Chapter 71

“I still don’t get why we’re not at the mall,” Derek reiterates as he parks his car. Bea and Tris are in the back in their car seats, and I swear the eldest girl is vibrating with excitement.

I roll my eyes at this. “I’ve already told you!” I tease with a laugh.

“So, explain it again!” He shoots back, smirking.

I unclip my seat belt, shaking my blonde curls from side to side. I get out of the front seat, before I help Bea out of her own.

“Am I really doing this?” She whispers once I’ve shut her door. “I can’t stop smiling.”

I squat down and touch her arm with my hand. “You should be excited, I’m glad you’re looking forward to it.”

Bea nods eagerly. “I didn’t think Daddy would let me.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know, something that he argued a bunch with Mommy.”

My throat feels dry almost instantly, not expecting this to be the response she gave me. But there’s no time to unpack that when Tris comes around her side with Derek.

“Ready?” He asks.

“Follow me, girls,” I sing, giving my hand to Bea to hold. We all make our way up to the tattoo shop for Bea’s piercing appointment.

I’ve been to this shop before with Lily and Annie, and they’re well-known in town for being great at piercing little kids’ ears. When I was young, I only knew that people would get pierced at whatever kiosk was at the mall.

I’ve since learned tattoo shops are the superior choice.

“You’re telling me that those people in the mall aren’t trained?” Derek asks me again.

“And everyone in tattoo shops is trained. They legally can’t pierce anyone without it. Trust me, this is safer, more sanitary, and better quality.”

Once we’re inside, we’re greeted by a young woman who smiles at the girls.

“Well, hello!” The worker says cheerily. “I’m going to guess one of you is here to get your ears pierced.”

Bea raises her hand with her toothy smile. “Me!”

The woman has multiple piercings herself, with jewelry in her nose and eyebrow.

“I’m new to all of this,” Derek adds sheepishly. “Esme here recommended your place for my daughter.”

The woman, who introduces herself as Pam, nods. “Understandable. I’m glad she did so your daughter can be in a much safer environment.”

Derek’s eyebrows shoot up at me, as if shocked my knowledge was correct.

“So, Dad, what’s the plan?”

“Well, this is for her birthday, so she’s going to get the standard piercing.”

Pam bends down. “Do you want to pick out the jewelry you’ll be wearing?”

Bea nods, visibly thrilled.

“I want mine done,” Tris whines quietly.

“Sorry, Tris, not today. When you’re Bea’s age.”

She pouts, but I look at the four-year-old. “You know what I think? There are stickers that you can get that look like earrings for kids. Maybe you can get those.”

Tris opens her mouth in surprise, looking at Derek. He starts laughing at that.

“Thanks, Esme; now she won’t stop asking me for those stickers.”

I shrug. “I do my best.”

As Derek’s smile makes my heart race, Bea is looking at the piercings to get and Tris is clapping, another woman enters behind us.

She’s positively stunning, standing a little taller than I am. Her beautiful red hair distracts me as she tosses a lock of it over her shoulder.

Somehow, she looks painfully familiar.

But I’ve never met her before. She looks to be around my age, and somehow, she looks runway-ready in jeans and a nice floral top.

As my brain tries to place her, the answer shockingly comes to me in the form of Bea’s voice.

“Mommy!”

And the high I’ve been riding being here with the girls suddenly comes crashing down. The two girls rush to the redhead, hugging her as she scoops them both into her arms.

“My babies!” She coos, kissing each of their cheeks over and over again. It’s so natural to see her with her daughters. Immediately, certain features from each girl are matched to their mom’s face.

I’m so confused, though, what is she doing here? When was the last time the girls saw their mother? I feel like they never mention her.

Bea showed me her picture that day among the flowers. It’s all I can pull from as the red head picks up Tris in her arms, laughing at how big she’s gotten.

How did she know we’d be here? Why did she show up?

In an instant, I realize I haven’t seen Derek’s reaction to all of this, and I’m sort of dreading it. Slowly, I move my eyes away from the three in front of me to the man next to me.

His own eyes are wide, his brows raised, and his mouth is slightly agape. His posture has grown tense as well.

Oh, he’s not happy.

