Page 23 of Fiend
“As if you could tell her no, Vincent.”
“That doesn’t include you. I love telling you no, baby doll.”
“I think you like it even better when I fight you over it than the actual denial of anything I want.” She rolls her eyes at me.
I laugh, and it feels so fucking good. “I always have.”
TEN
VINCENT
“It wasn’tJax’s fault, Vincent.” She won’t fucking stop arguing with me. Stubborn fucking brat.
“He was supposed to take care of you, Essa,” I growl.
“No, Vin.Youwere.” She matches me with a glare of her own, and I bite back my rebuke. Because, fuck me, she’s right. It’s been my job since I stole her away from her piece of shit parents—though back then, it felt like anything but.
I fucking failed her. Again.
“Fucking stop. I didn’t say that to hurt you. I only said it because, one, it’s true. But also because you need to get over your anger at Jax. Leo told me what you did in the waiting room. Which wasbullshit,might I add.”
I’m standing next to the window, staring out at the rain pelting down, but one specific thing she said amongst the bite of her words has me spinning around to face her.
“Leo.” That’s all I say, but that’s all thatneedsto be said. “Of course, he fucking told you,” I grumble. “Heaven fucking forbid he keeps his mouth shut about anything.”
“Oh, you mean why the fuck you left me to begin with?”
I didn’t leave you, baby.
“So what would you rather me do, Essa? Fucking let him get away with it? With everything he fucking did?!” I’m losing my cool, and I know it. But goddamnit, how does she not seewhy?Aftereverything?
“Of fucking course not!” she whisper-yells, glancing down at Poppy before glaring back up at me in silent warning to keep my voice down, I’m sure. I want to be pissed at her, but—goddamn. How the fuck does she look so venomous while holding a baby to her boob?
Her steely gaze is locked on me, and her mouth is set in a thin line. The fingers on her left hand brush back and forth across the back of Poppy’s head as she suckles at her breast.
She shouldn’t look so fucking hot right now, but I can’t help the twitch in my cock at the sight.She’s already such a good mother, just like I always knew she would be.
“It was dangerous, Vincent. What if you had gotten caught, huh? What the fuck would I have done then?”
“We share bank accounts, Ess. You and Poppy would be well off for the rest of your lives.” Her eyes bulge with shock before narrowing into green slits.
“I’m not talking about fucking money! You made the decision to leave. To go after… that man. And when you did that, you decided you were okay with possibly leaving me alone. Both of us.” She glances down at Poppy once more, and I’m forced to stare my decision in the face.
Fact of the matter is, she’s not exactly wrong—at least, not from her point of view. I didn’t think of it in that way, but that’s how it would’ve happened. She would’ve felt abandoned if something did go wrong. But I alsoneedher to understand my side of this.
“Essa, baby. I—Fuck.” I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands as I try to figure out the right way to word this. “I did it because of you. Fuckingforyou. He took your sister from you, baby doll. He took a part of you. A part of us. I couldn’t let him get away with that.” I chance a glance at her, only to find tears swimming in her eyes, every ounce of anger gone without a trace.
“Baby doll.” I’m over to her in two long strides. I gingerly take a seat next to her on the narrow hospital bed and wrap her in my arms, careful not to jostle Poppy as she eats. I run my fingers through Essa’s dark strands as she cries into me. I take all of her pain, like I always have and will continue to do for as long as I’m breathing.
Eventually, her tears dry, and her silent sobs dissipate. She lifts her head from the comfort of my chest and back is my fierce fucking girl.
“I understand.”
Those two words coming from her have me pulling Essa’s lips to mine and claiming her. Raw and hungry and so fucking loved.
I didn’t realize until this very moment that all I needed was her acceptance. Probably should’ve just asked her in the first place, but even admitting that out loud would mean Leo was right, and I can’t have that fuck rubbing it in my face for any amount of time. And I already know he would never let me live that shit down.
I pull away from her when Poppy lets out a few grunts. I look down at her to find her staring back at me with dark blue eyes and cute, chubby little cheeks. “She looks like you.”
