Page 16 of All I Ask
I babysat Mr. Beeson’s youngest daughter. I’ve sat next to him at church every week since I was eight. Probably because my mother thought maybe I would behave if I thought my principal was watching. He knows us. He knows the hell I’ve been through and he has seen my sweet girl never hurt a fly.
“Chastity has admitted to it all.”
My jaw falls slack as I clutch my throat. This can’t be. I truly don’t believe it. “Well…”
“Let’s go in my office, we can talk about it further there.”
I’m in shock. That’s the only way to describe it. I’ve fought so hard to teach her how to be nothing like me and now she’s bullying someone. My heart is breaking and I feel even more like a failure.
Mr. Beeson opens the door and someone gets to their feet. Nothing could’ve prepared me for this.
No number of pep talks or knowing this was possible would’ve been enough.
Time stops. My heart races and everything inside of me is tight.
There, standing, looking out of the window in a pair of dress pants, a crisp white button-down, and an opened tie is a man I haven’t seen in forever. A man who I can still feel beneath my fingertips if I try hard enough. A man who knew me better than I knew myself and the only man I’ve ever truly loved.
My lips part as the name I’ve tried to keep off my tongue slides out. “Derek.”
Chapter Five
Derek
Present
I should’ve known it would be her daughter.
This was the moment I was dreading when I decided to move back here. I knew that we’d have to see each other eventually. In this town, avoidance is damn near impossible and it’s part of why I didn’t come back here sooner. I fought as hard as I could to stay in South Carolina. This place holds too many memories for me. Too much pain and now I have to come face-to-face with it.
Teagan stands there, unable to mask her emotions, and even though so much time has passed, I can still read her. She’s confused, happy, angry, sad, and there’s a hint of disappointment under it all.
I cut ties with her years ago because it was the only option. Now, I’m face-to-face with her all over again.
Time has done nothing to dull how beautiful Teagan is. She stands there, her eyes full of confusion and apprehension, and yet, she’s breathtaking.
Teagan.
God help me to keep my distance from her.
“I really hoped it wouldn’t be you,” I say as she stays quiet. The hurt flashes in her eyes and I realize how what I said might sound to her. “I mean that it wouldn’t be you as the parent of the child who was harassing Everly.”
“Right. Not that Everly didn’t possibly start it, right? Because I was a shitty kid, I must’ve given birth to a shitty kid.”
“Everly has never had issues before.”
“And neither has Chastity.”
Mr. Beeson explained as much, but yet here we are. Her daughter is harassing mine when she’s been through hell.
“My point is,” I continue, “this is the last thing that she needs. With losing all she has, we really hoped that this would be a safe place for her.”
Teagan runs her fingers through her long blond hair and sits in the chair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but we’ve lived here forever and not once has Chastity ever been in any trouble. She’s kind, honest, hardworking…in fact, she works with your dad.”
“I heard.”
My father sang the girl’s praises for an hour over the phone. He said how she’s the polar opposite of Teagan as a kid. And yet, here I am because on day two in the new school, she’s harassing my daughter.
“I’m sorry, but this is crazy, Mr. Beeson. Again, Chastity isn’t a bully. In fact, she said yesterday that she was being bullied by Everly. So, what now? Why is she the only one in trouble?”
