Butterfly Bayou (Butterfly Bayou 1)

How could he not have seen it? “Has she always been that mean to you?”

She turned her head, looking up at him, her eyes red from crying. “No. Not at all. Dad, we were arguing. She was pushing me, and I didn’t want to do it.”

“She had no right to talk to you that way.”

“She was being a bitch, but I was, too.”

It didn’t matter what Noelle had done. “She’s the adult and I doubt very much you were being a . . . I don’t want you to use that language.”

Noelle’s hands fisted, her body going taut. “I’m sixteen. I’m almost seventeen, Dad. I assure you, I use that language a lot. Can’t we talk to her? Maybe if we talk to her she’ll be okay with the fact that I’m going to be in this chair for the rest of my life. I know she’s trying to help.”

Was she? He’d thought she was. But if that was how she helped, then she had no place in his home. He had to take care of Noelle, and that meant being supportive.

Can’t you see it’s not normal for her to never fight with anyone? She’s afraid to fight even for herself.

Was Noelle’s passiveness normal? She’d always been a quiet, studious girl, but after the divorce she’d never fought with him. Not once. He’d always thought he was lucky, but what if it wasn’t that she thought he was always right? What if her willingness to go along with what he wanted was because she was afraid of what might happen if she caused waves?

“You’re happy here, right, sweetheart?”

The tension left her body with a long sigh, like a cord had been cut. “Of course.”

“It must have been weird to have to move here after your mom passed.”

“Dad, I like it here.”

Lila was wrong. Lila didn’t understand what it meant to have a child with disabilities. She didn’t know what it meant to worry about a kid, to have everything he did affect his daughter’s life.

There was a knock on the door and he glanced at the bag he’d packed. When Remy had called, he’d forced himself to gather Lila’s things and place them in a paper shopping bag. Her things. God, there were so few of them. He’d kicked her out with so little. She had a couple of changes of clothes, some flip-flops, a sad amount of feminine things. He hadn’t had time to take her shopping, and she hadn’t once complained. She’d merely borrowed from Noelle and joked about how when the insurance money came in, she and Noelle would tear through some stores.

Had it all been a lie?

He was not looking forward to this confrontation. Remy didn’t have kids, either. Not yet. Remy would only care about the fact that Lila had been hurt. There was no question in his mind that he’d hurt her. It had been there in the startled look on her face, but she hadn’t cried. No. She would bottle that up and there wouldn’t be anyone there for her to wrap herself around and share that secret soft part of herself with.

He opened the door and practically breathed a sigh of relief.

Zep stood in the doorway, that perpetually amused look on his face. “Hey, I’m here to grab Lila’s stuff.” He walked in when Armie stepped aside. “Hey, Noelle. How’s it going?”

Noelle moved from the table, wheeling into the living room. “How is she?”

“How’s who? Oh, Lila.” Zep shrugged. “You know me. I’m not good at reading women. If I was, I would get tossed in jail way less than I do because I would remember not to sleep with deputies.”

“Zep!” Armie was fairly certain Roxie wouldn’t want that one-night transgression to get out around town.

Noelle rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows, Dad. And everyone knows Roxie’s still got a thing for him and hates herself because of it. I want to know about Lila. Does she hate me?”

He needed to make something very plain to his daughter. “This was not your fault. None of this is your fault. Why don’t you go and pick out a movie and I’ll order pizza.”

For a second he saw something flash in Noelle’s eyes. Then she shut down, her gaze going tired. “I have a project to work on. I’ll be in my room.”

Damn it. He had to give her time. He needed time, too. Lila had come in like a storm and she’d left like one, leaving a mess in her wake.

She didn’t leave. You kicked her out. She could be here right now, discussing the situation, if you had taken the time to cool off before giving her ultimatums.

He wasn’t listening to his inner voice right now. His subconscious was looking for any excuse to forgive her and bring her back. It was selfish. He wanted her for himself. It had been all right when she’d been what was best for Noelle, too, but today had proven that instinct wrong.