rule. Grabbing two glasses and the bottle of wine I had in the fridge, I pop it under my arm and join the others before sitting down right in the middle. This phone call with Bryce is going to need alcohol and a lot of it, so we may as well get comfortable.
“Alright, ready?” I say, letting out a breath. “Let’s call your dad.”
“Okay, momma. Can I press da buttons?”
“Yes, baby. Of course, you can.”
CHAPTER 6
AMELIA
Ryan takes the phone from my hand and presses her dad’s name to make the call. Just as I thought it was going to ring out, Bryce picks up the phone and barely gets out a hello.
“Yello' ”
Yello'? I look over Ryan’s head to Zoey, and she rolls her eyes at the sound of the sperm donor’s voice. I try to hold back my smile. I cannot believe I slept with that man. That thought alone makes me feel like running into the bathroom and having the hottest shower of all time, so hot that I burn the first layer of my skin off.
“Lo’, Dadda,” Ryan says with so much excitement that it makes my heart smile.
Obviously, not expecting the sound of his daughter’s voice, his tone slightly changes so it seems like it’s not the biggest inconvenience to be on the phone to us right now. “Ryan, what are you doing calling me at this time of night?”
And just like ripping a band-aid off, my daughter tells her father about her eventful day.
“The fireman saved my head. I was stuck.”
Silence.
Complete, utter silence is met from the other side of the line. Not good. Not freaking good at all. “What did you say?” he questions, making my stomach sink. I mean, why can’t he just show a little affection for his baby girl? What’s so hard about asking, ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Oh, baby. That’s terrible. Are you hurt?’
“My head. I was stuck,” Ryan repeats.
Dead silence. I can feel how angry he is.
Not a second later, the bomb explodes. “You’re such a fuck up, Amelia. Are you kidding me right now? How stupid can you be? What kind of mother lets their child get into those types of situations? FUCK,” he booms down the line.
Just like that, I’m made to feel like the worst mother in the world. I look over to Ryan to gauge her reaction, and the look on her face tells me that she realizes what’s about to go down.
I try to give her a reassuring smile to let her know it's okay and that Mommy’s got this, but I don’t think it works. To my left, I can feel the anger radiating off Zoey, but I know she’s only holding back because Ryan is with us.
This is just how it is with Bryce. A simple phone call to tell him about their day turns into a chance for him to tear me to shreds. I don’t know if it’s his way of making himself feel better or his lack of parenting know-how, but fuck him.
“Are you even listening to me, Amelia?” he continues.
No.
I must have completely zoned out. I look to Zoey to see what I missed and see tears in her eyes. That look alone tells me that I don’t even want to know what he said. It takes a lot for her to get upset, especially when it’s bullshit from Bryce.
I clear my throat. “Yes, Bryce. I’m listening,” I say with a sigh, keeping it simple, as I refuse to engage any further with this man. He doesn’t deserve it.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” he roars.
In the background, I can hear his girlfriend, Misty, or Missy, or … who the fuck knows, winding him up. She’s really not helping the situation at all, almost like she knows exactly what to say to make matters worse. Bitch. I can’t believe my babies have to spend time with her.
“Calm down. It was an accident. She was playing out front while I was making lunch, and she got her head stuck. I only called the Fire Department because I had nobody else to help me, and I wasn’t strong enough to pull the bars apart.” I don’t bother mentioning that they had to use a grinder to cut her out of there. There’s no use in throwing fuel on the fire.
But Ryan wouldn’t be Ryan if she didn’t feel the need to share all her truths on the events of her day. I love her, I love her,