held my hands over Addy’s, not able to fucking think while I watched this disaster take place in front of God and everybody. I prayed that the beach patrol or the goddamn lifeguards would just haul his ass away. I held Addy tightly, and for the first time in my life, I sobbed while holding my daughter. Oh my God, I couldn’t pull it together if I tried.
Derek was a fucking nightmare who would never leave us alone. Never. He wasn’t a human being. He was a lunatic whose brain was fueled by drugs, and he was screaming and trying to engage Jim in a fight—and all while other families and their kids watched with fear for what might happen next.
I couldn’t hide any of it from Addison. Me breaking down, her dad acting like a crazed maniac, I couldn’t hide any of it. It didn’t take but a few seconds for Addy to start crying.
“Come here, baby,” I said, and then I pulled her in and held my little girl as tightly as I could, trying to shield her from watching the disaster unfold.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jim
I couldn’t get Addy and me out of the water fast enough when I saw the commotion on the shore. I couldn’t fucking believe that Derek had found Avery, at the beach of all places. Addy had buried her face in my neck after she screamed, watching her dad acting like a messed-up madman.
Addison ran to her mom for protection after I’d set her down on the sand. There was no time to console either one of them, just a mutual nod from Ash to let me know she’d care for the two while I tried to shut down this situation that was beginning to draw a crowd.
“Fuck you,” Derek said after Collin and Alex darted off to grab the beach patrol before this lunatic hurt himself or someone else. “Fucking my girl, trying to kill my fucking kid,” he spat while I stepped over to him.
“You need to calm down,” I said, in the firmest voice I could, given how pissed I was. I looked at Jake. “Don’t touch him.” I knew this loser was looking for a fight, and what better place than in front of people with all their cell phones, capturing the entire thing?
“Just try to fucking touch me,” Derek challenged, and then the dip shit stepped forward and took a swing at where I stood.
I reflexively blocked it with my elbow, hearing the crack when Derek’s fist made contact. The prick dropped while the fucking audience instinctively gasped. I leaned over and extended my hand. “Get the hell up,” I said in a growl.
“You broke my hand, asshole.”
“You broke your own hand on his elbow,” Jake said with restraint. I could tell my brother was holding back like never before. We both knew the consequences of reacting to a dirtbag like Derek.
After law enforcement showed up, beach patrol took reports, two lifeguards on quads and one lifeguard truck rolled up, and then the show was over, for now. That little mother fucker was heading to jail in the back of the patrol car, and I had no idea how Avery and Addy were doing.
“How the fuck did that son of a bitch find us here?” I barked to Jake in a low voice, leaving the scene after pressing charges and giving my statement.
I left Jake and knelt in front of where Avery was sobbing in her hands. “Hey, sweetheart,” I said softly, Addison leaving Ash’s arms and clinging onto me. “Look at me, Avery.”
Her eyes were swollen from crying. The fucker finally broke her into a position where she wasn’t fighting back. I even had his daughter clinging onto me for security.
“Let’s get you two out of here,” I said. “They cleared the area. Give me the keys to your car.”
Avery sniffed. “I’m so sorry.” She looked at me, then reached for Addison. “Baby, I’m so sorry you saw that.”
“Mommy, Daddy scared me.”
“I know, honey,” she said, holding her tight.
While Avery consoled Addison, I worked to get us the hell out of here.
“Jake, I need someone to drive my Bronco back to my place,” I said. “Can you guys get the boards and all of this packed up? We’ll just meet up there.”
“I’ve got the Bronco,” Collin said. “I rode here with Jake and Ash this morning.” He glanced around, and everyone was more solemn with the fact that my two girls were fucking traumatized by a selfish and high