Page 80 of Devil in Disguise


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“She’s talking. I don’t fucking care what she eats.”

Right then, Missy and Ghost walked into the kitchen. Danika took one look at the woman and whined, “Mama, cakes.”

Melissa smiled, walked right over to Danika, and picked her up. “Shh, baby. It’s ok. You can have cakes.”

“Dr. Jefferson—” Danny growled, his fist tightening.

“Danny, I think at this point you can call me by my name.”

“Melissa.” He sighed. “She can’t have cake for breakfast.”

Melissa’s smile was tight when she replied, “She isn’t asking for cake. She is asking for pancakes. They’re her favorite.”

Placing Danika back in her seat, I watched as the woman grabbed a plate and placed some eggs, a little bit of fruit, and one pancake on the plate. Grabbing a knife and fork, she walked back over to Danika and placed the plate before her, cutting up the pancake into small bite-sized pieces. Sitting in the chair next to her, she handed Danika a fork and said, “Eggs first.”

“No,” my stubborn daughter said as she tried to stab a piece of pancake.

“One bite, then eggs.”

“No.”

“Danika,” Danny firmly said, taking a step forward as Haizley jumped from her seat and stepped in.

“Danny, we talked about this.”

“She’s my daughter,” he argued.

“And she has been with Melissa for two months. You need to be patient with the transition for Dani. The three of you will need to sit down and talk about everything that has happened. You all have things to share with each other.”

I sat on the other side of Danika, trying to coax her into eating her eggs. When she shoved my hand away, Missy smiled.

“Missy, why are you smiling?” I asked.

“Because Dani is on the verge of a temper tantrum. She has been learning how to push her boundaries. And this is a huge step for her. And for you both.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused about how this could be a good thing.

“Dani hasn’t said no often. She pushes her boundaries with actions, not words. When she wants to get down, she squirms. When she doesn’t want to eat, she pushes the plate away. But today she said no. Dani has her fathers home. She is comfortable and secure with you both, despite the time apart. So, she will push back more with you both here.”

“How does being comfortable with us make her push back more?” Danny asked.

“She knows, she’s safe. Children inherently know who they can push back against.” Standing up, she added, “Children who are afraid of their parents are quiet in their presence. They don’t draw attention to themselves. Whereas children who live in homes where they know they can push back without fear will do so often as they learn the differences between right and wrong. Excuse me.”

“What the fuck did you say to her?” a gruff voice snarled behind me, and I quickly turned to see Ghost standing there with two plates in his hands.

“Ghost, it wasn’t Danny,” Haizley quickly interjected.

“Bullshit. Don’t think that because I kept my mouth shut, I didn’t hear the way you questioned how she cared for your daughter. That woman loves that little girl like she was her own. She gave up everything to keep her safe. She’s fucking happy you are both here and alive. But she’s also fucking devastated that she’s gonna lose her.”

“Why would she lose her?” I asked, looking from Ghost to Danny as he sighed.

“Haizley is right. We have some things to discuss.”

With that, Ghost stormed out the door with Haizley hot on his heels.

Shaking my head, I glared up at Danny. “You done pissing everyone off yet?”

“I was only speaking the truth. We need to talk about things.”