I jerk my head up in greeting and Zoey steps back from me, looking up at me in adoration.
This.
This right here.
This is why I’d relocate to the ends of the earth to be near my daughter.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask her, ignoring Bri as she comes closer to the door.
“Definitely want to ride,” she says eagerly.
Yup… my little girl loves Harleys as much as I do.
“Okay,” I say as I turn her toward the inside of the apartment and give her a push. “Go get whatever you need and we’ll play it by ear, but whatever we decide to do, it will be on the bike.”
“Sweet,” Zoey chirps and pushes past Brianna back into the apartment.
Brianna inches closer toward me until she leans against the doorframe, crossing her arms under her chest so her breasts push up. I don’t even spare them a glance. Not that they aren’t great, because they are, but first, Bri fucked our marriage up so badly that I have absolutely no attraction left for her, and two… they are nothing compared to Casey’s tits. Now those are spectacular and so vivid in my imagination, I don’t need to look at another set.
“That shit wasn’t cool,” I tell Brianna as I level a hard stare at her.
“What?” she asks innocently, batting her lashes.
“Taking Zoey to Florida last week when you knew I was going to be here for her,” I growl with frustration, because she knows damn well what I’m talking about.
“Sorry… it was too good an opportunity to pass up.” Her petulance makes me grind my teeth together.
Leaning in toward her and lowering my voice, I say, “What was too good to pass up? Taking advantage of your newest fuck and his money or making me suffer?”
Bri’s eyes narrow at me, and she hisses, “Both.”
I lean back away from her and mutter, “Selfish bitch. Always looking out for yourself.”
She’s completely unfazed though and as if I hadn’t just called her a bitch, asks sweetly, “So… are you going to move here to be near us?”
“Are you going to stay put here?” I ask her skeptically. “Because I’m not chasing you all over the fucking country just to be with my daughter.”
“You’ll go wherever we are,” she asserts confidently. “You can’t stay away.”
I nod at her in agreement and then lean back in toward her. My voice is steely and dead fucking serious. “You’re right. There’s no way in hell I can stay away from my daughter, but I’ll fight you for custody if you keep playing these sick games, Bri. Take a fucking hint… we are done and I am never going to be with you again.”
And once again proving why I couldn’t stay married to her crazy ass, she waves her hand at me impatiently and says, “You’ll change your mind and I’ll be here waiting.”
I want to punch the wall in frustration, but I don’t. I never do anything outwardly actionable that lets Bri know just how much she gets to me. I’m ultimately saved from further maddening conversation with my ex when Zoey comes running back through the living room. She put her hair in a long braid and has an army-green satchel looped across her chest.
“I’m ready,” she says. She bounces right past Brianna without a backward glance and heads for the stairs.
“What time will you be back?” Brianna asks with eager anticipation. “I’ll have dinner ready for all of us.”
Crazy bitch.
I turn to follow Zoey but swivel my head slightly to look at her over my shoulder. “I’ll have her back after dinner.”
“So what’s the deal?” I ask Zoey as we munch on blue corn chips and spicy salsa. We chose a Mexican restaurant with outdoor seating for lunch.
She shrugs her shoulders and won’t meet my gaze. Her hand reaches for another chip, but I reach out and grab it. Her eyes come to mine.
“I can’t fix it unless I know what the problem is,” I tell her softly but firmly.
Zoey pulls her hand away and then a fountain starts gushing. “I hate it here. I miss you and Wyoming. Mom’s always working and when she’s not working, she’s always with Kip. And she’s doing the same shit—”
“Language,” I warn.
“—sorry, crap that she did with you. Gets pissed if Kip shows me any attention.”
“And what type of attention is he showing you?” I growl menacingly.
“Eww… gross, Dad,” Zoey says with a huge eye roll. “He’s a nice guy. He shows an interest in my schoolwork and my activities. It was his idea to go to Disney, but he said we should wait until after you came to visit me. It was Mom who insisted we go right then… said it was the only time she could get off work, but we both know that’s bullshit.”
My hackles immediately flatten out, and I disregard her curse word. I personally had thought Kip was an okay dude… an idiot for putting up with Brianna’s shit, but he seemed cool. Brianna has been dating him for almost a year and after he got a job here in North Carolina, she used that as the perfect excuse to pack my daughter up and leave with her. As a nurse, Brianna was highly employable, and it was nothing for her to relocate. She easily got a job that paid her way more money than she ever made back in Wyoming.
Placing my forearms on the table, I lean toward her. “Listen, honey. Your mom is… well, your mom has some issues.”
“She’s nuts,” Zoey huffs.