Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
My fear was replaced with anger, and it was all I could do to keep my voice down when I snapped, “What the hell are you doing?”
Dan looked up at me like I was the problem, and he hadn’t just broken into my house in the middle of the night. “You need to put that damn cat on a diet.”
“You need to tell me what you are doing here before I call the police.”
“And tell them what?” Dan pulled himself off the floor and brushed himself off. “That I broke into my own house?”
“You broke into my house, Dan,” I argued. “Not yours.”
“Might as well be,” he huffed. “I’m the reason you can even afford to keep it.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m the one who lives here with our kids, and you don’t get to just bust in here any time you like. And you know that!” I was struggling to contain my anger when I hissed, “What exactly were you planning to do, Dan? Were you going to kill me in my sleep?”
“Oh, dear God. Don’t be so dramatic,” Dan groaned. “I just wanted to talk.”
“About what?”
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “I saw him here today.”
“Saw who?”
“Don’t do that,” he snarled. “You know I’m talking about your little boyfriend. He was playing ball in the driveway like he thought he owned the place… like he had the right to be around my boys.”
And just like that, something inside me snapped. “First of all, they’re not just your boys, Dan. They’re mine, too. And you don’t get to decide who I let into my home.”
“I’m their father.”
He stepped closer, crowding into my space as another way to intimidate me. Only it didn’t work this time. “You’re also the one who thought it was okay to break into their home in the middle of the night. If you wanted to discuss this, you do it the right way and come talk to me at a decent hour. And you knock!”
His nostrils flared, and it was clear he was fighting to keep control of his anger. His voice rose as he barked, “You don’t know anything about him… Guys like him…”
“Guys like what?” I cut him off. “The kind who show up? The kind who helps? The kind who changes the oil without asking and brings dinner? The kind who spends time with the boys because they want to?”
“That’s not his place.”
“And that’s not up to you. Not anymore. You lost that chance when you decided to play house with my best friend.” I perched my hand on my hip. “Speaking of which, does she know where you are?”
For a second, just a fleeting second, there was something in his eyes that resembled guilt, but it was gone as fast as it came, replaced with that same stubborn glare I’d spent years fighting. “You’re making a big mistake with this, Rae.”
“Get out, Dan.”
“Rae…”
“Get. Out.” I pointed at the door, not even trying to hide the anger. “You don’t get to do this anymore. Not to me. Not to them.”
He shook his head and turned. When he reached for the door, I gasped, “Wait!”
When he looked back to me, I asked, “How did you get in here in the first place?”
“I used my key.”
“I’ll be needing that.”
“I need to be able to get to my boys.”
“Give me the key or hear from my lawyer in the morning.”
His face turned red with anger as he pulled his keys from his pocket and removed the house key. He placed it in my hand, and before he could say anything, I said, “Go.”
For a second, I thought he was going to argue and try to twist things like he always did, but to my surprise, he just turned and opened the door. Milo let out a low, annoyed merrrow from behind him, and Dan shot him a look. He grumbled something under his breath as he disappeared into the dark.
I closed and deadbolted the door before letting out a long, frustrated breath. “Un-freaking-believable.”
A soft weight brushed against my leg, and I looked down to find Milo staring up at me with his big green eyes. I reached down and scooped him into my arms, kissing him on the top of the head. “You did good tonight, buddy.”
He meowed, and I laughed. “That’s right. You’re such a good boy. You deserve a treat.”
He purred like he knew he’d earned them.
And in truth, he did.
So, fat or not, my boy was going to get that treat. Maybe even two.
23
DRIFTER
Ihated waiting.
I didn’t have the patience for it. Not when I was just killing time with a beer in my hand, and not when trouble was on the horizon and headed straight for our door. Today was about as bad as it could get. I was watching a scene unfold that could go sideways at any second, and all I could do was sit there and watch it happen.