Page 119 of Steel

“Son.”

“Dad.”

“What do you need from us?” he asks.

“Can you take her to my place? Got someone who’ll stay with her until I finish dealin’ with this shit.”

“You know we don’t mind staying, Eric,” Mom says.

“Know that, Ma. Just don’t want you all stayin’ out late. Don’t know how long this is goin’ to take.”

“We’ll stay with her there as long as we’re needed,” Dad says firmly, folding his arms over his chest in a familiar pose.

I shake my head and scrub my hands over my face. “Fine. I’ll still have her come over just in case.”

It doesn’t escape my attention that I’m essentially introducing my woman to my parents, but I just don’t have it in me to run scared right now.

“Lyric, do you want to go say bye to your mom?” I ask.

She nibbles on her bottom lip as she thinks over my question. “Do I have to?”

I squat down so I’m at eye level with her. “Don’t have to, Princess, but think you should. She’s goin’ to have to go away and get better for a while.”

“Will she be okay, Daddy?”

The way her voice shakes when she asks that nearly kills something inside me.

“Know I won’t make you a promise I can’t keep. Promise I’ll do what I can to make sure she gets the help she needs. Okay?”

Lyric reaches out to put both hands on my face, and I watch as the blankness fades. “You’re the best daddy in the whole world.”

“Fuck, kid,” I exclaim gruffly, wrapping her in my arms tightly. “Love you.”

“I know.” She pulls away and pats my chest. “Love you too, Dad.”

“Go with Grams and Gramps. I’ll be home when I can. Bee will meet you all there.”

I stand, scrubbing my palm over the top of her head, and turn back to Mom and Dad. “Goin’ to run her in to say bye. You want to come in?”

Mom wrinkles her nose. “We’ll wait here.”

“Send Kiwi in when she gets here.”

Thirty minutes later, I sit on the coffee table in front of Kiwi and Heather. I sent a text to Bailee earlier asking if she’d find a way to the house so she can sit with Lyric until I get home.

Bailee tried to play it cool, but the excitement and happiness came through anyway. Trusting her with my girl wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world for me, especially after this fuckingshit, but I know there’s no way in hell Bailee would ever do anything to harm Lyric. She loves her as much as I do. ‘Course, I thought Heather did too, but there’s also a part of me that knew she didn’t.

Resting my elbows on my knees, I dangle my hands between them as I regard the pale, shaking woman across from me.

“This was your last chance, and you fucked up bad,” I inform her.

“Steel,” she whispers shakily.

“No,” I bark. “Shut the fuck up. You got high with my kid right in front of you. She watched you fill that needle with nasty shit and shoot it into your fuckin’ arm.” I grind my teeth together. “Warned you. Told you what I’d do. You’re done. You’re no longer allowed to see Lyric for a while. I’m goin’ for custody. Something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

The words are bitter coming out of my mouth because I know this could possibly hurt my daughter. I’ve given Heather too many chances. This time, she put my fucking kid in danger, and that’s something that won’t ever fly. I do what I can to protect her from the life I live. She should have been safe with her own fucking mother.

Hatred flashes in Heather’s eyes, but I’m past the point of giving a fuck how she feels about me.

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