What the fuck?
“Liam isn’t available right now. I can let him know you dropped by…”
She glances through the screen door over my shoulder, her sneer turning into something more sinister. “Breanna. My name is Breanna, and that”—she points one long red-tipped fingernail behind me—“is my son.”
I feel the color drain from my face. I don’t want to look back because if I do, I know exactly what I’ll see there.
I cross my arms over my chest and pin her with a hard stare. “What do you want?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Aiden and Liamaremy business. You can either talk to me, or you can leave.”
“I want to see my son,” she says. “As his mother, I have every right to see him.” She glances over my shoulder once again. “Aiden, sweetie. Come here.”
Jaw clenched, I close my eyes to calm my racing heart and turn to face a trembling Aiden. I place two hands on his shoulders. “Are you ok?”
“N-no.”
It feels like a first is squeezing my heart. I pull him in for a hug and palm the back of his head. “It’s ok. I’m right here. Can you do something for me?”
He nods jerkily. “Go to your room and lock the door, ok? I’m gonna call your dad.”
“Ok.” Without another word, he runs down the hallway to his room. Once I hear his door shut, I pull my phone out of my back pocket and dial Liam’s number.
He answers on the first ring. “Miss me?”
“You need to come homenow.”
“Calm down, baby. What’s going on?”
“Your ex is at the door. She’s asking for you. I told her you aren’t available but… Aiden saw her. She’s demanding to see him.”
He lets out a string of curses. “Hang up and text Nico. I’m on my way. Donotlet her inside the house. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
I glance back through the screen door.
She’s still there, holding a phone to her ear. “No. She’s not letting me inside. I want to see my son.” Whoever she’s talking to isn’t de-escalating the situation, and she’s growing more agitated by the second. She’s fuming. “I never signed any fucking papers.”
Liam’s truck is barely in the driveway before he’s throwing open his door and rushing to the stoop. “What the fuck are you doing here, Breanna?”
She drops her phone into her purse and raises one perfectly manicured brow. She’s beautiful in a villain-in-your-favorite-fairytale kind of way—like she had to steal the souls of innocent children to look that way.
“Now, Liam. Is that any way to talk to the mother of your child?” Her entire demeanor has changed in Liam’s presence. Gone is the frigid bitch from moments ago, replaced by a cunning, flirtatious persona.
“You stopped being his mother the second you dropped him on my fucking doorstep and left. So, I’ll ask again. What thefuckare you doing here?”
“Looks like you’ve got quite a cozy little setup here.TheRuby Lynn Hayes? When I saw the article, I almost couldn’t believe it. But then, you always were fond of your brother’s girlfriend.”
Liam’s jaw ticks and his nostrils flare. “Are you going to leave quietly, or do I have to call the cops?”
“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say,” she says, gliding one of her fingers down his chest.
He slaps her hand away and crosses his arms. “Talk.”
“Wouldn’t it be a shame if the press got hold of some scandalous photos of you and your little girlfriend? I bet they’d love to see the video I got last night when you were down by the beach.”
The screen door crashes against the frame as I barrel through it, shoving myself between Breanna and Liam. “You fucking cunt!”
