Page 107 of Whiskey and Regret
“Okay, Navy. Love you.”
“I love you too, Xari, and I’m proud of you.” That last part made me smile even after the call ended. She was proud of me. It meant so much. My heart swelled in my chest despite the cyclone of bullshit I was going through. Hearing my big sister say she loved me and she was proud of me made me feel like I was doing something right.
I’d take whatever wins I could get.
…
TWENTY-ONE
Frankie gave Xari and me the silent treatment the entire drive. I was letting her have space because she needed to deal with her emotions. As much as I loved her, I couldn’t step in and interfere. She felt hurt and betrayed by both me and Xari. I understood that. I refused to let her run away from what was bothering her though.
Freezing me out wasn’t going to make anything better and it damn sure wasn’t going to make it go away. She had to learn how to deal with uncomfortable things. I would have to learn to be okay with it if she wanted to remain upset with me, but she at least needed to articulate her feelings.
I looked out of the window when we pulled around my circular driveway and a frown crushed my face.
“What the…” The words involuntarily fell from my lips when I saw Alexis’s car already waiting. “Frankie, did you call your mother?” I turned to the twelve-year-old sitting beside me with her arms folded in a clear act of closed-off defiance.
“Yes.” It was the first word she’d spoken to me since last night when she told me no after I asked if she wanted to talk to the chef who catered the wedding. Her tone was still cool and barbed.
“Wow,” Xari scoffed from the front seat. I sat in the back with Frankie, hoping she would warm up to me enough to talk. It didn’t work.
“Wanna tell me why you called her?” I asked. My voice must have had enough ice in it to remind Frankie that while she was pissed at me, I was still her damn father.
“I want to stay with her this week.”
“This week?” I hoped like hell I didn’t hear her correctly. “You need to explain this to me and quick.” My eyes drilled into hers and she pulled her shoulders up around her ears, too scared to meet my gaze head-on. I didn’t blame her.
“I want her to take me to school and pick me up and…”
“All the stuff I do?” Xari said quietly before getting out of the truck. I hated how defeated she sounded.
Yes, Xari and I should have talked to Frankie about our relationship, but we planned to do just that. We didn’t get the chance and now everything was a fucking shit show. There were a lot of tangles to smooth out, apologies to be made, and new understandings to be formed if everything was going to work out. None of that would get done if Frankie ran off to her mother’s house to brood and feed into Alexis’s toxicity.
“Frankie, it’s your choice to stay with your mother this week and I’m not going to punish you for it. However, you don’t get to not communicate just because you’re upset. I’m upset too and somehow. I managed to get you in the truck and home safely. I communicated.” For the first time since she walked in on me and Xari, she looked remorseful. I wasn’t trying to make her feel that way but I didn’t appreciate the way she decided to call Alexis without saying one word to me.
I got out of the truck and walked over to Alexis’s car. She rolled down the window and smiled at me. It was as phony as everything else on her face.
She wasn’t always plumped with fillers and slathered in makeup. When we were married, she had her natural face. Somewhere along the line, she turned into a Kardashian and never looked back.
“Hey, Van. Is my daughter ready?”
“I don’t know. I was unaware she called you and wanted to spend the week with you.”
“Aw. How sad? Evidently, she doesn’t feel like she gets enough attention here with you. Probably because you’re giving it to the nanny.”
“Don’t accuse me of not spending enough time with Frankie. I see her every morning and every night.” I tolerated a lot but having Alexis, of all fucking people, question how much time I spent with my kid was infuriating.
“I bet you see the nanny all night long though, don’t you? I saw her swing her narrow hips in the house. She’s rude. She didn’t even speak to me. You should train her better.”
“Hey, Mom…” Frankie’s soft voice came from beside me. I glanced at her then dropped a stiff kiss to the top of her head.
“Have fun, sweetheart. Call me or Xari if you need us.”
“No thanks. I’m good.” She looked at me for a few lingering seconds before climbing in the passenger side of her mother’s car.
“By the time she comes back, I’m sure she won’t even need a nanny. You might as well tell your dick warmer she’s dismissed.”
“Watch your mouth in front of Frankie,” I seethed. My fingers curled into my palm.
