California Secrets (Billy Hargrove)

- 𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢 -

- Katherine Witherfield -

A couple of months have passed, and we have gotten into a routine. Our time share plan executes how we wanted it to, and James seems to enjoy the time he spends with his father.

The door bell rings, and I rise from my spot next to James on the couch to answer it. I open the door, and Billy stands there with a smile on his face, here to pick up James for his Sunday visit. He had to work yesterday, since his new boss at the mechanic shop he now works at demanded he worked, so he is spending Sunday with James rather than Saturday like he usually would. I look past Billy and to his car, where a notice an unfamiliar blonde sitting in the passenger seat in his car, looking at her lips in the mirror.

"Who is that?" I ask Billy.

"Oh, thats Becky," he answers.

"Do I know Becky?"

"No, but she's chill, she won't cause any drama regarding James."

I give him a doubtful look. "Right, is it like how Sydney wasn't going to tell anyone?" Last time Billy introduced James to a girl, the girl, named Sydney, told the whole school about how James was Billy's son, which only enhanced the slut shaming upon me. Not Billy though, because- insert sarcasm here- god forbid the guy gets slut shamed.

Billy rolls his eyes at me. "No, its not. It will be fine. It can't get any worse anyways, right?"

"Okay well if this is going to be a thing, I need to meet her."

"It probably won't, it's fine," he answers with a shrug.

"What the hell, Billy?" I whisper-shout at him. "I don't think its appropriate that James hangs around your one-night-stands!"

"Calm down, Katherine. It's fine."

I feel like smoke is coming out of my ears, but I take a deep breath to calm myself down. "I can't believe you. You're an asshole."

"You too, Kat," he says to me sarcastically with a smile. I want to smack him across the face, but the sound of James's tiny footsteps stops me. I open the door wide and step to the side.

"Dad!" James yells to Billy as he runs the short distance from the couch to the front door. Billy steps in right before James makes it to him, and he lifts James up quickly when they meet.

"Hey, little man," Billy smiles, this one genuine and with love.

I'm still getting used to their relationship. It's brand new to us all, and hearing James call Billy his dad still punches me in the gut from time to time. Other times, I admire how quickly James has taken Billy into his life. It can be super cute how much Billy cares about James, even though I doubt Billy would gush about it.

"Alright, be back by 7," I tell Billy as he and James step out the door.

"As always," Billy calls back to me as he makes it safely to the car.

🌊🌊🌊

- Billy Hargrove -

I buckle my seat belt, a habit I picked up from having a child in the car. I look into the back, double checking that James is all buckled up. I put the car in reverse, backing out into the road before switching into drive and beginning to get out of the neighborhood.

"So where do we want to go today?" I ask James, looking back at him through the rearview mirror. He places his index finger on his lips, squinting his eyes in deep thought before making a decision.

"Mini golf!" James proposes excitedly.

"Ugh, ew," Becky scoffs next to me. "I don't want to go to mini golf. It's boring. Let's go to the movies instead."

"But I want to go to mini golf!!" James fights.

"Mini golf sucks. My idea is better," Becky whines. "Billy, can we please go to the movies?"

"Can we go to mini golf?" James asks politely. "Please, Dad?"

"Billy," Becky whines once again.

"This is James's day. We're going to go to mini golf," I say.

She scoffs at me again, slouching back into her seat and looking out of the window. "Not all children should get what they want," she mutters under her breath.

"Hey," I shout into the car, snapping my head to her. She looks at me, her eyes wide. "This is my time with James. We will do what he wants to do, not what you want to do. This is not about you." She keeps her eyes fixated on mine, and I see the fear building up within her. "James is the child, and you are a fucking adult. So stop acting like a whiny bitch and let the child decide what we do." I emphasize my last sentence, and I see the guilt upon her face. "If you're not okay with that, then you can leave. I'm not gonna let some whore tell me what to do."

She corrects the guilty look on her face and wipes any glimpse of an apology from her expression as her lips go into a line. "Fine, I will go then."

"Great," I say as I pull over. Her eyes widen at me, shocked I would do this to her. Eventually, though, she sucks it up, opens the door, and gets out. She slams my car door, flipping me off as I speed away, leaving her standing there alone. The car is quiet, James not saying a word as I take some deep breaths to cool my shit.

"Wow, Dad," James finally speaks up after a while. "That was pretty badass."

"Thanks, dude," I say with a grin. "Now let's go kick mini golf's ass."

James smiles a toothy grin at me before looking out the window at the passing buildings. His excitement is adorable, and it's more than enough for a permanent smile to stay on my face.

--------

Protective Billy!! Loving it tbh 😙

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING MY STORY AND GETTING IT TO 1.2K!! WTF???

-Liz <3