I walk slowly back to class. It seems so forlorn in the studio with only four girls. I can’t believe Gabriella is gone. I worked so hard to get her here.
I stand outside the window a moment. They can’t see me there, as the window is a mirror on their side. Blitz is busily helping Janel show the girls a new routine. There’s still twenty minutes in class.
I don’t second-guess what I have to do. I march straight back down the hall, through the foyer, and am out the door before anyone can even say anything.
The police officer is still by his squad car, writing something on a notepad.
I can’t see Denham, but I know where he is. I make it to the sidewalk and look down. Sure enough, he’s moved another block to get outside the three-hundred-yard protective zone.
“Can I help you, Miss?” the officer asks as I pass, but I hold up my hand. Nothing is going to stop me from talking to Denham. I’m so angry. So absolutely outraged at what he has cost me. I can’t believe I ever loved him. He’s my biggest, worst, most absolute enemy at this moment.
Denham messes with the orange reel. Piles of kinked-up measuring tape are resisting going back on the roll. My ballet slippers are whisper quiet, so I’m right up at him when he notices me.
I shove his shoulders. “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
His face is smug. “Y’all are mighty jumpy in there for people who don’t have anything to hide.”
“You went crazy in there! Shouting and carrying on like a psycho. Of course Danika called the police.”
Denham sniffs, his attention back on rolling up the reel. “I aim to find my baby girl.”
“She isn’t at Dreamcatcher,” I say. At least now it’s the truth.
“Then I reckon you better get right on with telling me where she is so I can be on my way. We don’t have to have a thing to do with each other.” He shakes the reel hard to knock out a kink in the tape. “I’m over all that, Miss Fine and Dandy.”
“You cannot mess with her life,” I say. “That isn’t fair. You haven’t been out of jail more than a few months at a time anyway. What is she supposed to do when you go back in?”
The tape unsnarls and rolls up, snapping against the case.
“I’m a changed man. I got obligations now. I intend to live up to them.” He gives me a dark glance. “Not pawn them off on somebody else.”
My head wants to explode. He thinks I wanted to give up my baby?
“I had no choice,” I hiss. “I was fifteen with a father who was off-the-rails angry.” I step forward and poke him again, making an indentation in the black leather jacket. “You were the one who wasn’t there.”
“I believe your father took care of that,” he says calmly. The reel hangs loosely by his side.
“You didn’t even try,” I say. “You didn’t show up at school. You weren’t anywhere. I was stuck with what you did.”
I want to cry now. I’ve never thought this through before. As angry as I had been at Denham, he was the best thing that had happened to me. And even though I never should have been with him in the first place, I had lost him and any help he would have given me with the baby. Maybe even finding the strength to keep her.
“You have no idea what my life became,” I say. “It was horrible.”
“Aww, Livia. Damn. I know. Mine was shit too. On the street. Trying not to starve. What was I going to do? Sixteen and your brother to boot. I had caused enough trouble for you.” He tosses the reel in the back of his truck. The sound of it landing in the metal bed rings down the quiet street.
“I had nobody. And I was stuck. At least you could escape.” I swipe my hands at the tears on my face.
“Come here.” Denham wraps his arms around me. “We can fix this. You and me. Get our daughter. We can work this. See our baby grow up.”
“She’s got a family,” I say. “She’s happy.”
“So you do know where she is,” he says. “I knew you were smart like that. Is she close? Could we go see her now?”
I turn back to Dreamcatcher. The officer is standing there, watching us.
“I can’t do that,” I say. “She has a family. I just can’t.”
I pull my arm from Denham and try to walk away, but he follows.
“Livia, we can do this together. I know we can. I got father’s rights. I’ll let you see her whenever you want. Your guy’s got money. Maybe he can get your rights back too. It’ll work. You just have to believe.”
I shake my head and walk faster. I won’t do that to Gwen. I won’t.
Denham grabs my arm again, and this time I forcibly shake him off. “Stop!” I say. “I won’t be a part of this!”
I don’t realize how close we are to the parking lot until Ted starts running down the steps. “Stay away from her!” he shouts.
This gets the officer in action. “You’re violating the protective order,” he roars at Denham.
Denham reaches for me again. “Livia, it’s not too late to fix this thing.” His hand closes on my arm.
I scream and whip myself away to get free.
Then everything is a blur as the officer and Ted both converge on Denham. I walk backwards, stumble, and catch myself as Ted tackles Denham. The officer turns Denham over and handcuffs him. He’s followed me into the protective zone. I’ve made things worse.
Everything is so much worse.