The Daddy Box Set

I could feel the tension in the air, and immediately, I was uncomfortable. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I just stood there, completely frozen in my place. I didn’t want to cause a problem, but it was really hard to be around this woman in the flesh and not let her have a piece of my mind. She was such a terrible human being, and I hated that she had Kayla’s unyielding affection, no matter what she did to hurt her.

“Kayla,” Ryan said, kneeling down to her level. “Why don’t you go put your new stuffed animal upstairs and grab a blanket since the fireworks are

going to start soon?”

“Look how big it is, Daddy,” she said, barely able to carry it.

“I know, that is so cool, sweetie,” he said, smiling. “Go on. We will be here when you come back down.”

“Don’t leave,” she said to her mother, breaking my heart. “There are fireworks soon.”

“I’ll be right here, little pumpkin.” She smiled.

The three of us stood there, spread across the living room, watching her walk up the stairs. When she had reached the top, and her footsteps could be heard dragging her new toy into her room, Ryan turned back to Christina. I could tell he was angry by the way he was clenching his fists at his side. This wasn’t going to be good, but they were blocking my way to my purse and keys. Besides, it was probably good that I stood there and supported Ryan.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I got your invitation,” she said, smiling. “So, I came to the party.”

“The party that ended an hour and a half ago?” he asked angrily. “This is now my private time with my daughter. You can’t just show up whenever you want to. You don’t live here anymore. This is not your home to just traipse back and forth through. Kayla has a schedule that is good for her, and you can’t just assume that because you gave birth to her that you can just mess it up.”

“Ryan,” she said calmly.

“No, you listen to me,” he said. “I am not going to kick you out right now, only because it is Kayla’s birthday, and I don’t want her to end it on a note like that. You have disappointed her enough over the last year and a half. But let me make it very clear that you are not going to just do this again.”

“Wait,” she said as Ryan turned his back to walk toward the kitchen. “I was wrong.”

“You’re damn right you were wrong,” he said, turning back around. “I’m tired of you intruding on our life anytime you want to.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryan glanced over at me, and I looked around uncomfortably.

“I was wrong to up and leave you and Kayla,” she said. “I know that now. I had to go through something huge in my life to realize how bad I royally fucked things up.”

“Where the hell is this coming from?” he asked, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“Ryan, I want you back,” she said. “I made the hugest mistake of my life letting you go, and I don’t want to live another day without you. I want us to be a family again, like we were before, only better. I want to do things like barbecues, family gatherings, and block parties with you. I want to hold your hand every day and go to bed with you every night. I—”

“Stop,” he said, rubbing his face and putting his hands in the air. “Where is this coming from? I don’t understand what is going on here.”

That was it. I couldn’t listen to another second of this. I was losing my boyfriend to his ex-wife right in front of my eyes. I wanted to lash out at her, tell her how shitty of a human being she was, but I would never want Kayla to witness something like that. So, instead of saying anything, I jogged past both of them and grabbed my purse and keys, looking around to make sure I had gotten everything. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and turned, walking past them and straight for the front door. I could feel Christina glaring suspiciously at me, but I kept my eyes on the floor, knowing if I looked back at her, I would never be able to control myself. This was too much, even for me.

“Alissa,” Ryan said, running over and grabbing my arm. “Wait, don’t go.”

“I have to,” I said, shaking my head, trying to hold back the tears. “This is too much.”

“Alissa, I—”

“No,” I said, putting up my hand and softening my voice. “Take care of this, in whatever way best fits you and Kayla. When it’s all over, call me, and we can talk about it all.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said with a sigh.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said. “Tell Kayla happy birthday for me again, and apologize to her that I had to leave.”

“Of course,” he said with a kind smile. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, turning before he could even think of trying to kiss me goodbye.