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Cherub was on my bed when I walked into my bedroom after showering, looking like a sweet baby angel all nestled up in my dressing gown.
“Hi, my pretty girl,” I cooed, clambering onto my bed to join her. “Did you miss me?”
I barely had time to get comfortable when my bedroom door swung inward.
“How was your date?”
“Excellent,” I replied, narrowing my eyes when Gerard swaggered into my room without knocking. “Couldn’t have gone better.”
“Marvelous,” he replied sarcastically. “I’m delighted for you.”
“Thank you,” I snapped back, furious with my heart for beating so damn fast at the mere sight of him. “So am I.”
“Right, well, let’s just get this over with, shall we?”
“Get what over with, exactly?”
“The matter of custody.” Rolling up the sleeves of his school shirt, Gerard glanced around my room before finally settling his heated gaze on me. “You can’t keep my kids from me. I have rights.”
“Are you serious?” I shook my head and gaped at him. “Oh my god, Gerard, I’m not going to keep the babies from you.”
“That’s what you say now,” he argued, moving for the basket in the corner of my room. “But I’ve been through this before, Claire.” Reaching inside, he gently scooped Dick into his arms. “I know how it goes when the mam gets a new partner.” Stroking him affectionately, he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I won’t be pushed out of their lives.”
“Gerard.” My mouth fell open as my brain absorbed his words. “I would never do that to our family.”
“That’s what they all say, but I’m telling you now, if you even think about letting him meet our babies, I will lose my fucking mind, Claire,” he added. “I mean it. It’s bad enough that I had to watch him take you out tonight, but if I see him in this room with these cats, I will lose it.”
“Oh, calm down, will you?” I snapped, clambering off the bed. “I went to the cinema with Jamie, I didn’t accept a marriage proposal from him.” Stalking over to him, I swiped Dick out of his arms and placed him back in the basket with his littermates. “I think one date is a little early for family introductions.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Gerard agreed, hands on hips. “But then I walked into the kitchen and found him with your mother and brother.”
Aw, crackers.
He had me there.
“Listen, I didn’t ask him to do that,” I heard myself say, trying to reason with the part of my friend that had been damaged from his parents’ behavior during his formative years. “I thought he would wait in the car.” Shrugging helplessly, I added, “I mean, isn’t that what boys are supposed to do when they take girls out on dates?”
“I have no idea, Clare,” Gerard replied hotly. “Because the only girl I’ve ever taken out is standing in front of me.”
“Gerard.”
“I can take you,” he blurted out. “If there’s a film you want to see, I’ll take you, Claire.”
“That’s not what tonight was about.”
“Then what was it about?”
“Gerard.” My heart jackknifed in my chest. “You know why I went out with him tonight.”
“Nope,” he stubbornly replied. “No clue.”
“Yes, you do,” I accused, mirroring his actions by planting my hands on my hips. “You know exactly why.”
“Well, if you meant to hurt me, then congratu-fucking-lations, Claire, because it worked,” he tossed back. “You succeeded.”
“Well, now you know how I feel!” I shot back, feeling a million different emotions rush through me. “Oh my god!” I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I stamped my foot in the heat of the moment. “You are so frustrating!”
“Me?” His eyes widened in outrage. “You’re the one in the relationship when you’re already in a relationship.”
