“Hey, Ash, you know I don’t give a fuck what you do, but we’re a team when it comes to our kids. When I’m off the phone, google that shit. Put Harper’s name in the search. Her name is more likely to bring up the footage used by the police when they showed up and dragged our daughter and Harper to the thirteenth precinct last night, harassing them.”
“She was arrested because of Harper!”
“I’m so fucking glad I’m not in front of you right now, Ash. I swear to God, I have never wanted to slap the stupid out of a woman more than I do you right now.”
“That’s enough, Links!” Robby screams, and straight-up sounds like a bitch.
“Fuck you. Ash, politicians are worms. Why not ask him who else was involved? Remember, they lie and manipulate for a living.”
“I’m not a liar, Links!”
“Good to know,” I say, Then, to test the theory, I ask, “Who else was in the video, Robby?”
“I haven’t seen the video, Links.”
“Ash, that’s a politician for. My fucking daughter and my niece. Robby’s and Sam’s daughters were the two little bitches who said Harper didn’t deserve Maddox and that it was good that she was beat so badly her baby died. You may wanna consider that before you talk shit about Harper, saying she’s a bad influence, or telling Logan that Harper is a bad influence! Your fuck buddy’s daughter and niece were the bitches who fucked with my kid! And he sits there, knowing full well this went down, lying to you, Ash. He—”
“I came to tell her—”
“You shut the fuck up. I’m talking to my wife!” I inhale a deep breath, hoping it calms me. “Ash, things between you and I will never be the same. Never! But you decide now which side to take, and so help me God, you choose carefully. ’Cause if you think you can mind fuck our kids with lies, you have no idea what I’m capable of doing with the truth on my side.”
I hear a muffled sob escape her mouth.
“No time to puss out, Ash. Show me that I wasn’t wrong about you for twenty plus goddamn years. Do what’s right for your kids. They haven’t heard anything about your lies. I don’t want to hurt them, and dammit, I know that you don’t, either. You stepped in a whole pile of shit, but shit washes off, Ash. Regardless of what happens with you and I, for them, pull your head out of your ass and do the right thing now.”
She doesn’t respond.
“Robby, if your daughter so much as looks in the direction of my kids or Harper Abraham’s again, I will kick your ass so hard you’ll be pissing sneaker laces. You put that little bitch, Sam, on a leash, or I’ll fucking ruin you like I did him.”
“I don’t take kindly to threats.”
“Motherfucker, that’s not a threat.” I laugh.
“This is about you and I, Links. What happened was purely coincidental.”
“My daughter and her friend being harassed wasn’t a coincidence, Robby. You’ve been warned. Ash, I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. You think you’ve seen me pissed? If anymore shit storms down on our kids, you’ll see the motherfucking apocalypse. And Robby, she’s the mother of my children. Nothing will change that ever. You better make damn sure she’s safe from Sam’s bullshit, too.”
“Lucas?”
“Ash?”
“Is she okay?”
“The kids are fine. You need to step back and get your fucking head on straight. They’re not toys, Ash.”
“I never said they were.”
“Don’t pull that bullshit on Logan again.”
“You’re going to tell them, anyway.”
“No, Ash, I don’t want our issues to be their problem any more than they have to be. June, that and peace is all I ask for. Gotta go. Text me and let me know you’re okay later. Goodbye.”
?
I pull into the parking garage and sit, trying to calm the rage, and catch Maddox waiting for me. I hope he didn’t catch on to the issues Sam so blatantly spoke about.
As I slide out of the vehicle, he nods. I hope this kid can keep his mouth shut.