Hendrix - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,29

in his hand and my phone in the other. “Your boyfriend called. I figured you'd want the message.”

I catch the phone he tosses at me, and when I look through my call log, I notice the last time Colby called was 10:15, right after I went upstairs. It must have taken a while for Topher to realize my phone was downstairs while I wasn't, and when he did, the first thing he found was a missed call from Colby on the screen.

“You should probably call him back,” he sneers. “Maybe he wants a late-night booty call.”

I exhale slowly, not willing to give in to his taunting. “Okay, I think you've had enough to drink.”

As I go to grab the beer from his hand, he rips it away from me. “You're not the fucking boss of me.”

“Topher, please. Keep your voice down.”

“Fuck you!” He starts to pace back and forth. “Ever since that prick came around, you've acted like I'm nothing but a piece of shit! Are you leaving me for him? Is that what it is?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. You're just drunk. You're not thinking clearly.”

“Shut the fuck up!” he shouts.

His grip on the bottle tightens as he rears back and throws it directly at my head. Somehow, I'm quick enough to dodge it, but that doesn't stop me from shrieking as it shatters against the wall. If that had hit me, if I hadn't moved out of the way, it would have knocked me out—and for some reason, I think that's exactly what he was going for.

For a second, his eyes widen, but that's only until laughter starts to bubble out of him. I stand there watching him in disbelief as he breaks out into hysterics. It isn't until we hear Brenna behind us that he snaps out of it.

“Mommy?” she asks. “Is everything okay? I heard screaming.”

“Yeah, princess,” I reply. “Go back to bed. I'll be up in a second.”

Topher shakes his head and extends his arms. “Brenna, babe. Come cuddle with me. You always give the best cuddles.”

Being the good girl she is, she looks to me for the answer on whether or not she should listen to him. I shake my head, and she turns around to go back upstairs.

“See? Worthless little kid,” he spits. “Can't even give a hug when she's asked to.”

Not caring about the fact that he's in some psychotic drunken state right now, I step closer and get in his face. “You do not get to say things like that about her. She is a brilliant child who will grow up to do amazing things, and if you keep acting like this, you won't be around to see it.”

I walk away, only stopping to look at the mess of glass and alcohol that covers the floor.

“Clean this mess, and yourself, up, Topher.”

He says nothing as I leave him standing in the middle of the living room alone. I go upstairs, and instead of going into my own room, I opt for Brenna's instead. I shut and lock her door behind me before climbing into bed with her. She cuddles into me the second she feels the bed dip beside her.

“Is Topher being mean again?”

I shush her softly. “That's nothing for you to worry about. Close your eyes, baby girl.”

It only takes a minute for her to fall back asleep and her breathing to steady. I, on the other hand, can't seem to get the tears to stop once they start. First the slap across the face. Then the thing with my wrist. And now this. When is enough going to be enough? Is the guy I agreed to marry even still in there?

Honestly, I'm not so sure.

THE NEXT DAY, I IGNORE Topher's endless apologies and finally answer Colby's plethora of calls and text messages. Being around him may not be something I want to do right now, but that doesn't mean Brenna doesn't. There hasn't been a day that's passed where she hasn't asked me about him. So, I decide to let him start taking her alone for a bit. Besides, the more time she spends with Colby, the less she spends around Topher.

The doorbell rings, and I don't even need to look at the camera to know who it is. The second I told him he could come pick up Brenna for a bit, Colby was already getting in his car. If I wasn't so against letting myself feel absolutely anything for him, I'd probably find it endearing.

I