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Emery
I slammed my phone on the table. “That asshole.” I seethed. I’d been on a roller coaster of emotions for a solid twenty-four hours and there was no sign the ride was going to stop.
Holden had run to his place to get some work done. I had waited for him to leave before I started calling law offices. There was one left in Coal Haven, but I didn’t doubt that Henry had fucking called them too.
He’d planned this. When would I have found out if Avery hadn’t called?
He would’ve dumped the news on me Sunday night. So I’d have to drive back to Coal Haven a complete mess.
Regret beat through me. I shouldn’t have stood up to him like I had. But Mom’s advice rang through my mind. What would that have shown my kids? To let the person who was supposed to be a life partner treat them like they weren’t worthy of respect?
But was the cost too high?
Henry couldn’t take the kids away completely. He worked sixty-hour weeks and had to be on call. He didn’t take them to practices and appointments or sit through rehearsals. He hadn’t been part of traditions like pictures on the first day of school or ice cream on the last day of school.
If he wanted to do all that, I wouldn’t interfere as long as I also got to be involved. But he wouldn’t. He had the same job. He had the same personality. He’d hire sitters and nannies, and he’d have Jenni take over when he wasn’t around.
As long as Jenni was a responsible adult in their lives, I’d get over our past. But I knew Henry. He’d use the kids to control me. I wanted to talk to them. To hear their voices and pretend like I had more power and money than I did and could keep the nice little life we were building in Coal Haven.
I steeled myself to pick up the phone again. I called Henry.
He answered with a rushed, “Hello?”
“Can I tell the kids good night?”
“Why?”
I ground my teeth together. “Because they’re gone for four days, and I’d like to say good night before Riley goes down.” They were used to their dad being gone. Not me.
“Well, we’re eating supper.”
Avery’s “Is that Mom?” sounded from the background.
Henry gave a disgruntled snort and handed the phone over without saying anything to me.
I talked to Avery first and heard all about Arizona and how they went to the zoo and how nice the weather was. I got passed down the line until Riley. Avery helped her hold the phone without cutting me off. It was a blissfully normal conversation free of tears and worries. I’d needed it.
When she put her dad back on, I felt slightly better about the fight that was coming.
“Are you going to call every night?”
If I could stuff his attitude back into his smug mouth, I’d have a lot of fun doing it. “I don’t have to call tomorrow if it’s going to disrupt your plans.”
“We might be busy.”
I held in my sigh. “Okay. Thanks for letting me—”
He hung up.
And the anger was topped off once again.
The front door opened. Holden came in. He’d changed clothes after doing chores and held an overnight bag.
“No luck?”
I shook my head. “I’ll try the lawyer in town. If they don’t do family law, maybe he’ll have recommendations of someone good.”
His expression flickered. “I don’t know if you’ll have much luck with him. He’s not exactly progressive. The colleagues he recommends might be more likely to empathize with Henry.”
