His baby girl

20.

Daire's pov

I wake up to find the bed empty. I look over at Willow's alarm clock and to see it was only 5:23 in the morning. Way earlier than she normally got up. 

I get out of bed and open the door. It was quiet in the house which was also unusual. I walk to the kitchen to see Graham whispering on the phone. He looks up at me with tired eyes. 

"Bella, please, you can't come back," He said taking a long drag from his cigarette. He runs his hand through his black hair from the stress. "I don't give two fucks, Bella," He growled into the phone. 

I ignore who he was talking to and grab an orange from the fridge. I peel it back and lean on the counter. I watch Graham argue on the phone for a while wondering what got him so stressed. He finally hangs up and takes a very long drag from his smoke. 

"A client?" I asked.

He shakes his head and looks at me. "I'm going to tell you this Daire and I don't want any of my children hearing this you understand me?" He asked in a low voice. I nod my head and stand up straight. "My ex-wife is trying to contact my kids. Both Carter and Levi know she's not dead but Willow doesn't. I don't want that crazy bitch back in our lives but she threatened to sue me for "kidnap".  He said using air quotes. He grabs a beer from the fridge and sighs heavily. "Bella is her name and she's crazy." He chuckles a bit. "I met her when I was 19 and she was 24. An old friend had managed to get us into this bar and she was there celebrating her crazy brother's 22 birthday and I thought she was the most beautiful person in that bar with her long blonde hair and beautiful dark eyes. She was my first everything I was a geek back then." He laughs again. "I was blinded by love for six years. I didn't realize how crazy she actually she was until I saw her try to drown her older sister's baby. She was arrested while pregnant with Levi. But I continued to be with her even though she's been in and out of prison and rehab. But I loved her so and I don't ever leave her. But my breaking point was when Willow was 7 and Levi was 9 she was drinking and got on the highway with my children and got into a bad car accident that left Willow with a bad brain injury. And that's also the accident that Willow believes her mother was killed in which she wasn't. While Willow was in her five-month coma she packed her things and left. We divorced a year later and the only time she ever contacted me is when she wanted money or something like that."

"She seems horrible," I said staring at Graham's sad face. 

He sighs. "She is but I realized too late." 

I look around the quiet room. It felt like nobody was home but Graham which was very unusual. "Where is everyone?" I asked. Graham takes a sip of his beer. "Carter and Willow left like an hour ago to get my brother from the airport and Levi is still asleep I think," He said. 

"Why did Willow leave at 4 in the morning?" I asked. 

"She couldn't sleep and Carter was already up preparing to pick up Steph, so she decided to go along with him." He drinks his beer. I sigh and sit down in the chair. "I feel like we're not really connecting like we should be," I mumble to Graham. Graham smirks at me as he takes a drink from his beer. "You shouldn't have rushed into asking her out especially right after you beat a girl right in front of her," He chuckles. "Big mistake pretty boy." 

I sigh and run my hand over my face. "I don't wanna end the relationship after only a few days," I said. "Maybe you don't have to just try and make it work," He said patting my back before walking out the kitchen.

Two hours later I was sitting on the couch watching some boring tv show that Levi seem to like when the front door had open. Steph steps into the house with a proud smile on his face. "Where's my brother?" He asked looking around the living room. Levi smiles at his uncle and points outside where Graham stood talking outside on the phone. "Thanks," He ruffles Levi's curly brown hair before walking to greet his brother.