Wrapping the towel around my waist, not sure why I bother, I’ll be making sure I take her one more time before we head back. When I open the door, her hand rests on the knob of the bedroom door, already dressed.
She holds up the picture of my daughter. “Who is this?” she demands. I’m thrown slightly, since I told her about the baby already. Not sure why she’s surprised, but I should have shown her already. So she knew everything, especially since we’ve been through so much. She didn’t need to be caught off guard. But her mannerisms scream it’s something else, especially when she starts really yelling at me. I’m trying to answer her, but she keeps screaming.
“You bastard,” she yells. “How could you? I fucking believed you loved me. You manipulative asshole.” Then flees the room.
I bolt to the door, but when I get out the hallway everybody’s fucking there. Brady is the closest, and I’m practically begging him with my eyes to keep her there.
“No, I’m not. Your roommate is a fucking prick, who uses people’s hearts to gain what he wants.” I’m struck dumb. I don’t know why she’s reacting this way.
“Did you all know?” She calls out to all them, their just as confused faces as mine. I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about. “Can you take me home?” she asks Sadie. Oh, hell no. There’s no way she’s going anywhere without telling me something.
She begins to walk down the steps, but stops and points her finger at me. “Stay the hell away from her. Do you understand me?”
I begin to argue, but she continues her rant not even paying attention to me.
“Do you get some sick twisted pleasure on tormenting me? All these months, all the lies. How could you do this to me?” Her eyes overflowing with tears, spilling down her cheeks. “I knew it. I knew there was a reason you pursued me the way you did.” Shit, we’re back to this again. When will she ever understand what she is to me?
She can’t leave without answering me. “Kailey! Talk to me, I don’t understand? Why are you so mad I didn’t show you the picture?”
“Did you think the situation was your opening, and I was your golden ticket? If you think you’re going to get her now because Jen and Caden are dead, you’re mistaken. I’ll fight you till my last breath. Do you understand me?” There goes those unblinking eyes, like small laser beams into mine.
My patience beginning to falter, I scream. “Who the hell are you talking about?”
“Chloe. You gave her up, Trey! Using her mother’s illness to sneak into her life through her aunt’s weakness isn’t going to get her.” I heard nothing but Chloe. Then the realization of what she’s talking about sinks in; Chloe’s the one in the picture. Chloe is my daughter. I want to drop to my knees and weep. What? How? No? Questions race through my mind, small questions bubbling around. “Don’t contact us, and don’t come around.” She runs down the stairs, and Sadie’s mouth is completely open in astonishment. She escapes the house, and I hop over the railing onto the stairs.
“Crap, someone get him clothes. I’ll grab his keys.” Brady hollers behind me.
I catch up to her as Sadie’s about to get in on the driver’s side. She quickly comes up to me, placing her hand on my chest. Ignoring she’s even there, I keep my sights on her. Kailey will not do this to me...to us. Soon Dex’s hand replaces Sadie’s, but his strength has nothing on my adrenaline.
I pound my hand against the glass, pleading with her to listen to me. Sadie continues to back out as the guys pull me back. Rob tosses a pair of jeans and t-shirt at me. I throw off the towel, tossing it to the ground.
“Fuck, man, Mrs. Fletcher doesn’t need a show of your bare ass,” Dex sarcastically remarks.
Ignoring him, I grab my keys that Brady’s dangling in front of me and run to my car. I’m half way down the block when I realize Brady’s in the passenger seat.
“What the hell is going on? What is all this about Chloe?” he asks as I weave in and out of traffic, zooming through lights. Barely stopping at the stop signs, I attempt to answer.
“From what I gather from Kailey’s reaction, Chloe is my daughter I gave up when I was in high school.”
“You had a child?” Brady questions.
“Have,” I clearly state.
“Yeah, that’s what I meant. It’s Chloe? Did you know?”
I take a second to glare at him, and he holds up his hand backing up.
“Does it look like I fucking knew?”
“It’s just an odd coincidence, don’t you think?” Brady mentions, and I can’t help but agree with him.
“Closed adoption. Neither of us knew anything about each other. The parents sent the picture to the agency, who gave it to me.” I admit way more than I want to, but he’s the only one asking.
“You never said anything?”
“What am I supposed to say? Yeah, I knocked up my girlfriend and gave up my kid,” I sarcastically comment, swerving the car around a bend.
“We’re your friends. You knew about my family,” he mentions. It’s not like he could hide that as easily as I could.
“Sorry,” I say, half-heartedly. Mostly because I want to get to her, explain I had no idea.
Just as I make the final turn, my tires squeal, and I skid to a stop before running out of the car.
Brady says something, but I don’t hear it because I only care about Kailey. She’s just up to the steps to the porch when I grab her wrist. “Kailey, listen to me,” I beg.
“NO! Get the fuck out of here,” she screams again.
Having no shame, I get down on his knees, pleading with her. “Just listen to me god damn it!” I yell back. Uncle Clyde comes out to see what the commotion is. Sadie and Brady stand by the car, confused and shocked by what’s unfolding in front of their eyes, most likely sharing the stories between the car rides.
“You gave her up once, you’ll do it again. How could you think this would be good for her? Hasn’t she lost enough? We’re better without you. She is better off without you. The best thing you did was give up being a part of her life. She doesn’t need to know her birth father was such a selfish, manipulative bastard. Just leave,” Her words are like a cut to the wrist. Sharp and deliberate.
She breaks me when I watch her back disappear into the house. My body shutters with the sound of the door slamming, shattering my insides and I crumple to the ground, tears escaping out.
Brady and Sadie rush over when Clyde pulls me to my feet. “Tell me what’s going on?” His authoritative voice doesn’t scare me anymore. Actually only one thing scares me right now and it’s that my future is over.
We all enter the house, and the kids look at me questioning what exactly is going on. I want to wrap my arms around Chloe and pull her close. The urge to tell her I’m her dad is so great, I have to turn my head from staring at her. “We’ll take the kids to the park,” Sadie says, shuffling around for their shoes.
“Come on, guys, who can beat Brady to the slide,” Brady adds, trying to appear enthusiastic.
“Thank you,” Aunt Holly tells them as they’re walking out the door.
Clyde takes me into the kitchen, sitting me at the table. “Start from the beginning.” His no nonsense voice demands. Holly pours me some lemonade, although my body is craving Jack right about now. With shaky hands I bring it up to my mouth, trying to moisten the dryness of my throat. Holly places her hand on arm, telling me to calm down. She won’t be saying that in a second.
“When I was seventeen, I got my girlfriend pregnant,” I admit. Shit, I feel like I’m at a damn AA meeting between Brady and now them. “My girlfriend and I gave her up for adoption.”