I’ve done a lot of shit in my life. A lot of shit that I shouldn’t have. Some that I regret.
But I wouldneverforgive myself if I raised my voice at her or if I lost my shit in front of her and did something irreparable, like scare her.
I was teetering on the edge, desperately trying to calm the storm of rage spiraling inside of me and failing.
Just like I always am.
Never in control when I need it most.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
I hit the wheel once, and then again, roaring. The sound bounces around the cabin of my truck, and I sigh, pushing out exhale after shuddering exhale in an attempt to calm myself.
It took every ounce of restraint inside of me not to immediately call Tara and tell her to go fuck herself. To tell her that if she ever comes near Maisie again, I’m not responsible for what happens to her. To respond to her messages and tell her to do whatever the fuck she wanted with them because I didn’t give a shit if I lost my job.
Truthfully, I don’t.
The only thing on my mind isn’t what’s going to happen tome, but what’s going to happen toMaisie.
How is this going to affect her?
My fingers tighten around the steering wheel when my mind circles back to the fact that Tara had someone following us. Undoubtedly a criminal, probably someone as lowlife and dangerous as she is. Someone was this close to the person that I love more than my own fucking life.
My heart jerks inside my chest at the admission.
Fuck.
I…loveher.
I love Maisie so goddamn much that I’d give my own life for hers.
I love her so much that the thought of losing her makes me want to find this motherfucker, whoever they are, and choke them with my bare hands. Fuck, if anything happens to her, if this fucker gets anywhere near her again, I’ll be the one doing the prison time.
I turn the wheel and pull off the highway into a parking lot because I’m shaking so badly I’m worried I might end up in a ditch somewhere.
Slamming the shifter into park, I suck in a harsh breath, squeezing my eyes so tightly shut that spots dance behind my eyelids.
Out of all of my mother’s transgressions… threatening the woman I love is the worst of them. One that I can never allow her to get away with.
But, fuck, how am I supposed to fix this?
How do I make sure this shit never touches Maisie? How do I protect her?
What the fuck am I going to do?
My phone vibrates beside me, but I ignore it, forcing myself to continue breathing, in and out.
Deep and slow.
Slow and deep.
I have to clear my head so I can fucking think straight and figure out what I need to do.
I can’t do that if I’m crashing out the way I am right now.
Maisie’s sweet smile flits into my head from just this morning when I pulled her into my arms, her eyes gleaming with affection as she burrowed into my chest.
I think about how happy she makes me. How often I find myself smiling around her, when before I met her… I can’t even remember the last time I truly smiled or laughed.
