Page 72 of Full Throttle

My anger was instant, as was my indignation. But I refused to let Josh be the punching bag for that anger.

I risked putting my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. “They lied.”

He looked up. “Sorry,” he whispered.

“How about we start over? No attitude this time.”

He sniffled, wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve. I didn’t give him shit about it. “I really get a room?”

“Yep.”

“Is Cherry mad at me?”

“No, but you owe her an apology. She isn’t your mother, Josh, but she is my fiancée and will be my wife. She is part of my life, and you need to treat her with respect.”

“Okay.” He paused. “Thanks for not yelling.”

I shut my eyes. “I don’t want to yell at you, Josh. And you made me angry this morning, but I think talking is better than yelling. And it’s better than sulking.”

Cherry walked in, looking between us. “What’s going on?”

Josh hurried over, surprising us both when he threw his arms around her. “Sorry, Cherry. I was being a pain earlier.”

She met my eyes as she hugged him. “We all have bad days, Josh.”

“I’ll do better.”

She drew back and cupped his face. “You be Josh. We already think that is pretty awesome.”

He nodded, and I heard his sniffle. Cherry hugged him again, letting him calm down a little.

“What do you think of your room?”

“It’ll be great.”

“What color do you want?”

“Blue. Can it be like a bright blue?”

“Let’s go look at swatches,” she said with a grin.

He smiled back, his good humor restored. “Okay.”

I watched them leave, grateful we had gotten past the surliness, but wondering what other issues we would face.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dom

Sunday, I followed him to the door, waiting until Roxanne answered. The rest of the visit had gone well, with no more outbursts. Josh was friendly and helped clean up after dinner. This morning, it had been fun to share breakfast with him. To see him when he first woke up. It reminded me of when he was young, his hair tousled, a sleepy smile on his face as he said good morning. The way he leaned into Cherry as she hugged him, as if seeking her embrace. It made my heart swell with hope for the future.

I was pleased when Josh high-fived me, then hugged me before he went inside. It was fast, and he was gone before I could return the gesture, but it was huge. Roxanne turned to go, but I halted her. “Wait.”

Roxanne stared at me balefully. “What?”

“We need to talk.”

She stepped out, her shoulders back, ready for a fight. “What?”