Heaven help him if Jessa gives birth to a boy, though that reminds me …
“Did you want to stop in and check on Jessa?” I ask. “Make sure she’s not drowning in a pool of her own vomit or seeing how many shitty situations she can put herself into?”
Bull is silent for a moment as he thinks it over before shaking his head. “Nah,” he says. “Chief had it sorted. He would have made sure she was sober and then took her home and waited outside her apartment until she was asleep. He wouldn’t have left if he thought she was going to be more of a threat to the baby.”
“Okay,” I smile, reaching across and taking his hand, feeling satisfied with his response.
We get home with just a few minutes to spare before the girls are due to arrive. I’m walking through the door with Bull right behind me when Bryce’s beat-up piece of shit car pulls into my drive.
It’s irrational, but I can’t help the scowl that crosses my face. I should be a little more adult about it, but I just can’t help it, not after the shit he’s constantly putting me through. “Is that him?” Bull questions in distaste as we stop by the front door.
“Yep,” I say under my breath, not wanting to be caught talking about him by the devil himself.
Bull’s arm slips around my waist before giving it a gentle squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” I say. “I just want to get this over and done with so we can enjoy the rest of our day.”
“Fair enough.” Bull releases me as Bryce steps out of his car and glares across at the two of us while walking around to get the girls out. “Jesus,” Bull murmurs with a smirk. “He even dresses like a douche.”
I hold back a laugh as I look over Bryce. He has a pair of jeans that are way too tight and rolled up at his ankles. There’s a button-down shirt with the top three buttons undone, showing off his unsculptured chest. A gold cross chain hangs low on his chest despite him not believing in God, while a sickly colored pair of suede slip-on shoes have my eyes bleeding.
Bull is right. Bryce does look like a douche. All he needs is an open cardigan to go with it, a fake Rolex, and a pair of shades, and he’ll be the perfect imposter.
Coby is lifted out of the car and upon seeing Bull and me, begins running as Bryce makes his way around to get Ryan. By the time Coby gets anywhere close, Ryan is already hitting the ground running.
Coby grins up at Bull with her arms stretched out wide. “Daddy,” she beams, reaching up for him.
Bull freezes. Bryce’s head snaps up from the trunk of his car, and my eyes swivel down to Coby. Surely I must have heard that wrong. Did she just call Bull her daddy? And if she did, why the hell does it feel so good?
Not wanting to disappoint my little girl, Bull rolls with it and scoops her into his arms, giving her a big, warm, welcome home hug. Ryan comes barreling into the bottom of my legs, nearly knocking me off balance as she holds on tight, leaving me wondering what kind of time they had.
Bryce grabs the girls’ overnight bags and practically storms toward us, throwing their bags down on the grass. “Who the fuck is this?” he demands, looking Bull up and down.
“It’s Bull,” Ryan cheers as Coby pulls Bull in tighter and says, “My daddy.”
Well, shit. This isn’t going to go well.
“Excuse me?” Bryce says, turning his ferocious glare on me, anger radiating out of him as his face turns a furious shade of red. “You’ve been teaching my kid to call this dick ‘daddy?’ ”
“Relax,” I tell him, irritated with his dramatics. “It’s the first time she’s ever said it. Stop acting as if the world is out to get you. Though, maybe if you were more present in her life, she wouldn’t feel so confused about it.”
“That’s fucking bullshit,” he snaps, looking Bull up and down again before turning his eyes back on me. “Whatever is going on here needs to end. I don’t want this dick around my kids any longer.”
I hold back a frustrated groan as I resist rolling my eyes. “Really?” I say, choking back a laugh. “In what world would I ever dump my incredible boyfriend because of your insecure ass? Bull is twice the father to Ryan and Coby than you’ve ever been, and besides, when I told you to keep my girls away from your bitch of a girlfriend, your response was to move her into your home, so get fucked, Bryce. You can deal with it because Bull isn’t going anywhere.”