Page 96 of Winning Brynn

Why the fuck is Bella here?

Is she here for my daughter?

Is she going to try to take her away from me?

Bella—as I knew her when we slept together two years ago—rests her head on top of Salem’s and cries along with her. She isn’t holding her roughly, isn’t doing anything to cause her physical harm, but my lungs seize anyway.

“Dada!” Salem reaches for me, but I can’t move.

Terror tears into me with the force of a million bullets as I fight against the force keeping me frozen. Never in my life have I felt so helpless or so self-loathingly pathetic. Salem’s features scrunch as she releases another cry, continuing to stretch her arms out for me.

My fists clench so tightly my nails cut like blades into my skin as I send an imploring look to Brynn, who's still sitting on the floor, watching everything unfold with a sort of pained bewilderment.

Help me,I beg her with my eyes.

She sucks in a shuddering breath, eyelids fluttering closed as she fights to compose herself. With renewed strength, she pulls herself back up to kneeling and sets a trembling hand on Isabella’s arm.

Issy,as she apparently goes by now, blinks slowly in her friend's direction.

"I think Salem is overwhelmed. If you pass her back to me, I can get her settled." Brynn’s voice shakes as she speaks, but her expression is one of conviction.

Salem is crying properly now, tears rolling down her face in time with each shuddering beat of my heart. But Issy makes no move to pass her to Brynn.

"What do you want right now, Issy? Because the baby is upset, and I think it would be better for everyone if we get her to calm down."

Issy looks down at my daughter, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I just wanted to see her."

Brynn swallows. "I understand that."

"I'm her mother."

No, you're not!I want to scream. A mother wouldn't abandon her child on the doorstep of a man who hadn't even known she was pregnant. A mother wouldn't rid herself of responsibility and move thousands of miles away to pretend that her daughter never existed. And a mother sure as fuck wouldn't show up at her daughter's home under some fake-ass guise of friendship to throw her entire world into chaos just for the benefit of herself.

Brynn's lip trembles as she nods. "I know."

"I want to talk"—Issy sniffs—"about being in her life."

"We can talk about that," Brynn whispers. "Let's get Salem settled, and then we can have a conversation."

I could cry in relief when Issy's shoulders drop in resignment, her hold loosening on Salem. Brynn immediately scoops her up and takes several steps to the other side of the living room rug, cradling my daughter's head on her shoulder and smoothing her hand over her back until Salem's cries drop to tiny, shaking whimpers.

Finally, I can breathe again.

My daughter is okay. She's unharmed. She's safe. If she’s with Brynn, then she can’t be stolen from me.

"There we go." Brynn bounces from foot to foot as she sways Salem back and forth.

Fixing Issy with a furious glare, I rush over to my family.

"Thank you." I kiss Salem on the temple then Brynn on the mouth. Maybe it's an inappropriate time to do it, but I don't give a shit. All I care about is showing Brynn how grateful I am, how eternally indebted I am to her, for dealing with the situation the way that she did, for saving my baby girl, for doing what I couldn't. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

She looks up at me with glassy eyes. There's so much emotion in her expression: relief, pain, confusion. She must have a million questions, and yet, she doesn't ask a single one. She simply kisses me back, her lips soft and salty with tears, and whispers, "Always," into my mouth.

Bella is still sitting on the sofa, leaving dirty tear stains on the cream chenille, with her head in her hands. Her shoulders shake as she sobs, pitiful noises escaping with every breath she exhales.

I can barely look at her.

It's been twenty-three months since the night we slept together, and frankly, I can barely remember any of it, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because there is nothing about this woman that I want permanently burned into my memory.

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