Chaos series by Kristen Ashley

Finally, he looked to me. “It’s not okay what she’s done.”

“You’re right and the lesson is obviously a hard one but I think she’s learning it,” I returned.

“I agree but I gotta make sure she learns it in a way she won’t forget,” he shot back.

“I’m thinking that’s working,” I retorted.

He looked to his girl. “It working?”

She nodded her head desperately.

Poor thing.

I lifted a hand and swept her beautiful, thick, soft dark hair from her face, then bent to her and used my thumb to wipe her cheeks.

“Okay, darling, it’s over now,” I said gently. “All done. All good. Okay?”

She turned wet eyes to me and didn’t get a chance to answer because Logan ordered, “Get your shit. I’m takin’ you back to your mother’s.”

That was not a good idea. We needed to calm this here and now and move on.

I straightened and glared at him.

Zadie pulled away from me.

I didn’t get a shot to try to get Logan to step into another room with me so we could chat about what was going on. He turned and strode to his cut that was hanging on the hook by the back door. He shrugged it on and handed his girls’ jackets to each in turn as they hesitantly moved to him. He then swiped his car keys off the counter and came to me.

Hooking me at the neck, he gave me a quick, hard kiss and muttered, “I’ll be back.”

After that, he let me go, walked through his girls and right out the door.

“Uh… see you later, Millie,” Cleo said shakily.

All I was able to do was nod before she followed her father.

Zadie began to move after her sister but I quickly moved, too, grabbing her hand so she was forced to walk with me.

Logan was behind the wheel, Cleo closing her door at the front passenger side so I moved Zadie to the passenger side back.

I stopped her before she could reach high to open the door, and with a tug at her hand, turned her to me.

“He loves you, sweetie,” I told her a truth I hope she knew in her heart. “He’ll cool down and it’ll be okay.”

I spoke these words and then watched her face twist in a way so ugly, I dropped her hand.

“He hates me,” she spat. “Because of you. Which means I hate you.”

Right.

So maybe she didn’t learn her lesson.

I had a split second to make a choice.

I made it when she turned away from me and reached to the door.

I reached beyond it, crowding her and pressing my hand into the door so she couldn’t open it and was forced to turn back.

The instant she did, I bent to her and declared, “I love him. Bottom of my heart, straight through my soul, I love your dad. And when you love someone like that, your only reason for breathing is to make him happy. I want that more than anything, to make him happy. And I can make him happy in a lot of ways, Zadie, but the only thing that would make him truly happy through and through is if all his girls got along. I know this is hard on you. I’m very sorry it’s hard. You might not believe that but my heart breaks for you, what you want you can’t have and learning that so young. It’s tough, the toughest lesson you can learn in life. So tough, people a lot older than you don’t learn it until it’s too late. But sometimes we gotta let go of what we want when it isn’t to be had, find a new dream and work for that. I want that dream for your dad. And I hope you’ll find some way to want that with me so we can work together and give it to him.”

I delivered that speech, straightened away from her and the door, and took a step back.

She glared up at me a moment before she turned away, reached high, tugged open the door, and hauled her little girl body inside.

She slammed it.

I sighed and backed away from the truck.

Logan gave me a chin lift and Cleo gave me a wave that was back to hesitant before he instigated his multipoint turn to drive away.

As he did this, I moved to the door and stood in it until I couldn’t see them anymore.

Only then did I go inside.

*  *  *

I heard the truck on his return.

Therefore, I was sitting on the arm of the couch, facing the back door, when Logan got back.

He came in, eyes to me before he turned away, closed the door, unarmed and rearmed the alarm, and locked the door.

He then walked to me.

I spread my jeans-clad legs so he could get close but kept my seat.

He got close, walking to stand between my legs.

He then lifted a hand to cup my cheek. “You okay?”

I put my hands to his flat stomach. “You were hard on her.”

“Didn’t ask your opinion ’bout how I dealt with my kid,” he replied—not mean, he just had other things on his mind that took precedence. “You okay?”

“Chief’s all right and was never in any danger so, yes. I’m fine about that.” I shook my head but did it while he held his touch. “Not sure I’m fine with how you dealt with it.”

“Nasty’s escalating. No tellin’ where she’ll take it if I don’t nip it in the bud.”

“She told me outside your truck she hated me because now you hate her.”

His jaw got hard before he asked, “And what’d you say to that shit?”

“I told her I loved you and it was my job to make you happy and I hoped she’d help me do that.”

“Good cop, bad cop.”

I stared.

Then I asked, “What?”

“Babe, I lost it and I get that you think it was over the top but it wasn’t. That shit was not right and no way she should even have a hint of thinkin’ that was okay. Not to get what she wants from me. Not to get what she wants from a teacher. Or kids at school. Not ever. Through that, you didn’t pile shit on her with me. You were calm. You were nice. You were forgiving. She got it rough from me so what you were givin’ her didn’t sink in. My girl’s bein’ a snot but she’s not stupid. She’ll think on it and clue in.”