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I chuckled without any humor. “That may be what you’ve heard, but not in this situation. The facts are that you abandoned Ember a long time ago, and I’ve been raising her on my own. I’m going to marry Hanna one day”—Brandy gasped—“and we’re going to be a family. I can’t have you showing up, trying to hurt anyone I care about anymore.”
“I’ll take this to the courts if I have to.”
I moved toward the door. “You do that.”
“If you give me money, I’ll go away. You’ll never have to see me again.”
“We both know you’ll be back as soon as the money dries up.” I opened the door. “Next time you want to see Ember, call me, and we can discuss a good time for us.”
The more I talked, the better I felt. It was like there was this weight that had been lifted off my chest, allowing me to breathe easier and stand taller. Brandy was an albatross I should have tossed a long time ago.
“You can’t mean this. You’ll change your mind,” Brandy said as she stepped onto the porch.
“I already called a car for you.” It was actually Knox, but she didn’t need to know that. I’d texted him after I said goodnight to Ember, and he was all too happy to help.
When I saw him pull up in his truck, I said, “Have a great Christmas.”
Then I waved to Knox and shut and locked the door. I knew Knox would ensure she was escorted off the property and that the gate was shut and locked behind her for the night. She wouldn’t be bothering us anymore this evening.
CHAPTER 20
HANNA
When I arrived home, my mom enveloped me in a hug. “Are you okay?”
I blinked away the tears at the comforting gesture. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I thought you were staying with Sebastian?” Mom asked, with a glance in Dad’s direction. He didn’t like that I was living with Sebastian, even if it was as Ember’s nanny and not something more.
“Ember’s mom needed the guest room,” I said as Dad took the bag from my shoulder. “There’s only one available.”
I only witnessed their interactions for a few minutes, but it was like Sebastian was a shell of a man when Brandy was around. He gave in to her demands, letting her dictate how things would go, and I hated it.
“So, he just kicked you out? Aren’t you helping him?” Dad asked, his voice gruff.
My heart pinged because Dad was protective of me. As much as I hated his backward ideas on living with a man, he wanted the best for me. “I’m not happy about it.”
Mom led us into the living room. “I’ll make some tea.”
I didn’t tell her I preferred coffee because when I was home, drinking tea was something I did with her when we had important conversations.
Dad sat across from me in his recliner, lowering the volume on the TV. There was a football game playing. “Are you okay?”
I smiled as best I could. “I will be.”
Dad nodded. “Do I need to have a talk with him?”
I let out a breath and attempted to smile. “I’ve got it handled.”
Dad scowled. “You’re going to talk some sense into him?”
“That’s the plan. In the meantime, Ember’s mother is staying at the house, and I won’t do anything to come between them.” Ember needed her mother, as we all do. Although, I wasn’t so sure that the woman on the porch had Ember’s best interests in mind.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Can we talk?
My heart rate increased, but I refused to get my hopes up. He probably felt badly that I was displaced, but that wasn’t what I wanted. He needed to stand up to Brandy and stop letting her dictate his life.
