"You dick."
"Fine, I'll try it all nice and charming like your ex-old man does," I say, wrapping an arm around her tight shoulders. "You got those two reformed hookers living here, and they got those kids. That's a lot of people in one house. On the other hand, I have those two empty bedrooms on the top floor. One of them has bunk beds from the boys, and I could get other crap for the kid."
"She has a name," Darby mutters, but I sense her mellowing out.
"Lula could have her own room. Bebe too. I have a backyard where the kid could run around. She could also play with Folgers. With them at my place, you'd have more space for your charity cases."
"You're a charming fucker, aren't you?" she says, shoving me away from her. "Fine, but if you do wrong by her or Lula, I'm kicking your ass. Don't think your brother can stop me either. I know people."
Following Darby back to the porch, I wear my winning smile. That lack of a poker face sends Bebe into a wide-eyed panic.
"It'll be fine. Pack up a few things for the night," Darby reassures her. "He'll change his mind the minute Lula gets too loud or he wants to have an orgy at the house."
Bebe gives me a resigned frown before disappearing inside to pack. I know she thinks I'm an asshole, and she isn't wrong. While I'll never be a hero, she could do worse in Little Memphis.
3
Bebe
A Way with Words
Ten minutes after we arrive at Pax's tri-level house, I'm cuddled in bed with Lula in Ford's old room. My right eye throbs even after taking Tylenol at Darby's. Lula took the kid version of the meds, so she's ready to crash. Yet every time I move, she whimpers, "Mommy," and clutches to me. The fear in her voice breaks my heart.
My body aches to shower and scrub away the gross feel from that dirty house. I also want to find out what the hell Pax is thinking making me move into his place. Despite my desire to sneak out of bed, I have a scared baby holding me for security. Lula falls asleep with a little frown on her sweet face, and I stare at her until my eyes can't remain open. Sleep finally comes, and I dream of grocery shopping with Pax, who takes everything out of my cart and makes me buy something else. Even in my dreams, he pisses me off.
I sleep well, only waking when Lula rubs my cheek. At first, I don't remember where I am. Once I see her scared face, the horrible day all comes back to me.
"I have to go potty," she whispers. "I'm going to have an accident."
Carrying her to the bathroom, I sit on the floor while she uses the toilet. Lula hasn't been potty trained long. Every time she gets the hang of it, we move and she regresses. She wants to be a big girl so bad, but our life never makes it easy.
After I pee, we wash our faces then plan to brush our teeth. There's no toothbrush, so I use my finger. Lula finds this funny, so I squirt toothpaste on her finger, and she imitates me.
We leave the bathroom and head to the kitchen where I hope we find food. A recently showered Pax looks up from the newspaper to smile at us.
"Our roommates are here," he says to Folgers.
I glance at the Rottweiler and Shepherd mix wagging his tail. The dog is big, goofy, and a little bit terrifying. Not unlike Pax.
"Do you have anything to eat?" I ask.
"No. I was waiting for you ladies to get up so we could head over to Denny's."
"I don't have money for that," I grumble.
"I'll pay. Ready to go?"
"When can we go back home?" I ask, picking up Lula.
"You are home."
Lula looks at me like he's ripped out her heart and shit on it.
"She thinks of Darby's place as our home."
Pax gives the dog a look then stands up. "Come here, ladies."
I follow him back down the hall towards the bedrooms. He stops at the smaller one and opens the door. The room is empty except for a bunk bed.
"What do you think, little one?"
Lula still looks ready to cry when Pax takes her from my arms. He plops her on the top bunk where she stares at me in horror. Hiding under her dark hair, Lula is too afraid to speak.
"You like pink?" he asks her. When she doesn't respond except to stare at me, he continues, "Girls like pink, don't they? We can paint the walls in here pink and get lots of princess crap. You like girl stuff or are you a tomboy?"
"She's three," I mutter. "Let me get her down."
"Hush," he says, waving me off. "The kid and I are talking."
He taps Lula's hand, and she finally looks at him. "It was crowded over at Darby's place, but you can have your own big girl room. I never had my own room when I was little. Always had to share it with stinky Ford."
Lula smiles at the stinky part. She looks around as Pax fills her head with the fantasy of pink. Even though he's always been a rude fucker, I can't deny I've nursed a crush on Pax. Now, though, I fucking hate him.
"She needs to eat breakfast," I say, shoving him aside and taking her down from the bed. "You have bread. I'll make us toast."
Pax follows me out of the room then grabs the loop in my jeans and makes me stop.