Page 109 of Heartstrings & Horizons
I step out onto my porch when I hear a faint giggle to my left. Suddenly, a pair of legs appears from behind my tree. There’s a child on the swing hanging from the old oak tree in my front yard, and I haven’t had a chance to check if it is safeyet. Fuck.
I quietly approach, noting her dark curly hair and wide blue eyes.
“Hey, little one…” I’m not sure how to talk to kids… do I introduce myself? I should probably practice before Paige officially makes me an uncle. Before I can consider the next step, she stops swinging, giving me an assessing stare.
“Hi,” she responds.
“Where’s your mommy or daddy?” I ask the little girl.
“She points across my front yard towards Ivy’s house.”
Of course.The 4-year-old.
“Oh, are you supposed to be out here by yourself?”
“No, but I don't like it when daddy yells at mommy.”
“Ok. Do you want me to stay out here with you for now?”
“Otay.” She doesn’t seem to care one way or the other so I take a seat on the tree stump nearby and she resumes swinging. In the meantime, I pull out my phone and text Paige.
Luca:Hey, Ivy’s little girl is outside in my front yard and I’m not sure what to do.
My phone begins to ring and I don’t hesitate to answer. “What do you mean you don't know what to do?”
“She's by herself. She said her parents were inside fighting. Am I supposed to take her home?”
“Shit, ok. I’m at Rosie’s. I’ll be there in 5.” The line goes quiet for a minute before she speaks again, “He’s dangerous, Luca.”
And suddenly my entire body goes rigid.
True to her word, Paige arrives 5minutes later and the little curly-haired pixie runs into her arms, nearly knocking my very pregnant sister to the ground. “Auntie Paige!”
“Hey, Ry!”
“You good to stay with her?” I ask. She seems to have a rapport with the little girl, and I need to make sure my neighbor is okay. The last thing I want is for Paige to go over there and get mixed up in some kind of domestic dispute.
“Yeah, we’re good,” she says, giving me a subtle nod in the direction of Ivy’s house.
I walk up the front steps of the sage green Victorian-style house and knock on the door. I can hear raised voices inside so when they don’t answer right away, I turn the knob and see that it’s unlocked.
“Fuck you, Ivy. You’re fucking worthless.”
Ivy’s face is red, tears streaming down her cheeks. I take a step into the room, not sure what my intentions are. The floor creaks and Ivy’s eyes meet mine, the man’s head spinning at the intrusion.
“You okay?” I ask, my eyes not leaving Ivy’s.
“Who the fuck are you? Already fucking some new guy? Always knew you were a whore!” He’s shouting way too close to her face for my liking, his finger pointed less than an inch from her cheek.
I don’t think before the words leave my lips. “I’m her fiancé, and you’re going to get the fuck out of her house.” Ivy’s eyes flash in surprise, and I give her a look that tells her to just go along with it for now. We can clear up this mess later. Right now, I just want to make sure she’s safe, and this man is entirely too comfortable intimidating this small woman. She looks to be roughly 5’2” on a good day.
“The fuck I am. It’s my day with my daughter.”
“Austin, I already told you, you aren’t taking Rylin today. I could smell the alcohol on your breath when you walked in, and I’ll be damned if you’re walking out of this house, putting my daughter in danger.”
“If you aren’t willing to leave on your own, I’m sure the police would be more than happy to escort you out.” I threaten. Not saying what I’m really thinking, which is thatI’mmore than willing to force his ass out the door myself.
“Go ahead, call the police,” he says.
