One Hundred Twelve
Ayden
“You can’t be serious?” Reese screamed as I began packing my stuff.
“You can stay here, baby. I’ll sign the house over to you.”
Reese sobbed snatching my hands away from the suitcase. “I love you, Ayden. Why are you doing this? We can fight her.”
My eyes were blurry with tears. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I felt as though my heart were being ripped in two. “I could, but what good would it do? I love my babies. This is for them. Everything I’m doing is for them.”
Reese sank to the floor sobbing. She kicked at my suitcase. “I can’t take this. My heart won’t take this. I love those babies, too. I was there when they were born. I’ve held them. I’ve changed and fed them. In a way, they’re mine too, Ayden. How can you take them from me?” She bawled loudly tears soaking her face. Her mascara ran down her cheeks in muddy streams.
“I don’t want to hurt you, baby. Believe me, if there was another way, I’d do it, but there’s not. I’ve spent a lifetime making terrible decisions. I’ve tried to make amends for them, but this is the only way.”
Reese scrambled to her feet to face me.
The whir from the ceiling fan distracted me momentarily.
“Do you think I’m going to wait for you, is that it? The twins are babies. You expect me to wait for you for eighteen years?” She screamed her fists clenching.
I half-expected she would hit me. “Not at all, baby.” Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect. I wished she would hit me. It would hurt less than this emotional hurricane.
“I can’t do this. I can’t. I love you. I love the twins. Please, Ayden, don’t go to her. You can still be a great dad living with me. You love me not her. I adore having the twins come over here. I love being a stepmother. I want to be your wife. This is the family I always dreamed of having.” She was difficult to understand through her sobs. Her face was red and blotchy. Her makeup smeared all over her face. She appeared to be a broken doll.
I sniffled rubbing my nose with the heel of my hand. The room was oppressively hot even though it was below freezing outside. Pellets of sleet had just begun to fall hitting the car outside. “I’ve thought about this. I don’t know any other way I can keep the twins near me. If I don’t do it, she’ll move to her sister’s. I can’t stop her. I can’t get custody. My drug and criminal history assure that.”
“But what about Ava and Ash? They got you out of a murder rap!”
I scratched the back of my neck. Perspiration was soaking me causing my shirt to cling to my skin. “That was different. Sasha will leak this to the press. Ash is a prominent figure. The paparazzi will be all over the story. Even after the story dies down, in the future it could hurt the twins. I can’t have them being torn apart when they discover what happened between their parents when they’re older. Reese, baby, I’m so sorry, but this is the only way.”
She shook her head vehemently. She grabbed me by the arms. “You’re killing me. You know that, don’t you? My heart feels like it will burst.” She gasped in choking sobs.
The sleet fell harder making loud pinging noises. The wind started to howl from the north. The Nor’ester was upon us. Great. That would make driving next to impossible if I didn’t leave soon and I didn’t know how much more pain I could stand.
“My decision is final. I have to leave now,” I mumbled zipping up my suitcase. This was the hardest thing I’d ever done. The room felt as though it were closing in on me. If I hesitated much longer, I’d lose what little resolve I had.
“I’ll never have children. Being the twins’ stepmother was the closest I’ll ever come. I watched those babies being born. I held them after they were born. It was like they were mine, too. If you leave, I’ll never see them.” She cried. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut.
“I can bring them by, Reese. I promise you I will. I’m not trying to cut you out of my life. Maybe we can still see each other too.” I hinted hoping against hope she would agree. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad like that.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, you want to play father of the year living with your babies’ momma making me the whore on the side? Fuck you!” She screamed.
Startled with her burst of hatred, I picked up my suitcase moving towards the door. It was really coming down out there now. I heard the roar of the ocean in the distance.
“You’re not leaving. I’m leaving!” she yelled as she raced to the closet and threw out a suitcase. She quickly filled it with clothing and zipped it shut. “I don’t want your fucking house. I don’t want anything from you ever again!” She cried running out of the bedroom.
Quickly, I caught up with her and pushed her away from the door. “Reese, there’s a huge storm out there. You can’t leave. I’m giving you this house. It’s yours.”
Glaring at me through swollen lids, she shook her head. “I don’t want it. I’m done with you. You’ve broke my heart. I don’t give a shit what you have to say!” She tried to push past me, but I held her firmly.
She wrestled her arm free and slapped me hard across the face. She ripped off the necklace I’d given her with the red string of fate bow pendant tossing it into my face. “Fuck you! Get your hands off of me! I’m going to Ava’s.” She grabbed her suitcase and fled the house.
I stood watching her drive away feeling helpless. Walking back into the bedroom, I scooped up the broken gold chain and the red bow pendant. I pressed it to my chest and sank down onto the floor. I felt broken, shattered inside. There was nothing left.