Page 81 of Life After

Okay, Suzanne was going to need more here. How did Jen know this baby but not the father of said baby? “Care to elaborate?” As she looked back at…Dan, he was fixing the blanket covering the baby. He started to walk away, but Suzanne cleared her throat. “Dan?”

“I need to get back. I shouldn’t even be over this side of the town. I just started walking with no destination in mind.”

Jen sighed. “Dan…”

“No. I’m not doing this. I haven’t come here looking for you. I didn’t even believe you when you told me you were living here. Why would I? You’re a fucking ex-con, so you’re probably a liar, too.”

Oh, no. Suzanne wouldn’t haveanyonespeaking to Jen like that. “Excuse me?”

“And you can stay out of it. You don’t even know us.” He snarled at Suzanne, shocking her with the sudden switch in his demeanour. The guy she’d initially met seemed lovely and cared a great deal about his son. But now? Suzanne couldn’t understand the swift change. “What is this? A half-way house? Is she paying you rent?”

“Jen…is my partner.”

“Well, I’d keep your expensive possessions close by. She’ll need to sell them to buy her next bag of drugs.” He scoffed and shook his head, and then that piercing gaze landed on Jen again. “And stop fucking calling Grace to see Toby. Neither of us wantsanythingto do with you.”

Jen’s shoulders slumped when Suzanne looked back at her. “Yeah, I know. You keep saying.”

“Then why can’t you respect that and leave us all alone?”

Suzanne held up a hand. “Correct me if I’m wrong, butyouchose to walk past this house. No matter what Jen did or didn’t do in the past, it doesn’t give you the right to speak to her like that, nor does it give you the right to throw your weight around by using your child against her.”

“Who the fuck asked you?” Dan looked Suzanne up and down. “You’re old enough to be her mother.”

“Such a charming father, aren’t you?” Suzanne wrapped an arm around Jen’s waist. “I hope to God your beautiful little boy doesn’t grow up with an attitude to match yours.”

“Beats him growing up with someone likethatin his life.” He glared at Jen, disgust written all over his face. “Maybe I’ll find out who to call. You know, explain that you’re harassing us and trying to gain access to a child.”

Suzanne felt rage building from deep within her, but she would never cause a scene in the street. Especially not with a child present. “I suggestyouwalk away beforeIcall the relevant people to tell themyouare the one harassing Jen.”

Dan snorted. “Whatever. The pair of you can go fuck yourselves.”

Jen turned and walked away, and Suzanne heard the sniffle as she did so. Jen was her priority, she always would be, but Suzanne would make sure Dan knew that Suzanne was firmly in her life—and she wouldn’t take shit fromanyonewho tried to hurt Jen.

She stepped closer to him and smiled. “Once I’ve spoken to Jen, I’ll be making it my mission to see that she has access to her nephew. You may get away with your bully behaviour around other people, but I’m not other people, Dan.”

“And what do you think you can do about it?”

“Let’s just say that I have a lot of friends in high places. Places you’ll wish I didn’t have those friends.” She cocked her head. “Maybe you should go home and think about that before you ruin it not only for everyone else but for yourself, too.”

“I-is that a threat?”

Suzanne calmly took a step back and regarded Dan with a dazzling smile. “No, Dan. It’s a promise.”

She turned and walked back up the path, leaving the bucket of water next to her car as she rushed inside the house to find Jen. She didn’t imagine her girlfriend would be feeling great right now, but it was important to Suzanne that Jen knew she had her support. It had been lacking from most people since Jen’s release, but Suzannewashere for her. Anything she could do to make things better, she would.

“Jen?” She entered the kitchen, sighing when she found Jen braced against the counter. “Baby, are you okay?”

Jen didn’t respond. She just turned and wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks while her bottom lip quivered.

“Come here.” Suzanne opened her arms to Jen, holding her close the moment Jen fell into them. She soothed a hand up and down Jen’s back, kissing the top of her head. “Don’t listen to a word he says. He’s a disgusting human being.”

“Is he, though?” Jen asked, her face buried in Suzanne’s chest. “He’s looking after his family. That’s all.”

“By denying you access to your nephew? That’s not looking after his family. That’s being a prick who thinks he can lord himself over people.”

Jen drew back and shook her head. “I don’t think I have the fight in me anymore, Suzanne. I just…I feel so drained by it all.”

Suzanne reached out and brushed her knuckles gently against Jen’s cheek. “I’ll put the kettle on. You go and make yourself comfortable in the living room, and I’ll be right there, okay?”

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