She was going to hell for that thought.
Blistering with anger, he shook his head. “That’s not true at all! I don’t favor them.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say bye to Angie last weekend? She thought you weren’t here, and that hurt her.”
“That’s a lie. She saw me.”
“Apparently not. She asked me if you were here. I had to tell her you were because you didn’t go see her.”
He glared, his face flushing red as he spat out, “Because I was pissed at you.”
“And because you are pissed at me, you hurt her? How does that make sense? Our issues are our issues. Don’t let it bleed over to our child.”
“Well, if you weren’t such a bitch all the time, we wouldn’t have that problem.”
“Do you hear yourself? I shouldn’t matter—”
“Well, when you’re a shit mom and have your shit boyfriend try to cover for your crap, then, yeah, I’m gonna be mad.”
“That’s enough,” she roared, her body breaking into a heat rash from the anger bubbling in her soul. “You will not talk to me like that. I am a good mother. I love our daughter, and she’ll tell you that backward, sideways, and upside down. She loves me.”
“Oh, yeah, mother of the year,” he muttered, and she swore it was taking everything out of her not to beat his face.
But as she stared at the side of his head, she said, “Also, Benji has nothing to do with this. His concern is for our safety, the same way you wouldn’t let anyone talk to Heidi the way you talk to me.”
He scoffed. “Whatever, he’s a wannabe daddy. Trying to steal my daughter.”
“Are you serious? Benji would never. But, man, are you jealous, Rick? That I’m moving on? That Angie has a man to look up to?”
He scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t give two shits about you or him. And my daughter has someone. Me.”
That was a lie and they both knew it. He wanted to control Lucy, he wanted her to be submissive to him, and he hated that she never was. Never would be. He was so far from a father figure for Angie, it was sad. In some fucked-up part of her, Lucy had thought maybe he could change. But the more nonsense that fell out of his mouth, the more she knew her baby daddy was a big, steamy pile of shit.
“See, I disagree. Because if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t worry so much about my personal life and would only worry about how our daughter feels.”
“I don’t, and I do only care about that.”
“Then fix the problem. Make her feel welcome, and maybe I’ll consider your request. Maybe we can make it a four-day weekend. But not until Angie is comfortable.” She was trying to smooth things over. Trying to hold off because a custody battle was not what she wanted to get into with him. She wanted Angie to be happy. But the more and more she thought about it, the more she knew a custody battle was in her future. Because Rick was a lot of things, but he wasn’t one to back down from a fight.
Glancing over at him, she found he was fuming, his fists clenched. For a second, she worried he was about to hit her. She could see it in his eyes, that hatred she had seen before. But he looked away, almost growling as he seethed. “She is comfortable. If she isn’t, it’s your fault.”
“How?” she asked. “How in the world is that my fault?”
“’Cause you and your dumb family have turned her against me.”
“You are delusional.”
“It’s cool. I’m documenting it, and I will get my daughter back.”
“You never had her,” she said simply. Really, she knew she should just let it go, but like him, she wouldn’t back down either. Which was probably a big part of the problem. “This parenting plan has been in place since we split. Even in the beginning, when you told me you couldn’t keep Angie the whole weekend ’cause it was too much on you and Heidi with having Nina, I let it go. I didn’t demand my child support, I didn’t push her on you guys, I raised our child. When you decided you wanted to keep her the whole weekend, I allowed it, because it was the parenting plan. I didn’t ever complain; I let it be, especially when it took you two years to catch up on all the child support. I have been very understanding when I didn’t have to be, when I should have had your ass thrown in jail.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “Why are you bringing up the past? It’s over, and you weren’t as easy as you said. You constantly reminded me that you always had her, that you needed your money and shit. Don’t lie.”
“Are you serious? I never reminded you. I was good. I worked, I went to school, and I took care of Angie and me. I didn’t need you then, and I don’t need you now. I just want Angie to be happy, and for some reason, I think having you in her life will do that.”
She was starting to rethink that, though.
“You’re wrong. Angie needs me. Mom and me both say Angie would be better off with me and Heidi.”