Page 61 of Trailer Trash

Jed pulled me out of the chair and wrapped me up in his arms, holding me for a few moments, the baby sandwiched loosely between us. She looked up at Jed with curious eyes and reached for his face. He took her from me and held her close, giving me a worried look. “I need you to be strong and trust me on this. Can you do that?”

He gently bounced her as though it was instinctual. She was reaching for his face again, and he rubbed her back with his free hand. Watching him hold Crystal was all the confirmation I needed that he wouldn’t let her stay in this situation for long.

He reached out and brushed the tears from my face. “You can’t let Stella see you upset.”

“I know.” But it was easier said than done.

“Why don’t you get yourself together in the bathroom? I’ll take care of the baby until you come out.”

“Okay.”

The sooner I did this, the better, so I gave the baby a soft kiss on the cheek and left the room. Once I was in the bathroom, I shut the door.

The walls were paper thin and I could hear Jed’s voice, only it was a low murmur and I couldn’t make out the words. He was talking to Crystal.

Fresh tears sprang into my eyes. I’d let myself start imagining something with Jed, wondering what a life with him would look like. After Branson, I couldn’t build a life with a man on the wrong side of the law. Of course, that hadn’t worked out so well for me. I’d thought Ronnie was safe, but he’d been as tangled up in organized crime as a fly in a web. At least IknewJed had worked for Skeeter, and if he didn’t intend to go back, he could do anything. Get a job on the right side of the law. Shoot, he was good at this investigating thing, better than me. Maybe he’d be open to starting an investigating business with me and Rose (once I talked her into it, of course).

But there was no future for us. I saw Jed as a father—he’d already told me how he planned to raise his future children, and there was no denying how sweet he was with Crystal. Maybe it was a mistake to look so far down the road, but I saw the roadblock from a mile away. I couldn’t give him babies.

The thought brought fresh tears to my eyes, which was defeating the whole purpose of being in here. I flushed the toilet and then turned on the faucet as I leaned my head back and took several deep breaths. Jed was right. If we didn’t leave here as though nothing was wrong, Stella might figure out what we were planning and run with the baby. They needed to catch her off guard.

I turned off the water and took another deep breath. I could do this.

Chapter 17

When I walkedout of the bathroom, Jed and the baby weren’t in her room, but I heard Stella’s voice in the living room.

“You look mighty fine bouncin’ that baby on your leg,” she said in a seductive voice. “If you ever want a real woman, leave Neely Kate and let me take care of you.”

“I’m pretty happy with what I have,” Jed said in a tone that made his stance clear.

“You and half the men we ever met,” she spat out.

I stopped in the hallway.

“Is that why you hate her so much?” Jed asked flatly.

“It’s hard to compete with someone like her. The men at the club loved her because she had that whole innocent vibe. Branson figured that out pretty quick and decided to use it to his own advantage. Did she tell you about that part of her life?” she asked with a leer in her tone.

“No.”

She laughed. “I won’t lie; he was taken with her too, but it wasn’t long before his friends and clients also noticed her. He knew a gold mine when he saw it.”

I nearly burst into the room to stop her, but something held me back. Her version wasn’t far from the truth, and this way I wouldn’t have to tell him myself. It was the chickenshit way out, and I knew it, but I closed my eyes, leaned back against the wall, and let her go on.

“And what did Branson do?”

She laughed again, this time with more genuine merriment. “What did she even tell you about all of us?”

“Enough to know you were like a cancer to her.”

She chuckled. “And I thought you said you were here because I meant something to her.”

“That’s what makes what you did even shittier. She trusted you, and you hurt and used her.”

“Bullshit,” Stella said, getting angry. “She was the one all the guys wanted. I was tired of competing with her. I was prettier than her! I only got her a job because I felt sorry for her. And then that backstabber betrayed me.”

“Betrayed you? Because men could see the witch you really were beneath your shiny exterior? Men are easily fooled at first, but it doesn’t take long for the smart ones to see through the glitter. You saw the goodness in her and tried to kill it. But guess what? Neely Kate’s one of the sweetest, kindest people I know—you didn’t defeat her. She has a good life with friends who love her and support her. And you’re the worthless, dried-up bitch with no one but this poor baby, who deserves a much better mother than you.”

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