“Curly Sue?” Frankie asked.
Derek grinned. “It was a movie from when I was a kid. The little girl had brown curls, a lot like yours,” he said as he tugged on a strand of her hair. “It was my mom’s favorite movie.”
“Wanna have breakfast with us? You can sit next to Mom.”
Frankie ignored the kick I gave her under the table and grinned up at Derek, waiting for his reply. He looked my way, and I mouthed,Sorry.
“I wish I could. But I’ve got a big job I’m working on and I’ve gotta get it done soon so I can start on the next one.”
“Maybe we can have dinner?” Frankie asked, her hopeful expression fading when Derek muttered something more about work.
“Hey, Derek, your order’s ready.”
“I’ve gotta run, but I’ll catch you later, Curly Sue.”
“Sure,” Frankie mumbled. But Derek had already turned around, missing the sad look on my baby’s face. I pierced a glare at Slyce. This was the shit I was trying to avoid.
“I’ll be right back.”
Chapter Five
Derek
I turned away quickly after telling Frankie I would catch her later. I saw the light fade from her eyes when I said I couldn’t stay for lunch. It had been a week since I’d been at the house to fix the leak. King hadn’t said anything more, so I assumed it was holding.
Right about now, I regretted being damn good at my job.
I grabbed my lunch from Joellen and hurried back to my truck. I had to get away from my daughter and her mother. Kat had been the main feature in my wet dreams all fucking week.
Just as I yanked the door to my truck open, someone yelled across the parking lot.
“Hey, asshole!”
Turning toward the voice, her anger caught me off guard, and I looked around to see who had pissed her off. When she stomped up and stood in front of me, I realized with a sinking feeling that I was the asshole she yelled at.
“You got a problem with my kid?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, slamming the door shut and leaning against it. I should have left it open and used it as a barrier. My hands itched to reach out and pull her against me. My lips were suddenly dry as I thought about the taste of hers.
“For whatever reason, my daughter likes you. You’re the first person other than me and Slyce she has relaxed around, and you blew her off like you couldn’t get away fast enough.”
I ran a hand through my hair and huffed out a breath. How the fuck was I supposed to explain why I was avoiding the two of them? Maybe the truth was the best option.
“Well, you see, Frankie is the daughter I walked away from when she was two because I didn’t think I was good enough to raise her. But I’ve been going to therapy, and seeing her in person makes me want to snatch her up and take her home. Only, I don’t have a fucking home because I live with the brother I never knew, who is married to my ex-wife. And oh yeah, I beat the fuck out of her when I found out she was pregnant with his kid. Add to that, I can’t stop thinking about my daughter’s mother and want nothing more than to crawl into her bed and never fucking leave.”
Yeah, that ought to do it.That would be enough to scare Mother fucking Teresa away. I clenched my hands at my side, resisting the urge to grab hold of her and press her against the hood of my truck and devour her.
“Well?” she hissed. “You couldn’t spare twenty fucking minutes to have breakfast with her?”
This woman was fierce. She was tiny, maybe five foot four, but she’d stormed up to me ready to tear me a new asshole because I’d upset her daughter.
My daughter.
The way she fought for Frankie’s feelings only made her sexier. It made her fucking irresistible. But she wasn’t mine. Neither of them was.
“I knew you weren’t any different. You’re all fucking the same. Stay away from my daughter.”
She turned on her heel and marched back into the diner before I could say a word. And I stood by my truck wondering what the fuck happened. I stared through the window, watching her sit back in the booth. She touched her daughter’s hand, andFrankie smiled at her mom. A sad smile. A broken one that spoke of heartache.