“Who’s this?” The mom asks, looking straight at me. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Am I sweating? I feel like there’s so much sweat happening right now. I don’t know anything about this woman, now I have to introduce myself as her ex’s subordinate and neighbor who just so happens to be taking his daughter to get her ears pierced?

It sounds ludicrous in my own mind.

“That’s Miss Esme!” Bea grins.

Bless Bea.

“She lives next to us,” Tris adds.

Well, that’s two questions answered. Maybe the girls should keep talking instead of having me say a thing.

The woman nods, holding out her hand to shake mine. “I’m Sadie Ellis.”

I take her hand, contemplating how sweaty I am. “Esme Price.”

Pam, probably not knowing how truly awkward everything just became, cheerily welcomes Sadie in.

“Now we’ve got Mom, too! Do we want to see what Bea picked?”

The tension calms a bit, and we all admire the tiny stud earrings.

As Bea’s getting set up in the chair, Derek finally sets his eyes on Sadie, clearly in shock that his ex-wife has just appeared out of nowhere.

“I thought you were out of town this weekend,” he dryly states.

Sadie shakes her head, and she brings out a smile. “No, that was last weekend. But I felt awful for missing the party yesterday. I had to make up for it.”

“How did you know we were here?”

“Bea told me this morning when I sent her an apology about the party. But don’t worry, she didn’t know I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

My boss raises an eyebrow. “You should have told me.”

Sadie shrugs her shoulders with what I can only describe as a devious grin. “Then it’s not a surprise!”

Derek’s face doesn’t change. He still seems incredibly irritated by Sadie’s appearance.

“Okay!” Pam says, getting our attention. “Let’s get started.”

Pam explains she’s going to numb the ear a little first, then she’ll be sliding the sharp needle into the hole.

“It might hurt a bit, so maybe you can squeeze your dad’s hand?”

“I want Miss Esme.”

Everyone looks straight at me, and I’m surprised.

“You don’t want your dad or mom?” I try to ask. If Sadie didn’t hate me at first sight, she definitely will now.

“I want you to hold my hand,” Bea confirms.

I don’t argue with her, just hold the young girl’s hand. “You’re gonna do great.”

Pam talks while she does the piercings, and Bea squeezes my hand pretty tight. But even though she clenches her eyes and her teeth, she doesn’t cry even a tear.

“Look at that! You got the first one!” I cheer after we move positions. I keep trying to give Bea encouragement, helping her through each step. Her ear is bright red after the stud’s been put in.

“I cried when I got mine done,” I tell Bea when she smiles.

“You did?”

“I wasn’t nearly as brave as you are, clearly!”

“You’re brave!” She tells me, squeezing my hand.

Pam sets up the second piercing, and as I continue, I find myself looking over at Sadie and Derek. Sadie’s playing with a strand of her hair, watching the events unfold while talking to Derek.

Derek looks miserable and annoyed.

At least it’s not just me.

When we’re done, I give Bea a hug, and Tris takes a closer look at the piercings.

“Let me pay for this and we can get out of here,” Derek says in his monotone voice.

“Great, because then we’re gonna go get some ice cream!” Sadie cheers. “You two want ice cream?”

They’re both kids, so of course they want it.

As Derek and the girls go to the register, Sadie decides to sidle up to me.

“Seems like you’ve already swooped in and taken my family.” Her voice is sharp, and her face has changed to a glare.

I’m not that surprised, more so over everyone thinking they know my business.

“I haven’t taken anything,” I state. “Derek asked me about this for Bea’s birthday. They wanted me to come along.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself,” she rolls her eyes.

“I have no idea why you’re here. You haven’t been around since I moved in next door, so what makes you show up now?”

It’s bold of me to go after Sadie, but I’ve had enough.

“Simple. Derek is the father of our children. And I still love him.”

I roll my eyes now, not interested in her shitty declaration of love. “I’m so surprised.”

“Well, get used to it.” Sadie faces me completely, her own expression turning sour. “Because you can be friendly to them all you want. But they’re my family. You can’t have him, because I’m getting them all back.”

Derek and the girls look back at me and Sadie, who’s expression changes to a smile. “Ice cream!”