“Where?” I strain to look for shooting stars, but I can’t see anything.
“Ah, you have to know where to look. And it’s not dark enough in the city. One day I’ll take you somewhere dark and I’ll show you everything.” He sits up, me still clinging to him, and stands.
“I’d like that,” I say as he walks us inside and deposits me in front of the bathroom.
“Clean up.”
I go into the bathroom and wash, thinking about how close I feel to Mateo right now. I met him three days ago. How is that possible?
“Hey,” he says, knocking at the door before opening it. “Here’s your clothes.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking them from his hands. He holds on to them for an extra second and my eyes meet his. Something passes between us at that moment. I’m not sure what it is, but it feels… intimate.
And then he lets go and closes the door.
I put my clothes back on and walk back to the kitchen. His lasagna smells awesome, but I have to go before Jason gets pissed. So I gather my book and papers as he watches and then stand there, unsure what to say.
He nods to the backpack over my shoulder. “Memorize everything you wrote down today. There will be a quiz tomorrow.” He comes over, wraps an arm around my waist, and pulls me in for a parting kiss. “And stay away from Danny Alexander, Shannon. I mean it.”
“I know.” I shoot him an annoyed look and walk out the back door.
When I get home, Jason is looking out the front window like he’s been waiting for me.
“Hey,” I say.
“Fucking finally. I told you to be here by six so I can work.”
“You never said six.” I stop by little Olivia’s swing and bend down, but she’s fast asleep. “You asked me to help watch her in the evenings. Fine. But I have night school every day. So I’ll come home when I’m done. And if you think I’m giving up my weekends—”
“Giving up?” he sneers. “She’s your fucking niece.”
“Right. But I’m eighteen, Jason. I’m too young to be her mother. You’re her father and I’m sorry you got mixed up with my sister—”
“Watch your fucking mouth.” He cuts me off. “You’re not going to talk about Jill like that now that she’s dead.”
“Talk about her?” I scoff. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you knew her? Well, you didn’t. She took an engagement ring from the last guy too, you know. And the one before that and the one before that. So don’t go thinking you’re special—”
He’s across the apartment and slapping my face before I can even finish my sentence. “Fuck you,” he says, grabbing my hair and pulling me towards him. “Fuck you.”
“You’re gonna regret that,” I say, pushing him hard in the chest. He lets go of my hair and turns away. “You’re gonna fucking regret that.”
“No tears this time? No running off to slut around with Phil’s piece-of-shit cousin?”
“You know what, you can find another babysitter. I don’t need to stay here and if you think I’m going to let you raise her with that temper, you’re wrong.”
“What are you going to do about it?” He turns back, eyes blazing. “You just said yourself, I’m her father. You’re no one to her. I can walk out of here with her tonight and you’ll never see her again.”
“Did you ever ask yourself,” I say, my voice low and filled with venom, “how many men Jill was sleeping with while she was with you?”
“Liar,” he says. “Liar.” But he knows it’s not a lie. I can see it in his eyes.
“You’re not even on the birth certificate because you two weren’t married when Olivia was born.”
“You little fucking liar.”
“So maybe I’m the only family Olivia has. And maybe you’re the one who’s nobody?”
He turns around, grabs his keys and his jacket, and slams the door behind him as he leaves.
I palm my cheek as I check on Olivia. It stings, but it’s nothing like the last blow. I really do need to get out of here. And telling Jason that shit about Jill was not the best way to handle things. What if he starts believing that? What if he never comes home and I am the only one left in this world who cares about Olivia? How the fuck would I take care of an infant?
No, it was definitely not a good idea to plant that thought in his head.
A knock at the slider makes me jump.
Mateo is staring back at me from the other side of the glass. Fuck, I hope he didn’t just see that.
“Hey,” I say, opening the door. He’s holding a brown bag in his hands, looking strangely at me. “What?”