I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s said this to me during our marriage. It’s Nitro speak for “I fucking love you, woman.”
No one loves me as well as Nitro does.
Our first ten years together were the best ten years of my life, and I can’t wait to be loved by him for another ten.
I smile and curl myself deeper into his arms. “I love you too.”
23
WINTER & BIRDIE
BIRDIE’S POV
Two Weeks after Battle Hearts Epilogue, which was set a year after their book finished
“Amelia,there’s no colouring tonight if you don’t eat your veggies.”
My four-year-old scrunches her little face up at me, glaring in the way she’s started doing over the last month when she doesn’t get what she wants. Then, pushing her plate away, sending peas all over the table, she yells, “I wanna colour!”
I eye the peas scattered everywhere and then look at her.
One of these days I will get to the bottom of my thoughts on whether parenting was a great life choice, but that won’t be today. In all honesty, it probably won’t be for another fifteen good years. I’m far too exhausted to even get to the bottom of my thoughts on whether the mini-grocery store I carry with me at all times should include both peanut butter sandwiches and Vegemite sandwiches, or whether just one type will be enough, let alone contemplating my thoughts on parenting.
When I take a little more time responding to her than she prefers, Amelia bangs her hands down onto the table and yells again. “I wanna colour!”
This banging on the table sends me over the edge. Picking her up, I carry her into her bedroom, ignoring the kicking she does. Depositing her on her bed, I say, “No colouring. And no leaving your bedroom. You can stay in here until you calm down.”
She begins screaming while lying on her bed, kicking her legs in the air, and flinging her arms all over the place.
History has taught me not to engage at this point. Instead, I calmly exit her bedroom, closing her door behind me, praying that she doesn’t take hours to work this temper tantrum out of her system. Winter told me he’s going to be home late tonight, so I’m on my own with this, and I’m not sure I have it in me to last hours.
I’m halfway down the hall towards the kitchen when my teens, Abbi and Maddox, stalk towards me. They both have anger strewn across their faces.
“You’re being an asshole,” Abbi says as she strides after Maddox. “You guys were broken up!”
I’ve never seen Maddox look as angry as he does right now. I’ve also never heard the kind of vicious anger I hear in his voice when he stops and turns to face Abbi, and snarls, “She told me she wanted to work through this with me, Abbi. You don’t fucking sleep with another guy when you tell your ex that shit. Fuck her.”
Abbi’s eyes flash with her own anger as she throws back, “I get it, but you didn’t have to be so mean to her.”
“I’m done with her, and if I never fucking see her again, it’d make my fucking year.”
“Right,” I say, stepping in, “I’m not loving this language, Maddox.”
He spins and faces me, his features a mess of fury, his eyes dark with emotion. “I don’t care,” he spits before pushing past me, striding down the hall, and exiting the house without a backwards glance.
My eyes go wide as I watch him leave.
Maddox has never spoken to me like that before.
He’s lucky Winter isn’t here; he’d kick his ass for that.
I let him go. Maddox does better with some space when he’s angry.
“God!” Abbi rants. “He’s being a real prick at the moment.”
I turn to her. “What’s happened?”
She throws her arms up in the air and I see all the frustration and hurt that’s sitting behind her anger. “Leia slept with Todd Harrison at a party on the weekend. Todd told everyone at school, because he’s an asshole like that. Maddox heard about it and lost his absolute shit at Leia today. Told her she deserves a guy like Todd and that he hopes they live happily together for life. She regrets it all. Mostly because she realised how much she wants Maddox back, but also because everyone at school is treating her awfully.” She exhales a long breath. “It’s a fucking mess, and if Maddox could pull his head out of his ass for one minute, he’d see that Leia didn’t actually do anything wrong. They were broken up for God’s sake!”
