Page 16 of The Hellcat Barbies: Saskia
“I’m sorry.”
Yak chuckled and nodded.
“I can give you the address to the daycare-”
“I came here to see my Granny. Ima see bout her first, cuz I ain't tryna meet my firstborn while I’m pissed, baby.”
The word baby hadn’t sounded as endearing as it did the night I met him. It was like when your parent called your name, and even though your name didn’t change, the way they said it let you know what kind of mood they were in. Yak wasn’t in a cuddly mood.
Fidgeting with my fingers, I pushed my back as far in the seat as it would go.
“That day you met me, I had a lot going on. It wasn’t you. You were… kind. It was me. Look, my daddy had set me up in some sick arranged marriage, and I was running away from that. He was all I had in the world, and his being gone while having to marry some serial rapist-ass client of his wasn’t going to be how I lived my life. I’m sorry that you got caught in the mess, and I’m sorry that I stole your car and took back the ring, but I had to get away from Sparkling City, and Jagoda Bay was just too close.”
“Serial Rapist?”
I shrugged.
“My father was a defense lawyer. He represented all kinds of men, so his trying to set me up with a client wasn’t going to happen. Rapists, killers, thieves — none of them are what I want for my future. So, I ran. I needed a fresh start and to lay low.”
“And you ran to North Carolina to join the fucking Beetle brats with my baby?”
“The who?”
“Driving a turquoise car ain’t keeping a fucking low profile, Saskia.”
“Did I tell you my name that night?”
“What?” He snapped as he ran through a red light like traffic laws didn’t exist.
“I don’t remember what we did. If I weren’t sore and your…sperm had been speared between my thighs, then I would have thought God had pulled a Mary on me.”
“Except you ain’t a virgin, baby.”
Drawing my head back, I squinted my eyes.
“But I’m some like nightquil with the way I was able to sneak from under your nose.” I sassed. I’d already been insecure about that night because not only did I not remember, I wasn’t themost skilled at sex, so there was no telling what the hell I had done.
“This wasn’t my fucking car, Saskia. So, you didn’t steal shit. And you think I give a fuck about that ring?”
This time, he actually stopped at the red light and used that moment to fix his gaze on me. They weren’t as fiery as they had been back at the race, but they held something else—disappointment.
“So, I stole a stolen car? Great.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, more stressed out now than I had been when I stole it. The VIN had been washed clean, but still.
“And I didn’t run off to join a car club. Hellcat Barbies kind of happened. I’m glad I joined, but it’s not my occupation. I’m a Cardiovascular Perfusionist.”
The light turned green, but he kept his foot on the brake. The more he stared, the more I shrank, and even though I put effort into my look today—opting for comfort over fashion because I wanted to move freely during the race—the Fashion Nova capri leggings with the matching shirt that ruched at the belly but fell off my shoulders looked cute. I paired it with my Hellcat Barbie jacket that was lying on the backseat and a pair of Nike Vomeros.
“That’s Wassup, Sass.” He bobbed his head before skidding through traffic, driving faster than I had when I won the race but graceful at the same damn time. Unlike when I was in the car with Dasani, I just sat back lost in thought because I truly didn’t know what the fuck my life was about to turn into now, and I’d just gotten into a nice routine. Shit.
“Yak. I was wrong. I was just going through a lot, okay? I was set to marry a man whom I had never met before. One that didn’t know me at all. He'd gotten the dress wrong, the ring wrong, and I was sitting in that bridal suit with no one. My father had been so inconsiderate. How the fuck could I marry a man when I hadjust lost my everything? Let alone a man I didn’t know. I was fucking broken. So, forgive me for running away to try and save myself. What was I supposed to do?”
“Talk to me. You were supposed to talk to me, Saskia,” he huffed.
“How? You were a stranger. Technically still is!”
“But, you had my baby, though?”
