Page 68 of Forgotten Desires

seventeen

CARSON

“We are not doing this, Jacqueline. Go get Layla.” I remain calm as Jacqueline rages at me. The agreement is that she will not be present when I pick Layla up, but today she felt she didn’t need to adhere to that.

“You’re not going to bring our daughter to your whore! I refuse! You’ll have to kill me before I let her around that slut!”

I count to ten before I open my eyes to look at her. Ironic that the woman who cheated on me more times than I can count is calling Brynn a whore. She wants to bait me, and I remember what Brynn said as we approached and saw that Jacqueline’s car was out front.No matter what, don’t let her get your anger up. Let her rage and let it go. Don’t give her any ammunition against you. Just get Layla and we’ll have a great weekend together.

If she only knew how hard that would be. Listening to my ex-wife talk about Brynn has my anger so high, I can barely see straight.

“I’m happy to contact the police, show them the court documents if you need me to,” I say, forcing myself to remain calm.

“I don’t care what you have, you won’t have Layla this weekend.”

I keep my voice even, using my negotiating skills even though I want to rip her throat out. “Jacqueline, I don’t think you want this kind of press, do you? Not after your brother’s last arrest. It would be a shame for your parents to have to deal with yet another child of theirs out of control.”

Her jaw trembles and I wait. If there’s anything she hates, it’s having her family’s name brought up in the papers in a bad light.

“You can’t do this to me.”

“I’m not doing anything to you.”

Tears fill her eyes. “You married her! You never loved me, I knew that, but then to marry her. You’re not going to take Layla from me, Crew. I won’t let you.”

“That’ll be determined in court, but you and I both know if I call the cops now, I’ll leave here with Layla and you won’t be able to stop it.”

She clenches her fists and starts to move around the room. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you don’t win.”

“I don’t doubt that. Get my daughter and let’s avoid any more trauma for her sake.”

Jacqueline glares at me and then walks out of the room. I stand here, hoping she does the right thing for once. A minute later, Layla comes running into the foyer. “Daddy!”

It’s like I can breathe for the first time since entering this house. “Ladybug.”

I scoop her up in my arms and the nanny comes toward me, a bag in her hand. “I’m sorry, Mr. Knight. There is very little . . . in the bag. I did my best.”

I nod to her. “It’s fine. I’ll get her whatever she needs.”

I have her, I don’t care about anything else.

We exit the house and Layla squeezes my neck. “Did you get married, Daddy?”

“I did.”

She claps my face between her hands. “Can we go to your house now?”

Oh the mind of a four-year-old, always changing gears. “I have a surprise,” I say, as I walk toward the door with her very empty bag.

“You do?”

“We’re going somewhere super fun this weekend. You, me, and Brynn.”

Layla smiles and gasps. “Where?”

“A farm, with lots of animals.”

“I love animals!”

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