Giving Her My Baby

“Maybe we should go.” I glance over to see my mom standing right next to us. Brooks pulls back and looks at her.

“I’m in love with your daughter. If you give me a chance, I’ll prove that,” he tells her.

My mom smiles at him, then reaches out and places her hand on his arm.

“All right. I’ll be back again tomorrow. Let’s try to do dinner again.” She gives his arm a small squeeze before turning to look at me. “Call me tomorrow,” she says, kissing me on the cheek. “Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. I give no shits about Vick. I got you because of him, so it’s hard to hate him,” she whispers in my ear. “But Brooks is right, he’s a piece of shit.”

I fight a smile. She didn’t have to tell me that. My mom always wants what’s best for me and whatever makes me happy.

My mom walks over to Brooks’s mom and introduces herself as she completely ignores Vick. Brooks’s mom looks like she wants to murder Vick. I’m guessing like all the women in his life, he hasn’t been honest with her either.

My mom gives me one last smile before she leaves, and then Brooks wraps his arms around me.

I glance over to see Brooks’s mom and Vick, who seem to be in a whisper argument that’s getting hotter by the second. I can’t hear what they’re saying from over here, but Vick’s face grows hard and I have a feeling things are about to change between them.

13

Brooks

“Are you okay to handle this, Mom?” I ask as I step away from Ella and stand in front of her. I want to make sure she’s protected from anything he might try. Just keeping them apart in general is a good idea.

“Yes,” she says and squares her shoulders.

She might make poor decisions, but she’s a tough little bird. I watch as she pulls out her cellphone and types out something on it.

“You can get your things from the house. My security will make sure you’re not taking anything that doesn’t belong to you. And my attorney is going to file for an annulment.” She looks up and gives Vick a death glare. “You’d be smart not to fight it, or I’ll drag your ass through court until you’ve got nothing left.”

“He’s already got nothing,” I say, and Vick narrows his eyes at me.

For a second he looks like he’s going to challenge me, but then he looks beyond me and his eyes soften. I can see his wheels already beginning to turn. If he can’t get a hold of my mom’s fortune, maybe he can somehow weasel his way into Ella’s life and get at mine.

“Eleanor, darling—” he starts, but she steps out around me and cuts him off.

“You don’t get to say my name. You don’t get to know anything about me. You gave up that right the day you told my mother to get rid of me. Then you continued to make that choice with every moment that passed from them to now. You made your decision to live your life the way you wanted, and that’s okay by me. But I made the decision to live without you, and I’m not going back on that. Ever.”

I place my hand at Ella’s back, offering support. This is her decision, but I won’t allow a leech to be in her life and take all that is good and pure out of her.

“I love Brooks,” she says, and I feel my chest grow with pride. She turns to look me in the eyes and smiles. “I do. I love you so much. You’re the one.”

It’s so simple and so perfect.

“I love you, too,” I say as she smiles softly at me.

“Brooks keeps telling me that this is our house, the home where we’re going to raise our children. With no disrespect to you, Mrs. Renshaw,” she says and nods to my mother. “I’d like you to leave my house, Vick, and I’d like you to never come back.”

He looks like he might have something to say back to her, but instead he throws up his hands and mumbles curses as he leaves.

“I’ll be in touch,” my mom says as she comes over and kisses me on the cheek. “And I’ll be here tomorrow for dinner, too. By myself. I think we need a chance to meet properly.”

“I’d like that,” Ella says and hugs her back.

I text my security to follow her home. I know she has her own, but it doesn’t hurt to have a few backups for people like Vick. I’m not worried, though. Between her and the entourage she has in her house, she’s got this handled. And honestly, she needs to get her own ass out of this situation. I warned her about Vegas.