“—his assistant. I know it’s not an excuse, but it’s the only explanation I have. I can’t stand it when he does sh— stuff… like that… and it’s only gotten worse over the years.”
“Why don’t you just appropriate them?” Leaning back as I posed my question out loud, I settled into the cushions and swallowed my bite. “Or tell him to take them back if he wants to run them messenger verbatim?”
“I can’t, he needs to sign off on it, and he won’t because he’s a greedy control freak. He won’t take them back, either, citing his health. Honestly, though, I think he gets more stressed about me than he ever did about them. I’m at the point where I am seriously considering just walking away.”
Humming softly, I chewed my bite quickly as Anthony pushed his lasagna around with a deep frown. “I never wanted any of this. I wanted to be in real estate, you know… not tromping around in a $2,000 suit telling people stuff I have no interest in and know very little about.”
“My dad hates me.” My declaration twisted my face into a sneer, and Anthony’s gaze bored into my cheek as I stabbed a chunk of my food with more force than was necessary. “He hates that I was a girl. My parents didn’t know until I was born, but he hoped almost fanatically that I would be a boy. When I wasn’t—and when my three sisters were all sisters and my mom got her tubes tied—he got progressively worse. He’d beat the crap out of me… I mean, there were valid reasons, he never did it just because… but it was never something so bad that he had to go there. Like, I got suspended in 8th grade for punching this girl that pulled Marissa’s hair so hard she took a chunk out, so my dad punched me hard enough to give me a concussion. I lost sight in my right eye and had a black and blue for, like, a month.”
“No one ever called CPS or anything?” Disgust mingled with shock in Anthony’s voice, and I shook my head.
It took me a long time to come to terms with everything my father did to me; not to say that I forgave him, but I didn’t put energy into being angry about it. There was no changing it now, and I wasn’t going to waste years and thousands of dollars of therapy for something I couldn’t change.
“That’s just how it was. I took it because I was afraid that if I didn’t, he’d do more than just scream at my sisters. Looking back on it now, I’m not so ignorant that I don’t recognize that my dad treating me that way was why I work so hard. I got my promotion—real job security—and I never have to put up with anyone just because he can give me something I can’t get myself.”
“… That’s a lot darker than I was expecting?
? You came out so good, you know, Hailey?” Smiling grimly beyond my mouthful, I swallowed roughly with a curt nod and trained my gaze on the television. The weatherwoman was going on about the rest of the week, but I couldn’t really focus on it for more than a few, quick seconds.
“I mean, it’s not worse than what you’re going through. At least my dad only hit me, he didn’t wage psychological warfare on me… which is exactly what your dad is doing, Anthony. If this was ten months ago, I would’ve expected you to tell him to screw himself and appropriate without his consent and force him to take it all back. You know, like, put all that dominating nature of yours to uses that don’t involve ruining my favorite pair of panties or making me lose my voice for two days.” Spewing out the words in an inappropriate attempt to lighten the atmosphere, I tensed when Anthony choked loudly on his bite.
Using some superhuman effort I didn’t know I had to keep my eyes on the television screen, I bristled under my clothes at the absolutely smoldering glare he shot me. “That’s why I never liked D—it always stretches beyond the bedroom, and I don’t want that.”
“You really know how to change the subject, Hailey, jeez…” Rasping his response, Anthony set his plate on the coffee table to face me fully, and I couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer. The intensity I’d first noticed was there in full force, tightening my breasts and causing my abdomen to clench. “I am sorry—I’m sorry your dad treated you like that. I’m sorry I treated you like that. I pr—”
Whatever promise Anthony was about to make stopped short, and his eyes flickered to my chest to widen. Furrowing my brows, I frowned before glancing down, and heat billowed up my neck at the large wet spots that seeped through my shirt. The gravity of the moment was lost as an embarrassed giggle burst from my throat, and he sucked in a sharp breath before jerking his head to the side.
“Do you want to watch?” The question flew from my lips without any thought, and Anthony stiffened as I silently cursed myself. Not like I can take it back, though. “It’s about that time. You gave her a bottle three and a half hours ago, right?”
“Yeah, I did… is… is that normal?” Cautious curiosity laced Anthony’s tone, and I laughed a real laugh. The surprise in his eyes seeped away as they narrowed, a frown dragging down the corners of his mouth. “Forgive me for not having any experience here—I’m not a damn dog, you know.”
“I know—” Waving my hand weakly, I leaned to set my plate on the table and push myself to my bare feet. “I’m sorry. Yes, it is normal. Antonya is only 5 weeks old, so I make a ton more than she actually needs.”
As if on cue, Antonya started whimpering and fussing, and Anthony frown instantly smoothed. Carefully shuffling past him to her car seat, I unbuckled my daughter with steady hands, and pleasant surprise rocked through me when he scooted to the far end of the sofa. Seating myself easily, I held her to my chest before pulling up my shirt and unclasping the specialty bra I’d gotten from Tracy. All the while, Anthony’s eyes never left me, carefully following each movement, until they settled on her when she clamped onto my nipple.
The familiar ache of Antonya’s suckling pulled at my tender flesh, and I winced as I leaned back against the couch cushions. Slowly shuffling closer, Anthony slipped his pinky finger into her little palm, and his rough skin gyrated against my breast in a whisper of a touch.
“She’s so beautiful.” Closing my eyes as drowsiness fogged my mind, I leaned my head back while Anthony’s mumble flowed down the side of my neck. “I wish I was there—I wish I saw how beautiful she was.”
“Marissa videoed the last two hours of my labor. I’ll pull it out for you when I’m done.”
Chapter 12
Anthony
“So… I’ll see you after work, okay?” Holding Antonya to my chest, I nodded firmly as Hailey stood in the doorway of her sister’s house dripping in awkwardness. Reaching to caress Antonya’s head, she smiled before slowly backing out and shutting the door behind her. The tink of her bracelet rang in the silence left in her wake, and I inhaled a deep breath and held it before a shuffling behind me caught my attention.
Kelly was the youngest of the four of them, and she watched me with unbridled curiosity as she quietly folded laundry on the coffee table just beyond the sofa. Clearing my throat roughly, I watched through narrowed eyes as she blushed furiously before opening her mouth.
“Sorry… none of us thought this would ever happen. It’s just… like… how often do you hear about a one-night stand ending like this, you know? You don’t even doubt that she’s yours or anything.”
My brows shot up at that in surprise, and I glanced at the tiny creature in my arms to find her staring dazedly up at me. Antonya’s soft blue, almost grey eyes sparkled, and she gurgled as she sucked on her fist.
This wasn’t the end. It was the beginning.
“It never occurred to me that she might not be mine… so, you know what happened, then?” After everything Hailey revealed to me the night before, I already knew that her bond with her sisters was strong. I wasn’t surprised when Kelly nodded firmly, and I wandered around the couch as she shrugged slightly underneath her thin t-shirt.
There was no fucking way that Antonya wasn’t mine, and I pursed my lips into a thin line even as Kelly’s parted.