Piece Me Back Together

Chapter 10

I’m really trying to keep my updates consistent. School is taking up so much of my time that I have maybe an hour to spare a day, 2 or 3 if I’m lucky. But anyways, here you go!

The song is No Surprises by Radiohead.

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What the fuck?

What in the actual fuck?

I couldn’t find any words as my eyes stayed locked with Leo’s, his smile growing wider by the second. I used to think of the many things I would say to him once the day finally came that he was in front of me again. I used to think that I needed to see him to have closure. I wanted to see him. I wanted us to work out whatever his problems were.

Now standing in front of him, I realized I didn’t want him near me. I didn’t want him near my family, much less my daughter. My daughter.  Because she’s mine. He made his decision years ago without remorse. I had to watch my daughter suffer at the tender age of 4 while her friends at preschool brought their dad’s with them to class. She deserved better than this piece of shit.

I made the decision days ago as I shared a private moment with Daniel over coffee in a local diner. I had told him all about Anabelle’s sperm donor and to say he was outraged was an understatement.

“Who the hell would turn away their child and the mother of their child?” he said disgustedly. I had no response so I had just stayed quiet. His gaze turned from angry and hard to soft as he regarded my expression. 

“Mia,” he continued. He hesitated, “I know it’s too soon and you probably think I’m crazy for considering this, but… if it’s alright with you, I would very much love to be that father figure to Belle.” His face was dead serious.

I could feel my eyes fill with tears as what he said set in. He was right, it was too soon, but him saying that to me really proved that he was serious about Anabelle and I. He wanted to be in our lives just as much as we wanted to be a part of his. It was in that moment that I decided to take what Daniel and I had seriously and leave Leo in the past. It didn’t matter that he was the main reason for the trip over here, he needed to be forgotten. Belle deserved to have a dad, Daniel obviously cared about both of us very much too even consider taking on a woman and her child so I didn’t see any reason to reject his thought. He hadn’t given either of us any reason to not trust him or not want him in our lives.

Fuck Leonardo. Fuck him for leaving us. Fuck him for leaving his child without a father. Fuck . I was so angry.

But thank God for Leo, too. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have such a wonderful child. I wouldn’t have wanted to come back to my hometown and met Daniel. Those were the only things I was grateful to him for.

Rage filled me and spiraled out of control with every thought that surfaced. I wanted him to leave. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He had no right being here.

My hand automatically reached for the door to close it shut, but his hand stopped it right before it shut.

“Get the fuck out of here. You’re not wanted. I don’t want you here and no one else does,” I spat, getting in his face.

His smile faded and a deep frown took over. “I’m sorry, Linda. I really am.” He looked at a loss for words when I stayed quiet. “Can we talk, do you think?” His hopeful expression made me scoff.

“Baby?” It was Daniel that came up behind me, still carrying Anabelle, and wrapped a possessive arm around my waist from behind. The hopeful look from Leo dropped at the sight. I could imagine what he was seeing. We looked like a family. Daniel, a large, intimidating man holding a child and with an arm wrapped around his woman. He was showing Leo that I was his. He was marking his territory and I knew he knew by his narrowed eyes that this was Belle’s father. His eyes gave it away.