“You,” I said, keeping my voice void of emotion, which was almost impossible to do, when her words were slitting my battered heart open.
Rachel gawked at me, clearly surprised that I didn’t take her bait.
“How astute of you,” she mused, recovering from her momentary speechlessness. “I had wondered if you’d come to your senses.”
“What do you mean ‘come to my senses’?” I asked, mentally kicking myself for buying into her toxic game.
Curiosity killed the cat.
“I had wondered, whether or not your little detox stint, had helped you rethink your fantasy of a happy ever after with Kyle.”
I gaped at her. “My little detox stint? You can’t seriously consider what I went through, a detox stint?”
Rachel smiled darkly. “Oh, that’s exactly what I consider what you went through. But apparently, it only half worked, considering you’re still pregnant. I am disappointed that everything wasn’t flushed out. That is what a detox involves isn’t it, ridding the body of trash?”
My whole body shook to the core.
“You are one fucked up human being,” I spat, fighting back the tears. “You are the most heartless, spiteful, vindictive person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. But believe it or not, as much as I hate you, and believe me, Rachel, I loathe you; I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on you or anyone else.”
I pushed past her to the hall, needing to get the hell away before I did something stupid.
Grabbing my arm, Rachel yanked me back towards her, and I had a moment of pure fear for my baby.
“If it weren’t for you, Kyle and I would still be together. But you had to go and fucking ruin everything,” Rachel snarled, digging her fingers into my arm. “He is mine, he doesn’t belong to you. Keep your gold-digging fingers off of him, you little, fucking whore.”
Jerking my arm free, I backed up a step closer to the door, shaking my head.
“He doesn’t belong to anyone. Kyle is his own person and you are hardly in a position to call me a gold-digger, you freak,” I shouted as I ran for the front door.
“Give up now, Delia. If you fight me on this, you will lose,” Rachel threatened.
I opened the front door and stepped outside.
“Goodbye, Rachel. I’d say have a nice life, but actually, I hope it’s a fucking disaster,” I said, before slamming the door.
*****
Kyle
I decided to make a new plan. The last plan I had made sucked ass. Well, making good decisions and choices was never one of my fortitudes.
Those qualities belonged to the calm, rational members of society. No, my strong points went hand in hand with my flaws.
I had a temper, but I liked to think of it as being passionate, that was never going to change.
I was hot-headed, loud, and fucking stupid as hell sometimes, all things I couldn’t change.
But I could change one thing. I could open up. Let her in. Show her my vulnerability. She’d be the only one.
Yeah, that was my new plan. Fuck, I hoped it worked.
But I couldn’t sit at home all morning waiting for Lee to wake up. I’d been up since seven, waiting on her to get up, so we could talk, but Cam and Derek’s incessant bickering had driven me outside.
I’d had to get out of my house for a while, walk, fucking run, anything to clear my head of their drama and steel myself for the battle of all battles.
I was going to win Lee back, starting today. No doubt.
“Come on dude.” I glared at Lee’s brown Labrador that I was becoming fond of. Bruno cocked his leg for what had to be the fortieth time in an hour.
Jesus, when I got things settled with Lee, I was going to get him checked out. There was nothing normal, about the amount that dog pissed.
I turned onto our street, slowed down by the arthritic crawl of Bruno. I’d walked her dog more times in the past six weeks than I could remember. Sad, I know, but by walking Bruno, I felt like I was doing something for Lee.
Something was better than nothing. It fucking hurt that she didn’t want me near her.
Well, she’d had her time. I’d given her the space she wanted; now it was time to fix this shit.
Approaching the house, my eyes zoomed in on the red Porsche parked on the road, outside of my driveway.
No fucking way.
I quickened my step, practically running to the front door. Bruno must have sensed the danger because he galloped at a speed I hadn’t thought him capable.
I’d never used physical violence on a female before, but this particular one, was fucking pushing me.
The door opened just as I reached it and there she stood. “What the fu-”
Rachel grabbed the lapels of my jacket and pulling me towards her, she planted her lips on mine.