Selfish Love by Cheryl Terra

Author:Cheryl Terra [Cheryl Terra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bang It Out Writing
Published: 2022-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

I talked him down to a week.

“She’s never been away from home that long,” I said. “Two weeks is too much.”

“This is her home, too,” Daniel replied. “Or it would be, if she was allowed to spend any length of time here.”

I bit back my instinctual response, which was to tell him to talk to the courts, since that probably wouldn’t work in my favor anymore. “Let her ease into it. I’m not asking for me.”

“Two weeks, but we can split it into one-week blocks.”

I took a steadying breath and let it out. “One week and we’ll see.”

His tone grew colder. “I don’t think you have quite the bargaining power you seem to think you do.”

Another breath, this time through clenched teeth. “I’m not bargaining, Daniel. I’m trying to do what’s best for our daughter.”

“In exchange for money.”

Breathe in. Breathe out. “One week.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s the best I can do. One week. If it goes well and she wants to, another one a few months later.”

“If she wants to?” he repeated.

“I’m not going to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do,” I replied.

“Right, my dear, but I just want to confirm that if Baylee wants something, you’ll consider it?”

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

“I will consider it,” I said. “But you’ll need to consider upping your child support permanently.”

“When?”

“When will I consider it?”

I could almost hear him roll his eyes. “When is my week with her?”

My stomach curled in disgust as I realized he was agreeing to it. “Send me the money first and then we’ll pick a week.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Daniel, I can’t pick a week right this second. I need to check her Scouts schedule and her school stuff and—”

“I don’t think you understand, Kelsie. I’m not sending the money until I have my week with her.”

“Then I guess you’re not getting a week with her.”

“Let me remind you which one of us called to ask for money, my dear.”

There was no breathing in and out that time.

“Yeah, and I need it before Christmas, so either way, you’re leaving me screwed,” I snapped. “So I guess you don’t get a week with her after all.”

“Or you could just—”

But I didn’t hear what I could “just” do, since I hung up on him.

I’d never hung up on Daniel before. I don’t think either of us quite knew what to do. Half of me expected him to call back right away, raging mad, screaming and berating me for doing something so boldly disrespectful.

Or worse, maybe he wouldn’t call. Maybe he would just come.

But he didn’t call back. And it wasn’t like I was home or he could magically just appear in front of me. Not that it mattered, since I figured either way, I was back to the used panties idea.

I was so certain that was the only option that I’d started checking the Victoria’s Secret website and pricing out the cheapest panties I could find in my size while I was waiting for Baylee to come out after the Girl Scouts Christmas party.

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