Page 70 of Falling for the Unexpected

“Hey,” Brad said as he pulled the door open for me to enter the house.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded bluntly, letting my hatred for him shine through.

He had this awful Joker-like smile plastered on his face. “Actually, I was just leaving,” he said as I pushed past him.

“Mama!” Stella shrieked when she saw me. I kneeled down as soon as she reached me and gave her a huge hug and kiss.

“I missed you, baby girl. Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?” I asked.

“We had lots of fun,” I heard Jim announce from the living room. “She picked out the best tree at the lot and we’ve spent all day decorating.”

I gave him a small smile, feeling uncomfortable with Brad in the same room. I realized that Stella wasn’t interacting with her father at all and I wondered if he’d even tried to spend any time with her while he had been here.

“Well, I’m taking off,” Brad announced, speaking more to his dad than to me.

“Um… Brad can I talk to you for a minute before you leave?” I asked, hating to go back to that subservient Simone who was always timid and meek. But at least this time, I was determined to get answers.

“Make it quick,” he said, checking his phone and effecting a bored air, “I have some people I’m meeting up with.”

“Hey, Stella, let’s go see if Grandma’s cookies have cooled off,” Jim said, removing Stella from the tense situation that was forming in the entryway.

“How long have those drugs been in the storage closet?” I demanded.

“No idea what you’re talking about, Simone,” he said, smirking.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Brad! You know they weren’t mine. When I caught you with Tiffany I saw the coke on the bedside table. You’ve obviously used since that night three years ago. Why can’t you just be honest with me for once?!” I said, raising my voice. I didn’t care if Jim and Marla heard. I was mad I’d never told them about this before.

His expression became ugly, his lips turning into a snarl as he spat out, “Why should I tell you anything? Just so you can use it against me later? You’re just pissed off because Kyle found out the kind of behavior you’re capable of and left you. I can’t help it if he doesn’t want to date a coke whore.”

“Brad!” I heard Marla gasp from the doorway.

“I’m outta here,” he said, not letting his mother say another word. He walked out the door without a backward glance.

I felt the tears prick at my eyes as I turned around to face Marla. “It’s not true what he said, I swear!”

“Oh, sweetie…” Marla said, coming over and wrapping her arms around me. As soon as I was in her arms, the dam broke open and my tears soaked her shirt.

“I promise, I’m not doing drugs…” I trailed off. I didn’t know what else to say. What if she didn’t believe me? What if her and Jim believed Brad and thought Stella would be better off with them?

“Simone, look at me,” Marla said placing both hands on the side of my face. “I believe you.” Those three words were so powerful.

I was able to calm myself a little. “Everything is totally screwed up,” I said tearfully, thankful I wasn’t sobbing. “And the worst part is I allowed another man to walk out of Stella’s life. What kind of mother am I if I can’t even protect her from the men I pick?”

“There is no excuse for Brad’s behavior. He’s hit rock bottom, from what we can tell,” she said, still trying to calm me down. "Jim and I can only hope he gets help before things get worse. As far as things with Kyle, I have faith they will work out. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I have never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you. He loves you and love can overcome a lot.”

“Oh, Marla, I’m not sure love can overcome this. What he saw is most definitely a hard limit for him, and I’m not sure the truth is enough for him to be able to let it go,” I said. I pulled back and tried to have more control over my emotions.

I went to pack up Stella’s clothing and toys feeling the exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours wash over me. I wasn’t sure why Brad had been over here and it wasn’t my business. I could have asked his parents but, frankly, I didn’t feel like talking anymore. I just wanted to get back to my apartment.

I drove Stella and myself back home, trying not to overthink everything and dwell on how my life had once again been turned upside down. Nothing lasts forever, I thought, especially for me.

Back inside the apartment, I spent the evening just snuggling with my baby on the couch feeling some happiness for the first time since Kyle walked out and Brad had managed to hurt me, once again.

After some mother-daughter bonding time, I gave her a bath and read her a story before putting her down for the night.

“I wuv you, Mama,” she said sleepily. It’s like she knew I needed to hear that on repeat, and it made me feel better. I tucked her in tight, glad she didn’t seem to bothered by my emotional rollercoaster.

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” I said, and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then I walked out and closed the door behind me.

I went through my nighttime routine, washing my face, brushing my teeth, and changing into pajamas. All my movements were mechanical, like a robot with no thought, and I was glad to be operating on autopilot. I had to work tomorrow so Stella was going to spend the evening with Kayla. I re-packed her bag so I wouldn’t have to do it in the morning. I climbed into bed around nine and looked at my phone again. I still hadn’t heard from Kyle. Deciding I couldn’t go to sleep without reaching out to him, I scrolled through my contacts to his name and sent him a text.

Me:I miss you.

That was all. I had so much more I wanted to say to him but that would have to do for tonight. I held onto my phone hoping to hear from him. I fell asleep with the phone next to me, but it never went off. I took that as confirmation he really was done with me.