“You’re into her?” Delilah gasps. “What the hell do you mean you’re into her?”
“It means—” Hugh leans in close “—I fuckin’ want her, Delilah.”
Oh.
Shit.
The way he’s treating her tells me something went down with the two of them last night, because they’re both tense, on edge, and he’s being a real dick which must mean I’m missing part of this story. The way he just spoke to her then confirms that. Oh boy, why do I have to get stuck between all the drama?
Yikes.
“Excuse me?” Delilah whisper hisses. “You can’t be fucking serious.”
Oh my, I can’t say I’ve heard Delilah swear much.
Hugh grunts, crossing his arms. “Oh, I’m serious.”
“You never even gave me a chance, and now I know why! You’re a piece of shit, Hugh. A horrible person. I wish I never met you.”
Delilah loses it, screaming the last part.
I take a step back.
“I gave you a fuckin’ chance, I let you and your family walk all over me and treat me like I had a god damned disease just to try and make it work. You and I were never goin’ to fit together, Delilah. Don’t act like you’re shocked, you can’t fuckin’ stand me. You just liked the idea of havin’ some control.”
“If I couldn’t stand you, I wouldn’t have bothered, Hugh. I wanted to make it work for Starla, but you’ve let her down just like you’ve let me down. You don’t deserve her. Everybody was right about you.”
Oh. Shit.
“The only person lettin’ her down is you and your stuck-up fuckin’ bitch of an attitude. How many times was I the one to step up for her because you had better things to do? She has a closer bond with Maggie than you. Better watch your fuckin’ mouth, you’re takin’ on the wrong person.”
“Okay, okay,” I say, putting up my hands. “Now isn’t the time, guys. You need to calm down.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down,” Delilah screams.
Right.
This is going exceptionally well.
Shit is about to hit the fan.
14
I sit outside, waiting for the fire to stop raging inside, but so far, it hasn’t.
Delilah and Hugh have been screaming and yelling all morning and the second her friends and her mom got involved, shit just got worse. They’re ganging up on him, and I hate it. I hate it because he doesn’t deserve to be standing there copping it from everyone around him. He has the right for it to be done in private.
As for me, I’ve been sitting with Star all morning, getting glared at, hissed at, and generally treated like pond scum by everyone that walks past. Including Delilah’s family. They all think I’m some whore now, someone who swooped in and took Delilah’s man, but that’s so far from the truth. Of course, there is no point in me trying to explain myself, people like them only believe what they want.
So, I sit here and do my own thing because there is really no point in doing anything else. I need them to take me home, and I have no idea if I’ve got a job still, so for now, I’m stuck here waiting for them to decide my future.
What a wonderful feeling.
Hugh comes storming out just as I’m about to get up and walk on the beach. He looks angry, his fists clenched, his face red, his entire body trembling. “Get Star’s stuff and put her in the car, we’re goin’.”
Oh. Wait, what?
“Star?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. “We’re taking Star.”
“Fuckin’ yes we’re takin’ Star. That bitch is not goin’ to take my daughter away from me, she’s already threatenin’ to and if she so much as tries, I’ll bury her.”
Okay, things are way too heated.
If Hugh takes Star, he’ll risk his chances of getting any sort of custody over her and I’m not going to let him do that. Delilah will simply call the police the second he does. I carefully stand and look up at him. “Do you trust me?”
“Yeah of course I do, what’s that got to do with anything?”
“Because you’re going to leave Star here.”
“No the fuck I’m not.”
“Hugh, yes, you are. I know you’re angry and you don’t want to, but I’ve seen this situation more than once doing this job. If you take Star against Delilah’s wishes, she’ll call the police and it’ll go on your record. Then, when you go to file for custody of some sort, it’ll be used against you. I don’t want that for you. So, if you care about having her in the future, you need to leave her here.”
He stares at me, his jaw so tense the muscles are bulging out the sides of his face. He looks down at Star, and then back to me. “She is goin’ to take her from me.”
“She can’t.”
“I’m a biker, she’s rich, she can.”
“Delilah is a lot of things, but she’s angry right now and I don’t think she will hurt her daughter like that. Let her calm down and go from there.”
Delilah comes charging out the door. “You’re not taking her.”
“Delilah,” I say. “Stop. He’s not going to take Star, he’s not a monster, but she is his daughter and when things calm down, he will want to see her. I know you’re angry, and I know you’re upset, but I also know how much you love that little girl and you’re not a heartless bitch who will keep her from her father. I know that, which is why I’ve convinced him to leave her here.”
Delilah looks almost stunned at my words, but my tactic works. “Of course I’m not a monster,” she whispers.
“I know you’re not. I’ll gather all Star’s things for you, so you know where they are. Then, I’ll leave with Hugh. I understand you no longer want me to work for you, but I need you to know I never betrayed you.”
I think I’m really throwing her, because her eyes dart between Hugh and me. “Well, I don’t ... I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I might still need you ... I just ...”
“It’s okay,” I say, giving her a small smile. “It’ll be okay. I’ll get her things.”
I gather all Star’s stuff and then kiss the little girl goodbye, hopefully only for a little while. Then, I get into Hugh’s truck and we drive out of there, not once looking back at the group of people all staring at us, no doubt with plenty to say.
“Where’d you learn to be so fuckin’ clever with your words?” Hugh asks as we drive out.
“I have a way with people, I learned it from my mom. Someone like her, when they’re that angry, those kinds of tactics tend to work well.”
“You’re fuckin’ too smart, Maggie.”
I laugh. “Yeah, maybe.”
He glances at me.
I smile at him.
I guess this is it.
We’re both finally free.
What now?
“YOU’RE GOING TO FUCK him, right?” Ramona says, eyes wide.
I laugh and swat her with my hand. “Don’t be silly.”
“Girl, I’m not.” She shakes her head. “If you don’t climb on that dick and take him for the ride of his life, you’d be insane. He’s free. You’re free. The tension is huge. Get on there, lady.”