Page 74 of Our Lips Are Sealed
The front door slammed shut behind them, and they all stood staring at it, dumbfounded as they tried to process what had just occurred. Toby’s cries had drawn Evie out of the kitchen and into the hall, with Jamison trailing behind her.
Surveying everyone, Jamison took a long draw from the sippy cup she refused to give up. “What doing?”
CeCe ran to Simone, wrapping her little body around her legs. “I’m a CeCe, too,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut to block out what was happening. “I stay with my SiSi.”
The door crashed open on Ben’s return, and CeCe cried harder, shaking as she slid to the floor. “No, please!”
Evie gaped at Ben like she didn’t recognize him. “Ben?”
He stopped short when she spoke, and Simone thought he would change his mind, knowing Evie and Jamison were watching.
But if anything, seeing them gave Ben a newfound resolve, and he charged forward, ripping CeCe from her.
“No, I’m a CeCe, too!”
Hearing her baby’s screams, Simone roared with a fury the Almighty had reserved solely for mothers and lunged at Ben, seeking to pry CeCe from his hold. Miranda and Josie rushed over to help, but it was no use. He was too strong, making it out the front door in seconds.
Simone stumbled onto the porch, along with everyone else, watching as CeCe struggled. She wasn’t going down without a fight, and battled Ben the whole way, clawing at his face. When they neared Trevor, the girl smartly braced her feet on the side of the car so that the men couldn’t shove her inside.
“This can’t be happening,” Miranda cried, trying to shield Evie and Jamison, who had followed them outside, from seeing. “Ben, stop this!”
A scream pierced the air from behind them, and they all turned. It was Annabeth, holding onto the door frame, unable to go any further. She extended her hand, stretching it as far as she could. “CeCe!”
“Sissy!” With a swift kick to Trevor’s crotch, CeCe broke free, pumping her arms as she ran home. “I’m coming, Sissy.”
But she wasn’t fast enough.
Simone was halfway to the girl when Ben caught up with CeCe, snatching her around the waist to haul her over his shoulder, kicking and screaming. This time the men managed to subdue her enough to get her in the car, where Toby sat crying, his eyes on Evie.
Ben slammed the car door shut, and Simone watched in horror as Trevor rushed to get behind the wheel.
Not a soul moved as the car fled, all of them standing still as they stared at Trevor’s taillights through the dust kicked up in his departure.
And once the dust settled, Simone numbly turned to climb the porch steps, the barbed wire tighter than ever inside her. The wails of denial pouring out of the others as the shock wore off hardly penetrated the icy rage hardening her heart.
Ben.
Her constant through the years. Her partner in survival. The one person she could always rely on had just done the unthinkable, and she would never forgive him. This betrayal possessed a profound and enduring power, capable of shackling itself to her indefinitely.
Ben’s head hung in shame as he made his way to the house. He stopped at the bottom step, sensible enough not to get close. “I had to do it.”
“No, you didn’t,” Josie screamed at him, rushing a frantic Annabeth inside. “I’ve always known you could be a fucking asshole, Fairweather, but I swear to God, I never pegged you as a damn idiot, too.”
Evie’s hand blindly reached for Simone’s, tugging it to get her attention. “Toby needs his blanket,” she sobbed, the first true sentence she’d spoken in weeks. Bending at the waist, she struggled as if she couldn’t breathe. “He can’t sleep without it, and he’ll cry all night if someone doesn’t take it to him.”
Her distress had Ben rushing up the steps, but Jamison howled in holy terror. “No, no, no!” She planted herself between her father and sister. “You no take Evie.”
Getting on his knees to talk directly to his daughter, Ben shook his head. “I’m not, baby.” He ran a finger down Jamison’s nose. “I’m protecting her, so you and I can take her home with us.”
The precious little girl, who had become Ben’s entire world since birth, hissed and bit his finger like a wild animal. “You no take me either!”
Jamison ran to Simone, hugging her as CeCe had done. “I no go.”
Simone couldn’t help it. The corners of her mouth lifted at the utter devastation on Ben’s face. He’d done it to himself, and if she had to live with the loss of CeCe and Toby, he better be prepared to feel the same pain. “Don’t want to go with your daddy?”
“No, no, no!” Jamison scrubbed her chubby face on Simone’s pant leg. “No, go. I never go.”
Simone did smile fully then. “Sounds good to me,” she replied. “But I need you to be a big girl and help Miranda take Evie inside. I’ll join you in a minute.”
