Fuck me, I think as I release his shirt.
“You must be Bella’s father.”
He pushes his forearm into my chest, his glare intensifying.
“I think you’ve got the wrong impression, and I also think you better take your hands off me before I decide to fight back, and that won’t be good for either one of us.”
“You feeling froggy, boy? Jump.”
“Jase!” A woman with blonde hair gets between us.
“Not now, C. I’m kind of busy.”
“I will wring your neck if you don’t let the young man go, Steel.”
His head takes a hard left as he looks at her like she’s nuts. “Don’t pull this now.”
“I can fight, Jase. I can fight and scratch and—”
“Baby, you didn’t even bring your vagina hat, so simmer down and let me take care of this shit.”
“I don’t need a vagina hat; I have a crown and stilettos.” She glares back at him, and he smiles at her. She shakes her head as she tries not to smile. “Let go of him and go say hi to your daughter.”
He’s loosened up enough that I quickly slide out from under him and past three other sets of glaring eyes.
“Everything good in here?” Maze pops his head in.
“Everything’s good.” I nod as I try to block his view of the shitstorm beyond me.
“You wanna go with us? I paid for extra. Whatever extra is,” Grimm says from behind Maze.
“Dude, no one wants to share a hooker with you, Grimm.” Ranger laughs. “She’s all yours, stud.”
Ranger attempts to walk past me, but I block him.
“Oh yeah, you with the good intentions, taking blazed Bella back to her room.”
“Bella, you got water in here? Cottonmouth is killing me right now.” Axel stands toe-to-toe with me. “Dude, you do not want to stand between me and water right now. I will throw down.”
“Lots of water in here,” another woman’s voice says from behind me. “Come on in; we’d love to meet y’all.”
“Well, baby doll, we’d love to be met.” Ranger grins over my shoulder at her. “Hey y’all, I’m Ranger.”
“Baby doll has an angry daddy, Ranger dick; you may want to show some fucking respect.”
“Zandor,” she scolds.
“Kitten,” he says softly but with command, “not now. I’m full of my twenty-year-old’s testosterone and the top floor’s pretty fucking far away.”
Another woman giggles. “Oh, come on. They’re Bella’s friends.” She ducks under my arm.
“Birdy,” another voice warns.
“I’m Tara.” She sticks her hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
“You hear that, boys?” Another male laughs. “That’s the sound of your balls being deflated when you find one worth keeping.”
“Nice, Xavier.” Yet another woman laughs.
I look back as the redhead high-fives who I now know is Xavier.
“I have a good idea.” Bella finally decides to show up. “How about we watch The Wizard of Oz again? I really like that movie.”
Axel, Maze, Ranger, and Grimm all say, “We know; it’s your favorite.”
I step back, and they all pile in.
I look over as Bella gives her father a smile. “Daddy, this is Axel, Maze, Grimm, Ranger, and Tags. Guys, this is my dad, Momma Carly, Cyrus, Tara, Zandor, Bekah, Xavier, and Taelyn, my aunts and uncles.”
She looks back at Jase. “Dad, I’m high as fuck, so if this is you and not a hallucination caused by canna-bears, you’re gonna have to excuse me while I drink a gallon of water and fall asleep for a while.”
Jase looks at me and points. “You care to explain?”
My phone vibrates in my pocket. “Sure. After I talk to my daughter.”
As I’m walking out, I hear Maze say, “It’s actually a pretty funny story.”
“Yeah? You think my daughter being high is fucking funny, man?”
Bella yawns. “Imaginary Daddy, be nice to him; he’s Forever Steel.”
“Do I look imaginary, Isabella?” he snaps.
“I sure hope so because, if not, you’re going to be so pissed at me.”
“Bella …” Jase groans.
When she doesn’t answer, I assume she’s passed out.
Lucky girl.
I step out into the hallway and look at the phone. She doesn’t normally FaceTime at night. I hit accept.
“Hey, baby girl. What color’s the sky?”
“Pink and yellow.”
“Pink and yellow, huh?”
“What color’s yours?” she asks.
I look up. “I’m inside, but remember, we have a time difference now.”
She nods. “How many more sleeps?”
I hold up two fingers, and she grins.
“You sleepy, baby girl?”
She nods and rubs her eyes.
“Time to put the moon to sleep?”
“Then send it to you?”
“You’re in charge of the moon, Luna. You tell me.”
“The moon’s tired.”
“Then the moon should go to sleep.”
“You going to sleep?”
“As soon as the moon gets here.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you, too, Luna. Give the old lady a hug goodnight.”
“Face phone in the morning?”
“Every morning till I see you again.”
“I get a puppy when we win.” She yawns.
“Yeah, baby girl, you get a puppy when we win. Love you, Luna.”
“Love you, Daddy.” She leans in and looks closer at me. “Hey, Daddy, who’s the pretty lady?”
I look behind me as Carly waves.
“A friend, Luna.”
“She gonna be my mommy?”
Carly laughs. “Sweet girl, I am too old to be your mommy.”
Luna sighs and frowns. “Well, okay.”
“When you get one, she’s sure gonna be a lucky woman.”
Luna’s face lights up. “Well, I hope I get a puppy first.”
Carly laughs. “Yeah?”
Luna grins. “A big, fluffy one.”
“I’m sure all your dreams will come true.” She holds up an ice bucket. “It was nice chatting with you, Luna. I have to go get some water. My little girl is thirsty.”
“What’s her name?”
Carly looks at me then back at Luna. “Her name is Bella.”
“Like on the movie with the beast?”
“But a little more real.”
Twenty
Meet the Family
Tags
I end the call with my girl and see Carly leaning against the wall across the hall.
“You need help getting ice?”
She nods, pushes herself off the wall, and says, “Sure.”
“It’s just down here,” I say as I walk toward her and take the ice bucket. “How’s Isabella?”
“Well”—she half-laughs—“she’s either passed out or pretending to be.”