Page 61 of Burned

“And she should have.”

Rhys took a deep breath. Sadie had every right to be upset but he realized he needed to tread carefully with this topic. “Had I known what was going on, I would have nipped it in the bud. I’m terribly sorry for what she did. And I apologize for my willful ignorance in ignoring the fact that things weren’t always great between you two. I never suspected she was capable of the things she said and did.”

“You’re her father. No parent would suspect their child of what she did to me, but I can’t hate her for that. You have a scared little girl on your hands who needs some serious psychological help.”

If Sadie would have said that to him a couple months ago, he would have told her she was crazy, but now he knew better. “You’re right and I’m getting that help. We’re both in counseling actually. Something happened….” He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the suicide attempt in case she thought it was his way of trying to gain sympathy. “Anyway, Carys is sorry for what she’s done and is looking forward to being a big sister.”

Sadie sighed. “Actually Rhys, that’s something I actually wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want your daughter anywhere near my child. I intend to apply for sole custody. You, of course, may have supervised visits with the baby, but after what she’s done, I can never trust her alone with a child of mine.”

Rhys shook his head to clear his ears because there was no way he’d heard her correctly. “I beg your pardon?”

Sadie pursed her lips, crossed her arms over her chest, a hardened gleam entering her eyes. “I believe you heard me just fine, Rhys. I don’t want your daughter anywhere near my child. She’s made my life a living hell for months nearly got me arrested, and could have caused me to miscarry. Do you think I’d want to risk my child’s safety in the hands of someone who is clearly unstable?”

Deep down he could understand where she was coming from, could even empathize with her, but he wouldn’t sit here and let her tear Carys down. “That’s enough, Sadie. My daughter is notunstable. As you yourself just pointed out, she’s a frightened little girl. Yes, what she did to you was inexcusable, but I’m deeply insulted that you believe she could hurt an innocent child.”

She raised a brow. “Oh? Like you were deeply insulted when I suggested she was something she’s not. Cut the offended parent act. You’re too little too late. Like I said, I won’t keep you from this baby. Every child deserves to know both of its parents, but I’ll be damned if I put this baby in harm’s way.”

”Stop!” he roared. “Supervised visits indeed. Do you honestly think I’d agree to that? You don’t trust that I’d protect our child?”

“I never said I couldn’t trust you, it’s Carys I don’t trust. Considering her history, what court of law wouldn’t side with me? And I’m sure if my lawyer found past girlfriends to attest to her behavior, they probably wouldn’t allow you supervised visits.”

Rhys opened his mouth but closed it. Maybe he deserved it for the way he’d treated her in the end or ignoring the signs that his daughter was troubled. But this stranger sitting before him wasn’t Sadie. Not the sweet giving woman, whose smile reached her eyes: the woman with the heart of gold. She’d changed, become hard. And what killed him the most, was that he’d been the cause.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Sadie. Is that your final word?”

She nodded, wordlessly.

He stood up. What was there left to say? “If that’s it then, I guess there’s only one thing for me to do.”

She stared at him for a moment until it seemed she could no longer stand the silent state between the two of them. “What?”

“Fight you of course. I have just as much right to this baby as you do. My word as its father should mean something to you Sadie, hell, what we shared together should at least tell you I’m not a total bastard.”

“Like I said, it not you. It’s her.” With a sigh, she stood up and walked to the door. “I guess we’re at a standstill.” She opened the door. “I think you’d better go. I’ll see you in court.”

Rhys squared his shoulders and made his way to the door.

Sadie raised her chin defiantly. As he prepared to move past her, he caught the slight quiver of her bottom lip, telling him that his Sadie was still there somewhere behind that wall she’d erected between them.

Rhys pushed his palm against the door, slamming it closed. “Fuck this. I will not let you shut me out like this, Sadie. We’re going to work this out like two adults.”

She seemed taken aback by his action before her composure returned. “What’s to work out Rhys? I’ve already said what I needed to say. What’s left to talk about?”

He clutched her by the forearms. “Us, Goddammit. There’s still the matter of us. Can you honestly say there’s nothing left?”

She attempted to push him away, but Rhys refused to be moved, tightening his grip on her. “Of course there’s something between us. This baby. Don’t make something out of nothing. There are plenty of parents who raise their children in separate homes. Grow up Rhys.”

“I think you’re the one who needs to grow up if you think I’ll go along with you cockamamie plan. And you damn well know I wasn’t talking about the baby. I’m talking about you and me and what we felt for each other. I can’t believe that what we had is no longer there, especially when my heart still tells me, you’re the missing piece of me.”

Sadie stiffened in his hold, her eyes, widening. “Don’t Rhys.”

“Don’t what? Tell the truth.”

“No. Don’t bring up things better left buried. It’s over between you and me. I knew it the minute I sat in the hospital with a broken arm caused by your daughter. As I lay there, I realized how much more I could have lost because of her and realized that you’re just not worth the aggravation. I’m tired of taking care of everyone else but myself. I gladly sacrificed myself for my sisters so they could have the lives they deserved. I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts. I gave up my scholarship because someone had to stay behind to keep an eye on my brother, so my mother wouldn’t beat the crap out of him. I was the one who offered to do the jocks homework in school so they wouldn’t get kicked off the football team. I was the one gave my all in relationships to men who just wanted to use me.I’ve been made to feel like I’m nothing by the person I believed was my mother and yet I still begged her to love me. I don’t want to be that woman anymore. And I sure as hell don’t want to be the woman who spent months trying to win a little girl’s approval who was never going to give it. And for what? I ended up broken-hearted anyway. I’m tired of looking out for everyone else but myself. I’m putting my peace of mind and my child’s safety before everything else, and I don’t give a fuck how you feel about it, what you think about it, or what you believe we had. It’s over Rhys. I will not put myself through that bullshit again.”

By the time she was done, tears coursed down her face, but her gaze remained locked with his, not wavering, almost challenging him to naysay her.

For the first time since he’d walked in the door, he looked down at her arm which was still wrapped in a cast up to her elbow. He released her and took a step back, feeling as if he’d been punched in the stomach. She’d never gone into detail about her past except how close she’d been to her sisters. It was no wonder she’d never talked about her mother or why she and her mother had seemed so awkward together.

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