Page 68 of Whatever You Want

“Is that a threat?” You would think my height and my size would intimidate her. Or, at the very least, the thought of being arrested would scare her, but no. My ex-wife was too crazy to see straight.

“It sure as fuck is.” She seemed so proud of herself, and she just proved to me that nothing I said was getting through that thick head of hers. I never thought it was possible to hate someone as much as I hated this woman.

“You just earned yourself a restraining order.”

She stomped her foot. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, but I can. Did you forget what I do for a living? I finally have something good going on in my life and I’ll be damned if I Iet you ruin it.”

“Logan, please,” she begged, her eyes now filling with tears. She could cry all she wanted. I would not comfort her, no matter how badly she wanted me to. I learned that lesson a long time ago. “How could you do this to me?”

“Do this to you?” She had the nerve to look hurt. She was the one who was acting crazy and making a big fuss.

“You and I both know that this is just a phase. I’m the one you love, so go have your fun now. I know you’ll be back.”

She couldn’t seriously believe that, could she? I wasn’t even going to address that nonsense. I’ve already wasted enough time.

“Vanessa, I’ve told you a million times we are never getting back together. I don’t know how much clearer I can make that for you.”

She smirked. “I noticed how you didn’t say you don’t love me anymore.”

I wanted to tell her the truth, that I never really loved her. What I felt for her was lust, but she would never be able to handle that.

“You are the mother of my child and that is all you will ever be to me. You don’t have to like Ava, but you will be respectful to her. If you can’t do that then you’ll have to find a way to keep your mouth shut and get the fuck over yourself.”

She drew back, shocked that I was being so harsh. Honestly, I felt like it was about damned time. Maybe because I finally had something worth fighting for.

“God, you can be such an asshole.”

I looked down the hall and noticed the lights were dimming, and everyone was scurrying inside to find a seat. Continuing with this conversation would be pointless, and I wasn’t going to miss seeing my daughter up on that stage.

“There will come a day, Vanessa, where Brina will be old enough to understand.” I looked off into the distance. “I hope to God she never sees this side of you.”

With those parting words, I stormed away. I slipped inside the men’s room to get my temper in check. I gave myself a few minutes and glanced at my watch. From the schedule they sent home last week, I knew that Brina’s act would be coming up soon. I splashed some cold water on my face as if that would help cool me down.

I smoothed my tie along my dress shirt and blew out a deep breath before I walked out. I spotted my family and ducked my head as I made my way down the aisle, trying to keep out of everyone’s way. I slid into the end seat next to Ava.

“Everything okay?” she asked as Madison and my family focused on a group of little girls lined up on the stage.

I reached for her hand and laced our fingers together. “I hope so. I’m sorry she treated you like that.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

“I know you can. It doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

She squeezed my fingers. “Let’s not talk about her anymore, okay.”

My jaw clenched. I was frustrated and pissed off. Yet my shoulders slumped with relief that she was letting this go.

As soon as my daughter stepped onto the stage, my mood shifted in a different direction. Brina looked so damn adorable in her black leotard and pink tutu, spinning around to the music. Pride swelled in my chest as I watched her bend her little body and float around the stage. It was impressive and worth every penny I spent on her classes.

I smiled proudly as she bent forward for a bow. She’d been so nervous and afraid she was going to mess up. I looked off to the side, seeing Vanessa sitting alone. Her parents were a no-show, which wasn’t surprising. It shouldn’t have bothered me that they didn’t want anything to do with my daughter, but it did. Brina didn’t need to deal with their bullshit. It was their loss.

I rested my hands along the armrest of my chair and focused my attention on Ava and my family. My dad had slid Madison onto his lap so she could see the stage better. Luke was snapping a million pictures, and my mom was still standing, clapping her hands, not even caring about how loud she was.

These people sitting in this row were all my daughter would ever need. She loved her mother, and I prayed like hell that Vanessa would get her shit together before she ruined everything.

I sat on the bench, licking the frosting off my red velvet cupcake, while Madison rode her bike in circles in front of me.

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