeing our daughter with a man like him set me off. You can’t blame me,” Ben says. “What responsible mother lets her daughter anywhere near a damned biker?”
