Page 13 of The Final Straw

Once I’m about as clean as I’m going to get, I turn the knobs off and step out. I quickly wrap a soft towel around my body, loving the feel of the plush cotton against my skin. I finish drying off and crawl into my bed, nestling myself under the warm blankets. My eyes close quickly and within seconds, I peacefully surrender to sleep, comforted by the knowledge that karma has taken care of the person who wronged me.

Kipp

We stand in disbelief as we watch the car drive away, our hands in our pockets.

Meeting her at the bar last night, and having such an intense connection to her, wasn’t planned.

Finding out she knows my daughter, Barbi, is a shock. But to also find out what Barbi did to her, someone who was supposed to be her best friend, has my stomach tied up in knots.

I didn’t raise my daughter to be this cruel and vindictive. She’s beginning to become a carbon copy of my ex-wife, Jessica. She was a bitch unlike any I’ve ever met before. Too bad she didn’t show her true colors until after I found out she was pregnant.

The worst thing was finding out who she truly was and then having to raise a child with her.

I knew Barbi didn’t like Grady, nor did she approve of our marriage, but I never knew how she truly felt about it until Ollie just let it slip.

Ollie is long gone by this point, so I’m sure to anyone passing by we look like idiots standing at their door, staring blankly out of it.

"Well, that was unexpected!" Grady breaks the silence as we step back inside and he shuts the door.

“It was. What are we going to do, Grady? I like her and I want to see her again, but she has history with Barbi. Do we want to navigate that land mine?” I head straight to the kitchen. I need more coffee to deal with the information bomb dropped on us this morning.

“Fuck, Grady, I knew Barbi was selfish, but I never imagined she could be so cruel. This is all my fault. I should have fought more to have her with me, with us after Jessica and I separated, but Barbi resisted and I didn’t want the fight. I just assumed with time she’d grow out of her hatred and resentment of our relationship.” I drop into a chair at the table, causing the legs to slide against the floor, making a screeching sound.

Placing my elbows on the table, I rest my face in the palm of my hands, my fingers slipping through the strands of my hair as I massage my scalp.

Grady’s hand lands on my shoulder, gripping it reassuringly while simultaneously sending a shock right to my cock. Fuck, this man is my everything.

The sound of the chair sliding against the tile floor alerts me to Grady sitting down just before his long, slender fingers wrap around my arm, pulling my hand away from my face.

“So, what do you want to do, baby? I’m behind you, no matter what you choose. We can pack away our magical night and the budding feelings we both have for Ollie in a box and hide it away until it’s all but a sliver of a memory. Or we can act on it and see where it goes. But no matter what, we need to talk with your daughter. She needs to know that you and I aren’t going anywhere. We’re forever. ‘Cause there’s no way in hell she’s ever going to push me out of your life. I love you. Now and always.”

A lone tear slides down his cheek and I lift my hand, swiping it away with the pad of my thumb.

“I love you too, Grady. You’re right, it’s time I have that conversation with Barbi. Either she accepts us and becomes part of our family, which means she treats you with respect and we see her on holidays, or she’s out. I love her but won’t allow her to dictate my happiness. That includes Ollie. We owe it to ourselves to explore our feelings for her.”

“I like that. We have her number. Do you want to text her and see if she wants to see us again?”

“I do, but let me handle this issue with Barbi first, and then we can text Ollie. That way we don’t have the whole Barbi issue hanging over us,” I tell him, as I stand and head to the bedroom to get my phone.

Grady doesn’t say a word. He just gives me a weird look when I return a couple of minutes later.

“No need to wait. I'm messaging Barbi now. I love my daughter, but it’s time I stop coddling her. She needs to grow up and act her age. She’s not a kid anymore.”

Grady gives me a devilish grin, his eyes dancing in delight. I can feel the heat pouring off of him because he loves it when I’m dominant.

I open my text app and pull up my messages to my daughter.

Me: Hey sweetie how are you?

Me: I need to talk to you, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. It needs to be in person.

Me: Me and you and I’d like to do it sooner rather than later.

I don’t get a response right away. But I can't say I expected it.

Grady stands and gets the coffee pot from the counter and steps back over to the table, topping our cups off. We spend the next fifteen minutes talking about an upcoming trip we want to take, while Grady subtly drops hints at how he thinks Ollie would enjoy it.

When we finish our coffee and she still hasn’t responded, I know exactly what to do.

---