Chapter 16

Lance

Hearing her mother speak to her that way made me want to knock her ass out. I was so fucking sick to my stomach. How could she talk to her own child that way? What about her grandson? It was like she didn't give a shit what happened to them. How could she tell her own daughter that no man would ever love her because of a child? Shit! Was that why Lauren was so afraid to tell me about Jackson? How could she have lived with that woman all those years? What the fuck was wrong with her mother?

Her mom was kicking her and her son out on the street. She didn't have a plan in place. Shit, she didn't know she'd need one. Her grandmother had died suddenly just days before, and she was being thrown out on her ass. That was not okay. I was so pissed off. That wasn't how family was. It wasn't how it was supposed to be anyway. Family was supposed to love you. They were supposed to be the people you turned to when the world fucked you over. My parents pissed me off on a regular basis, but I'd never not be there for them. They would never dream of turning their backs on me. They'd spend their last penny to help me. That was family.

When she asked her mom where she was supposed to go, I couldn't stop myself. There was no fucking way I was going to walk away.

“With me,” I growled out. “The two of you are coming with me.”

In that moment, I felt more protective over the two of them than I ever had anyone or anything in my life. There was no way that bitch of a woman was going to hurt Lauren days after her grandma's death. I didn't care if she changed her mind, Lauren and Jackson were not staying there with her. That shit would never happen.

“I can't,” she said, as she looked past her mom.

“You can,” I said firmly.

She shook her head no.

“Jackson”

“I'll stay at my parents if you're worried about me getting close to him,” I said. “I'll figure it out.”

“No,” she said. “We're not your problem.”

“You're right, you're not,” I said, as I stepped around the nasty woman to get to Lauren. “You can pay rent if it makes you feel better.”

Her shoulders instantly relaxed, and I smiled down at her.

“Ass,” she whispered but smiled back.

That was good enough for me. It was the first smile I'd seen on her since I'd first knocked on her door.

“Go pack your stuff,” I said. “I'll help you pack Jackson's. Between our cars, we should be able to get most of it. I'll bring you back for the rest.”

“I'm not leaving right now,” she said.

“You are,” I said. “I'm not leaving the two of you here one night with her.”

“Lance,” she said, as she reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Now,” I demanded.

It was taking all I had to hold it together in front of her. I couldn't have her arguing with me. She needed to go. There was no way she was staying without me there. I'd carry her ass out over my shoulder if I had to.

When I narrowed my eyes at her, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Don't do this, I thought. I didn't move my eyes away. Finally, she took a deep breath and walked around me and out of the room. I stayed facing away from the evil woman behind me. I heard Lauren tell Jackson to come up to her room with her. Then I heard their footsteps.

I took a huge breath in and released it. Then I spun around to face the bitch that had put Lauren through so much in her life.

“Go ahead, take her,” she snapped at me. “I don't want her. She's the reason he left.”

“That's bullshit,” I snapped back. “She doesn't deserve any of this, and she definitely deserved a better mother than you. How can you turn on your own child. She's the one you should have chosen. He's not here. Being a bitch to her didn't bring him back, did it? I've never seen a more disgusting person in all my life. She just lost her grandmother, and you couldn't even give her time before hurting her. What the fuck is wrong with you? You're alone for a reason, and it's not because of him.”

“I should have listened when his ex's man told me he was a loser. He'd gotten her pregnant and told her to take care of it. He was pissed when he found out she hadn't. It didn't help that a ballplayer had gotten her after he was done with her. I thought it would be different with us. He loved me. He didn't want kids. I got pregnant by accident. I'd still have him if I'd listened to him when he told me to take care of it.”

I was so pissed off that I wasn't even listening to her ramble anymore.

“You make me so sick,” I growled out at her. “She deserves so much better than you.”

“Oh really?” she asked sarcastically. “You going to take her and a boy that's not even yours?”

“I am,” I said. “She better never hear from you again. You have the house. Enjoy it. I'll make sure they're safe. You're going to grow old alone, and that is your fault. So, when you're lonely and you need help, remember this moment right here. The moment you turned your back on your child. You have nobody to blame but yourself. You should have loved her. You should have been a mother to her. It wasn't her fault that you picked a jackass to love. That was all on you, remember that.”

I turned around and walked by her toward the doorway so I could go help Lauren and get her the hell out of there.

“Have a nice life,” I said. “I'll make damn sure they do.”