“I thought you might be,” she smirks as she blinks up at me.
Twisting my neck, I look back at the pigs for a moment before making a bold proclamation. “You know…I do think they lend a bit of whimsy to the place. I think I’ll keep them. I mean…it’s good for Charlie to be exposed to all types of styles, right?”
Pepper snorts and steps away from me, going to one of the pig flowerpots where she moves the vines and pinches off a few dead flowers. I turn to my other girl and Lucy’s already standing to hand my daughter to me.
“She’s been such a good girl this morning,” she tells me as I settle Charlie into the crook of my arm.
Her eyes widen slightly as she recognizes me—and yes, she does recognize me—and the corners of her tiny little mouth pull slightly upward. More than anything, I can see the smile she bestows me right in her eyes. It’s sort of a light that has come on because she’s happy to see her daddy.
“How’s my little Charlie girl?” I ask her in a singsongy voice as I rub my finger along her chin. She gurgles and the smile fully forms on her mouth.
And fuck…nothing better in this world than having your child smile at you.
I bounce slightly on my feet. “Want to go for a walk, pretty girl? Maybe to the park or a stroll around the ’hood? We’ll ask that other pretty girl playing around with the pink pigs if she wants to go with us, what do you think? Then I’ll have the two prettiest girls in the world flanking me.”
I turn to look at Pepper to see if I’m charming her in any way as I baby talk to my daughter, but she’s not looking at us. Instead, she’s looking at something over my shoulder and the expression on her face puts me instantly on guard.
“Legend,” Pepper says in a warning tone.
I turn quickly around and gape as Lida comes walking from the neighbor’s yard to my left. I don’t for a minute think she was there visiting but rather probably parked her car down the street and cut through.
And she’s not casually meandering our way. She’s stalking with long, purposeful strides—her face twisted in anger.
My instincts go into protection mode and I turn to Pepper, handing her my daughter. I lower my voice to a murmur. “Take Charlie and Lucy inside. Lock the doors and call the police.”
Pepper gives a firm nod and walks swiftly up the steps. Lucy already has the door open for her and they all disappear inside. I hear the snick of the lock as I turn back to face Lida.
She’s pointing her finger at the door. “That’s my daughter and I want to see her.”
There’s no doubt…something has changed within her. She’s still graced with heavenly beauty and an amazing body that makes it hard to believe she had a baby just six weeks ago. She’s got on a pair of tight white pants that hit just at her ankles, high-heeled wedge shoes, and a blue pinstripe button-down shirt that’s cut to fit her torso like a second skin. Her long dark hair, parted down the middle is curled in waves and her makeup is flawless.
But it’s on her face…in the depths of her eyes.
A bit of crazy.
I spread my feet wide and cross my arms over my chest, making myself a wall that she would have to get through to even get to the front door. “You’re not seeing her, Lida. Not like this. You have to go through the proper channels.”
She snarls at me. “I shouldn’t have to do shit to be able to see my child. I’m the one that gave birth to her. We share a bond you couldn’t understand.”
I know I should play it cool. I know I shouldn’t inflame her, but how dare she talk to me about bonds. Charlie just smiled when she recognized me. She has no clue who Lida is.
“I’m pretty sure that bond was broken when you abandoned her,” I say in a dangerously low voice, and I brace for her to attack.
Instead, I’m caught off guard when she sinks to her knees, right beside Pepper’s pig planters. She covers her face with her hands and starts sobbing.
I just stare down at her, not an ounce of pity even sparking within me. Her cries aren’t fake. They’re real, wet, and loud.
When she finally looks up at me, lowering her hands to rest on her thighs, she pleads with me. “Please…Legend. If you ever cared for me, please just let me see her. I won’t stay long. But I feel like a piece of me has been ripped away and it’s so painful.”
Okay…a tiny stab of sympathy hits me dead center in my gut and I feel a little sorry for her.