What We Once Were

Chapter 4.

Bridget was deadly quiet as the sounds of her daughter's chatter was mindlessly sucked into the void inside Bridget's head. She felt her nails digging into her palms, the warm trickle of blood oozing under her nails and onto her fingertips as she listened to Juliet and Greyson laugh and talk with each other.

Bridget was not a territorial or possessive person in the slightest. But with Juliet, maybe it was the mother's instincts kicking in but she never liked it when Juliet interacted with strangers. Of course that was normal for most parents, but with Bridget, her anxieties were already an issue. Especially around strangers or people she's had a history with. She wanted to protect her daughter from everything in her past, whether it be good or bad.

"Slide! Slide! Over there, can we please go there Greyson?" Juliet cheered, her tiny fists grabbing hold of Greyson's hair.

Greyson didn't even tell her to stop pulling his hair, how was he so good at this? "Sure thing, have you ever played the game lava monster?" Greyson asked, tilting his head upward to face Juliet.

She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion at him, "No. What is it?"

Greyson hoisted her off his shoulders and set her down on the mulch. "I'll show you." He paused for a moment and Bridget stood silently off to the side, feeling like she was witnessing her whole life slip away from her and she was powerless to stop it. "Now go run up on to the play set and I'm going to try and chase you and tag you. Don't let me."

Juliet's eyes danced, "So it's like tag?"

"Yes, but I can only touch one color." Greyson threw his glance over towards the playset. It was mostly black but with some blue, plenty of which he could climb and maneuver his way around the structure. "I can only touch blue, you can touch every color. Just don't let me tag you or else you're it." Greyson simplified the game, now Juliet was stoked to play.

"Okay, count to ten." She instructed and scampered off towards the playground, giggling all the way.

Bridget felt like an outsider, standing there watching them play. They looked exactly like a real father and his daughter who'd never been apart. They laughed and played with each other like they weren't perfect strangers.

Bridget had never seen her daughter connect with someone so quickly, she couldn't remember the last time Juliet had ever been that happy with her.

At the thought of that, she dug her nails further into her flesh, whatever pain she was supposed to be feeling was nonexistent. A part of her wanted to scream and take her daughter away from him. She wanted to erase the memories Juliet had with him so she would be all hers again. She had to protect her daughter from the heartbreak and suffering she went through five years ago with him. If Greyson broke her daughter's heart, she'd never forgive him for that.

Juliet shrieked as Greyson lunged at her and wrapped her tiny body into his arms, Bridget shut her eyes, feeling the familiar signs of tears building up behind her eyes. She couldn't watch this anymore, it was beginning to make Bridget question whether or not she made the right decision about not telling Greyson about Juliet and not being honest with her daughter about her father.

"Careful! Careful, I don't want her getting hurt." Bridget spoke up half heartedly, like she was trying to save herself from drowning in the raging storm inside her head. Her feet felt like cinder blocks as she shuffled awkwardly towards the blue bars near the slide where Juliet was.

"I'm fine Mommy. I'm having fun." Juliet said between breaths of laughter.

"You know I'd never hurt her Bridge. I have a little sister." Greyson added with a grin on his face as he held Juliet in his arms and tickled her stomach.