Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Okay, Mommy,” she says cheerfully. Blissfully unaware that her father is currently on his way to the police station for assaulting a paparazzi. And the arresting officer is a guy I used to sleep with.
God, what a clusterfuck of a mess.
The only consistent and sure thing in my life is this little girl in my arms. And the fact that, no matter what, I love Zeus, and I always will.
I put Gigi to her feet, and she runs off to the living room. I wait until I hear the sounds of Tangled resume before I slide my cell from my jeans pocket and speed-dial Aunt Elle’s cell.
She answers on the second ring. “I literally just heard about the complaint filed against Zeus,” she tells me before I get a chance to say anything. “I’ll deal with it, Cam. Don’t worry about anything.”
“Thank you,” I breathe, blinking back tears from my eyes.
“Mommy! Can we go to the store yet? I wanna make cwookies!” Gigi calls from the living room.
“One more minute,” I call to Gigi. “Sorry,” I say to Aunt Elle. “I told Gigi we’d make Zeus some cookies for when he got home. I have to take her to the store—” A sob catches in my throat. I press my hand to my mouth.
“It is going to be okay, Cam. Say it.”
I take a deep breath, blinking back tears. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Good girl. Now, you and Gigi get to baking those cookies, and I’ll have Zeus back home before they’ve cooled.”
“Thank you,” I say again.
“You never need to thank me. There isn’t a thing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you or our Gigi girl.”
Emotion clogs my throat. “I love you, Mom,” I say, surprising myself.
That’s the first time I’ve ever called her it. I don’t know why I just did now. Or why I haven’t always called her it.
There’s a pause.
I don’t know what she’s thinking, and that scares me. A lump fixes in my throat, and my damp hand clamps tight around my phone.
“Should I not have said that?” I whisper.
She makes a choked sound. And, when she speaks, her voice is thick, “You’re my daughter, Cam. You always have been. You always will be. Hearing you call me Mom…” Another pained sound comes from her.
I’ve never seen her cry before. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever known. But I’m pretty sure she is or is close to tears right now.
A tear rolls down my cheek. I brush it away. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She lets out what seems to be a happy sound. “You haven’t upset me. Far from it. You’ve…I’m just happy right now. I’d rank this as the second happiest day of my life.”
“What was your first?”
“The day you came to live with me and the day Gigi was born.”
“That’s two things,” I say.
“Joint first,” she tells me. “I’m not going to choose between my girls.”
I laugh softly as another tear slips down my cheek. I brush it away.
“Now, let’s stop before you have me bawling, and I wreck my reputation as the station’s hard-ass. Let me get Zeus out of this trouble he’s gotten himself into.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
We hang up, and I push my cell back into my jeans pocket. I dry my face with my hands, blow out a strengthening breath, step back into Mommy mode, and walk through into the living room to find my girl sprawled out on the sofa, singing along to Tangled.
“Okay, Gigi girl.” I clap my hands together, getting her attention. “Let’s go to the store, and then we can get our bake on.”
True to her word, Aunt Elle got Zeus home. It took a bit longer than the time it took Gigi and I to go to the store and back and bake the cookies, but she got him home nonetheless.
Aunt Elle had Zeus released on a DAT—desk ticket appearance. Meaning he wouldn’t have to stay in jail until his arraignment. He’s supposed to go in front of a judge in a few days, so he can be formally charged with assault and malicious destruction of property.
I know. I want to cry every time I think about it.
But Zeus is confident that it’ll never get that far. And Aunt Elle agrees with him.
The paparazzi guy will want money. That’s all he’ll want, according to Zeus. That’s why he pressed charges in the first place.
Zeus’s lawyers are currently prepping to make a deal with this guy. If he accepts, which Zeus says he will, the charges will be dropped, and Zeus will pay him damages.
Sickens me to think that this guy can harass us while we’re out together, take our pictures, and say some awful, derogatory, and untruthful things about me, and Zeus is the one who has to pay. Literally.
But, “It’s the way of the world,” Zeus said.