**Woohoo! Here we are folks. I hope you enjoy this chapter as I know you all have been waiting what probably feels like an eternity for it!! I was nice to you and didn't leave with a cliffhanger this time. Well, at least for those of you who actually listened to the summary and read SOMH before this book. Enjoy and please don't forget to vote and comment telling me what you think!**

Tansy's POV

"Oh, you're here." Tanner's indifferent voice came before he gave a not-so-sly grab to the ass of the chick that was hanging off his side.

Oh my God, wait. I've seen her before.

That's...That's fucking Titty.

"Who's she." Calla harshly asked while glaring at Titty - who's boobs I was sure were going to spill from her shirt any second.

"She's a...friend of mine." Tanner said cockily before shooting me a smug smirk. I kept my face schooled into an icy expression of indifference, not letting him see how hurt I truly was by this stunt of his.

"I don't want her here. Make her leave." Calla demanded, her glare never faltering for even a second. The edge of my lips twitched with an intense need to smile, but I stayed collected. God, I loved this kid.

"Calla that's not how we treat guests." Tanner reprimanded lightly after Titty smacked him for doing nothing about Calla's comment.

"She's not my mommy, we don't need her. I want her to leave!" She yelled with a stomp of her foot, her tantrum going from zero to sixty in seconds. I placed my hand on the small of her back and gently pulled her body into my own for a hug while caressing her back up and down.

"I think it's best if you both go." I growled when I felt the sensation of Calla's tears soaking my shirt. Tanner's face morphed into one of guilt for a few seconds before he cleared his throat and turned to Titty.

"Leave. I'll text you later." God, dig the knife a little deeper why don't you. Better yet, give it a twist while you're at it, too.

"Calla, you were very rude to my guest." Tanner spoke, an edge to his voice as the front door slammed shut. He crouched down to her height a few feets away from us while trying to meet her eyes.

"I don't care!" She yelled, still latching onto me for dear life.

"Calla, that is no way to talk to daddy. You are being very disrespectful and I'm going to put you in time out if you don't stop." He scolded.

"Go away! You hurt mommy's feelings!" She screeched again before burying her face in my neck. I looked away and at the floor feeling my cheeks heat up. How the hell did she catch onto that? She is far too smart for her own good.

Tanner pinched the bridge of his nose while taking a deep breath.

"Calla, go to your room, please. I need to talk to mommy." He asserted, leaving no room for argument. I could see it in her pinched expression that she wanted to protest, but that she knew better.

Once she was out of sight, I stood from my crouched position in front of the coffee table and crossed my arms over my chest while looking out the window.

"Tansy." He spoke. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued to ignore his presence. I had nothing to say to him, and even if I did, I wouldn't know where to begin.

"Tansy." He growled out angrily this time.

"Don't you fucking take that tone with me. You don't have the right." I sneered back, my eyes already starting to fill with tears. Damn these fucking emotions, go to hell!

"Stop acting like this was anything more than just casually hooking up. That's all this was until Calla saw you and put two and two together." He said passively.

"Oh, so I was just some casual hook-up? Yeah, that totally explains why you were jealous of Robby twice within the span of less than 48 hours." I snarked back. I could tell I struck a chord with him.

"I don't like sharing my toys." He husked out darkly. I inhaled quietly as his words hit; as what he called me registered in my brain. Looking at him, I almost didn't believe that this was the same man I'd seen kissing Calla's cheeks as she cried from scraping her knee on the way to my place.

"Stay the fuck away from me." I whispered hoarsely, no fight left in me. Tears fell freely from my face, but I didn't have it in me to feel ashamed. Maybe this was just a hook-up and that's all I should've taken it for, maybe I shouldn't have started the journey to falling for him, but regardless of all those things, no one ever wants to hear themselves referred to as a mother-fucking toy.

"Tansy." He called for me as I walked towards his bedroom to lock myself in. I could hear the regret in his voice, but it was too late. The damage was done. He couldn't go back in time and stop those words from exiting his mouth.

I ignored his call for me and continued to his closet, seeing my bags nestled against the wall untouched. I pulled out a pair of plain black leggings and a simple sweatshirt before slipping on a pair of sneakers and throwing my hair up into a messy bun. Shoving my keys and wallet into my pocket, I tried to make myself look like I hadn't just bawled my eyes out before entering Calla's room.

"Baby, I'm going to the flower shop for the rest of the day. Do you want to come, or are you going to stay with daddy?" I murmured, cursing myself when the groggy tone of my voice caused her to visibly frown.

"Comin' with you, mommy." She whispered, carefully placing her barbie down on her bed before covering her up with the doll-sized bedsheet I'd sewn her one day. The tenderness of the action brought a genuine smile to my face and lightened my mood. She curled her tiny hand around a couple of my fingers as I walked us out. I braced myself as I came face to face with Tanner.

"I'm heading into the shop and Calla wanted to go with me. We'll be back sometime around closing." I vaguely informed him before escorting Calla and me out and to the car.

**

I was almost finished with the coloring page Calla had picked out for me to complete when one of the two people I didn't want to see entered the store.

"Can I help you?" I asked, my tone coming off more aggressive than I'd wanted it too. Beast shot a fleeting glance at Calla before giving me a pleading look.

"Can I talk to you in private?" He mumbled awkwardly all the while Calla shrugged her shoulders obliviously and continued to color.

"Calla, baby, why don't you run back and grab a juice box, okay?" I said, raising a single eyebrow when I could see she wanted to protest. She puckered out her bottom lip and nodded instead of talking back like I could see she wanted to.

