Page 7 of Captivated By Danger

I blew out a deep breath, before water formed in my eyes. “Dad, I really don’t know.”

Our relationship was better than most, but not as great as it could be. In true southern Baptist raised fashion, he wasn’t present for most things involving grades, homework, and all that jazz, because that was the woman’s job. He worked and brought home the bacon. However, whenever there was a problem, he was there. My dad wasn’t a man of many words, but he was a great listener. I could rant about a situation for at least an hour, and he’d solve my problem in a few minutes or less. It’s what I loved most about him, honestly. Although my educational materials explained that it was not good parenting, I’d never hold it against him. It was how he was raised and what he saw in his home growing up.

He and my mom were quite different, which was why I knew for sure that my ex-husband and I could work out. She was loud, and an expert on literally everything, no matter what, be it planes or trains. If you told her something about you, she’d have a story about it happening to her orsomeone she knows.My dad hardly ever raised his voice, however, if Andrea McCree started doing too much, he would certainly let her know.

“You know that you don’t have to go if you really don’t want to go. Don’t let Andrea and her mother talk you into that. If you’re not ready to go, then don’t. I’ll take the blame, so you won’t have to hear her yapping.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed a little. “Dad, you already know how they are. I already agreed to go, and I really wished I hadn’t,” I spoke, whispering that last part. “Plus, if I don’t do what she says, she’ll just remind me that it’s her house and I need to do what she say do, or I need to look for my own place. And then, when I start looking for my own place, or somewhere else to live, she’ll come in here with a crying spiel talking about I don’t love her anymore. You know how she does.”

“Yeah, I do, but baby, I don’t want you to have a moment like you did before, I don’t have to remind you of that moment. Your mother has already left. I’m going to go out here in the living room. If you’re not out there in say, fifteen minutes, I’ll leave and tell your mother that you changed your mind, and that it’s your right.”

“Okay, Dad. Thank you.”

He stood, walking over to me and kissing my temple, making me smile.

“And don’t forget that you’re my favorite beautiful daughter.”

“I’m your only daughter.”

“Even better.”

I held my smile until he left the room. My seventh and final dress to try on was a dress I knew would fit but didn’t want to wear because it was what I called my funeral dress. It was a super stretchy material dress that I’d gotten when I was bigger, and it clung to my body still when I got a little smaller. After trading for my funeral dress, I gave myself a slight onceover in the mirror. My hair and make-up were already done. I’d gone for a soft beat, and Elle gave me a silk press a few days ago. There wasn’t going to be a whole bunch of walking, so I could go for my strapless heels.

I’d made it to the living room just as my dad was getting ready to leave out the door. He gave me a reassuring smile before continuing out the door with me behind him. The ride to Everly’s Grove was a quiet one. The closer we got to the venue, the faster my heart started to race.

“You can change your mind if you want, Grey, and I’ll turn around and drive back home.”

“You know your wife probably told everybody that I was coming. And If I don’t show up, I’ll look like I’m still bitter. I mean, even if I show up, people are going to say that I’m trying too hard to pretend that I was over it. And it doesn’t help that I wore what fit best in my closet, this black dress, ain’t the colors pink, silver, and ivory, or something like that?”

I knew the colors because I’d tortured myself by looking over their wedding page. Even when I wasn’t looking for it, it found me because we all had sort of the same friends, so it was on their social media pages. There were only very few people who shunned them for what they did to me.

“Yeah, but we can say that we are dressed alike.”

He always did what he could to make me smile. Stepping out of the car, the smell of citrusy fruits smacked me right in the face. This was one of the best places in Citrus Grove, honestly. A few steps in, sweat started to form around my hairline and in my cleavage. The best and worst thing about Citrus Grove sometimes was the weather. It also didn’t help that I was a bigger girl too, and my black funeral dress was attracting all the damn sun rays. When I stepped inside the door, I sighed when the air immediately cooled me off.

“What are you talking about, Mr. Dymon?”

I looked over at the desk to see Quinci standing behind the desk burping her baby. I smiled and waved at her before she waved me over. We were familiar with each other because me and Elle used to hang with her brother and his friends when Elle was dating one of them. She was a freshman in high school when we were juniors and seniors.

“Shutup. Hold on. My bad, not shutup,” she said into her phone as I was walking over to her. “Please don’t ever get an overbearing baby daddy like I got. Keep trying to tell him that it’s going to be hot in Citrus Grove until later this year. Talking ‘bout don’t have his baby in the heat.”

I chuckled. “Quinci! Hi! How are you? It’s been so long. Congratulations on your wedding and new baby. I know the wedding was a while ago, I just hadn’t seen you. You were absolutely gorgeous.”

“Who is that!?”

She looked at the phone propped up on the computer. “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know. I’m going to call you back.”

“No, I’ll be seeing you soon. Love you. And take my daughter home.”

Before she could say something, the phone call ended. She looked at me and smiled.

“Thank you, girl. She’s a good baby.”

She turned her around so I could see her daughter. I couldn’t help but to smile because she looked just like a freaking baby doll. The prettiest chunky baby with perfect cheeks. I had to blink back the tears, thinking about how my own child would look now.

“Anyways…” she leaned over the desk. “You sure you wanna go in there? You over that already? You can chill out here with me. I ain’t doing nothing.”

While Citrus Grove is a very beautiful, small, country beach town, it was small enough for everybody to know about your most embarrassing moments. Sometimes people are brazen enough to ask you about it in public, others will just stare at you weirdly. Most times, I’d rather people just talk to me, than whisper behind my back. At least I’d know their thoughts.

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