Page 8 of Bittersweet Redemption

He’s a pretty good little player and doesn’t give up easily. If his mom didn’t come stomping out of their house to find him, I bet he’d have me playing soccer all afternoon.

But Willa does, in fact, come stomping out with a scowl. She doesn’t get to be mad about this. We’re in this situation because of her. I’m the one who should be mad. And I am. Seeing her instantly makes my blood boil when I was just laughing and having a good time. Her long blonde hair is pulled back in a tight bun, and when she gets closer, I notice her eyes are done up with thick, black-winged liner. I hate that she’s attractive. It pisses me off even more because I want to look at her and pretend she doesn’t exist all at the same time.

“Roman, we’ve got to go,” she says in a steady voice once she’s close enough to us. Her voice might be calm, but the anger in her eyes is unmistakable. Her back is straight as a rod, and I know she’s uncomfortable being over here. Good. I was an ass the first day we met and don’t regret it one bit.

Roman picks up his ball. “Thanks for playing with me, Mr. Kai.” This might be the most polite kid I’ve ever met. His mom didn’t even have to tell him to thank me. I know I didn’t do that when I was his age.

“Yeah, no problem.”

He walks past his mother and toward their house with a smile.

Willa schools her expression to look totally unfazed, but the pinkness on her cheeks gives her away. “Sorry if he bothered you. I told him to leave you alone, but he’s just a kid.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind him.” I look her up and down, taking in her skinny jeans and tight black shirt. “It’s his mother who’s the problem.”

She rolls her eyes, and the movement makes me clench my fists. Funny that her son knows manners, but she doesn’t. If I were in her position, I would not be giving attitude. She should be begging for my forgiveness, not rolling her fucking eyes at me.

She turns to follow her son, and I watch her go, her hips swaying from side to side. My palms twitch with the need to smack her ass. But as soon as she walks inside her house, the anger dissipates from my body.

It’s amazing how one person can make me so angry with one tiny action. I’ve never really been an angry guy. Even when I was sent to prison, yeah, it sucked, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it but carry out my sentence.

I don’t like how I feel around her, but I can’t help it. She ruined my life. I can’t and won’t act like she didn’t. Let’s hope being neighbors doesn’t end in disaster. Although, at this rate, it’s not looking good.

Chapter 5

Willa

I want to call Nick.

I hate that I want to. For so long, he was the one who was always there for me. He helped me make decisions, or rather, he made them for me. But still. Sometimes it’s nice to rely on someone else to do the heavy lifting. Then if it goes sideways, it’s on them, not me.

God, I’m pathetic. I want to be a strong woman who doesn’t need a man. I want to be a single mom who is just fine on her own. I want to be a good role model for Roman.

But sometimes it’d be nice to have some help. Especially with the hard stuff. Like what health insurance to use or what to do when the man you sent to prison is now your next-door neighbor. You know, things like that.

I want Nick to tell me what to do. Should I move? Should I stand my ground? What’s best for Roman? My only saving grace is that Kai isn’t an asshole to my son. No one messes with my baby.

But I know I can’t go to Nick. I know he’d try to take me in again and act like everything is perfect. He’d act like the past year apart didn’t happen. He didn’t want us to break up, but he also didn’t want to stop sleeping with other women. So I had to make that hard decision all on my own.

I refuse to let him manipulate me back into his arms. That’s exactly what he would do to try to make me feel safe and loved. Two things he knows I crave.

I can’t do that.

So, as I gather Roman’s soccer stuff and my bag, I decide, on my own, that I’m not leaving this house. My renter’s contract is only for a year. I can handle this for a year. And at the end of the year, if things are still tense, then I’ll leave. Maybe I’ll have a bigger client base at the salon and make more money.

I hadn’t worked after Roman was born. I stayed home to take care of him. When I decided to leave Nick, I made sure my cosmetology license was renewed and got a chair at a salon where one of my friends works. Thankfully, they let me keep Roman in the back room at the salon so I didn’t have to pay for daycare. They would all help me by keeping an eye on him while I worked. Now that he’s in school, I can schedule clients around his school schedule and on the weekends. He takes the handheld gaming thing Nick got him and waits patiently for me. I don’t know how I got so lucky with this kid. Especially since half of his DNA comes from Nick.

But today, one of my best-paying customers needed a Saturday appointment. I couldn’t turn it down, even though Roman has soccer in the afternoon.

So here we are, in the salon on a Saturday when I would much rather be at home playing in our yard or racing cars through our kitchen.

“Hey, Kayla,” I greet my friend as I walk in the front door with Roman following behind.

“Hey, guys.” She smiles and returns her attention to the pixie cut she’s giving the woman in front of her. “I didn’t know you were working today.” The only Saturdays I usually work are when Roman is with his Dad.

“Yeah. Mrs. Cutler wants her color redone today because her son is getting married next week.” I set my bag down at the station that I rent. I look over to Roman sitting in my chair while I get set up. “And as soon as I’m done, we’re going straight to soccer.”

“Are you so excited for soccer, Ro?” Kayla asks him. “I told your mom I’m going to come watch you play one weekend.”