"Look, I know you didn't mean to hit me. It was my fault for stepping in the way. What was your fault, though, was getting into a physical fist fight with someone not knowing if their child is around or not." I growled, feeling my protective maternal instincts for Calla rise to the surface.

"I know. I know I fucked up but, shit, can you blame me? We'd just been out on a date days before and here you were fucking my best friend!" He growled.

"Woah, woah, woah. Back the fuck up, buddy. Our date was only, like, twenty minutes long because you had to bail on me. Secondly, that was not the first time Tanner and I have had sex." I snorted, immediately pissed off with his assumption of my character.

"What the fuck does that mean?" He shot back just as angry.

"He and I had sex the first night you and I met, so the past 48 hours has been another minor lapse in my better judgement." I retorted before crossing my arms over my chest.

"Unbelievable. Well, rest assured that when he's done with your easy ass he'll move on without a second thought." He sneered back before turning and loudly making his exit. I felt all the air escape my lungs. How many times can one be made to feel like a worthless object only good for sex before they can't take it anymore? I asked myself while biting the inside of my cheek to keep from releasing a loud sob.

Whipping out my phone, I sent Tanner a quick text to come pick up Calla.

Thankfully he didn't ask any questions before swinging by the store like I'd asked. The second he walked in the door and got a good look at my face, his demeanor changed.

"What happened?" He demanded, obviously knowing I wasn't alright if my blotchy, swollen, and red face was any indication.

"Nothing. I just need you to take Calla so that I can go run some errands." I murmured before grabbing the keys to the store and retreating to the back to lock up. He didn't seem to be able to drop the subject as he followed closely after me.

"I said, what happened." He growled out. Sick and tired of his attitude, I jerked my arm out of his hold before whipping around to face him.

"Oh, nothing much. Beast just came by to give me an idea of how highly he thinks of me - which just so happens to be similar to how you feel apparently." I spat before wiping the back of my hand against my cheeks to rid them of tears before snatching my purse and showing him where Calla was.

"What the fuck did he say to you?" He demanded, his tone bone-chilling.

"It doesn't even matter. Why do you care anyway, huh? I'm just a toy and that's all I'll ever be. Oh, and for the record, you're a real piece of shit for pulling that stunt earlier today. Not even because of how great it made me feel, but because of the shit you put that little girl through. You need to fucking man up and be the father she needs and stop playing these bullshit little games. You're a parent now, you don't get to be selfish anymore." I growled before opening the door to my office where Calla had wandered and turning to make my leave.

I was thankful when he didn't come after me as I shut the open sign off and made my exit. Thankfully, the doors only locked from the outside so he could leave without me having to wait for him.

Getting into my car, I sped off to the one place I knew no one would think to look for me. It was the one place I was always able to go to clear my head when I was younger, and it was proving to be very useful right now, too. It took me about half an hour to get to the massive ledge that looked over the entire town. Turning my car off, I got out and took a seat on my hood.

"You are not going to cry because that's all you've done the past 24 hours." I said, willing myself to go along with the out-loud pep talk but my tear ducts seemed to have other plans.

"I thought I was the only one who knew about this place." A voice abruptly called from behind me, catching me off guard as I screamed in surprise and fell off onto the ground.

"Shit! I didn't mean to scare you." The guy half apologized half chuckled while rushing over to help me up.

He's cute was the first thing that came into my mind as I accepted his extended hand. No! No, Tansy. We have sworn off men for good! We are done!

"Are you alright?" The guy asked.

"Oh, yeah I'm good. I didn't hit my head or anything like that." I insisted before brushing off my pants. His eyebrows crinkled together in worry as a sympathetic look took over his face. My cheeks burned with my blush when I realized that he wasn't asking about my fall, he was asking about the tears that were still staining my cheeks.

I just chose not to comment before awkwardly releasing his hand and carefully climbing back up onto the hood.

"So, what makes a beautiful woman like yourself come out here looking as upset as you do?" He asked, but I could hear the flirtatious tone in his voice.

"Nope. No. Sorry, but I'm shutting that down right now. You're a couple weeks too late because I've officially sworn off men for good." I asserted with a single nod of my head to which he threw his head back and laughed hysterically. When his laughter had quieted down, he leaned his hip against my car and rested his elbow on the hood, getting comfortable.

"Fair enough, but you can't fault me for at least trying. You sure you're giving my kind up for good? I mean, speaking for myself here, we have quite a few benefits." He joked.

"Yeah," I snorted, "like always cumming first, not knowing shit about doing laundry, and burning almost everything you touch. Your species is really one of a kind." I prodded right back. He chuckled lowly before looking away from me and out at the view ahead of us.

"You seem pretty set on that opinion." He teased.

"I'm considering converting to Catholicism and becoming a nun. Unfortunately, the closest monastery is like four hours away, and I love my family too much to do long distance." I stated matter-of-factly. This caused him to erupt into another fit of laughter that brought tears to his eyes.

"I don't think I've ever met someone quite like you." He noted with a half grin.

"Then consider yourself lucky." I joked with a wink.

"I'm Judd." He said before sticking his hand out for me to take. I curtly shook it before dropping his hand and crossing my legs.

"Tansy." I replied.

"Well, Miss Tansy - future nun - even though you so brutally and savagely shot me down, I would love nothing more than to be friends. You're interesting." He said with a smile. "In a good way, I promise!" He added with a chuckle when he saw my single raised eyebrow.

"Fine but the second you hit on me again, this shits over." I said while motioning my hand between the two of us. He opened his mouth, probably to agree to my terms, but my cell phone ringing cut him off.

I held up a single finger to Judd before answering the call.

"Hey, Pops." I said with a smile.

"Evan's engagement is off."