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“Is your daddy always so angry?” I ask the boys with a scrunched nose as I help them into their booster seats.
Cole leans in as if he’s sharing a secret. “He only gets that way when he sees Momma.”
Maybe someone else would laugh at that, but it sort of breaks my heart that the boys have witnessed enough to know that their parents don’t get along.
I fully understand not liking someone after they were caught cheating on you, but he shouldn’t let those feelings come out in front of his kids. There needs to be a degree of separation between the fight with his wife and the relationship with his wife.
I fully intend to speak with him about it when we’re alone. I’d never bring it up in front of the boys.
He’s more prepared than I had time to be. I realize he brought two coffees to get him through the drive into Austin to catch our flight.
I wonder if I’ll have a chance to get another hour of sleep on the way, but it feels wrong since, technically, he’s paying me for today.
The boys get lost in the show playing in the headrests in front of them, their little heads bopping along to whatever it is they’re watching.
“Wish I had more time this morning,” I mutter, the scent of the coffee filling the inside of the SUV.
“I won’t apologize again for forgetting to tell you.”
“You didn’t apologize the first time,” I say, my tone even, conversational.
I glance over at him, taking satisfaction in the way his jaw clenches in annoyance.
“You don’t plan on giving me even an inch do you?” he asks, keeping his eyes on the road as he pulls out of the long driveway.
“Why would I? Just because everyone else in your life always has?”
He doesn’t respond, but I guess I don’t really expect him to.
“The quicker you figure out that I’m not someone who is going to kiss your butt because you used to play hockey, the better things will be for everyone. I’m not some fangirl who’s going to beg you to sign her bra strap, Chase Woodson. I don’t care how many women throw themselves at you. To me, you’re the same old country boy who got too big for his britches.” I glare at the side of his face, annoyed that he doesn’t look over at me. “And it’s proper manners that when you make coffee that you offer some to others instead of bringing two giant mugs to drink for yourself.”
I huff like a petulant child, looking over my shoulder to make sure the boys didn’t hear my tirade. They’re still bopping along to whatever they’re watching, thankfully not paying us any mind.
“You done?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I growl, annoyed that he still feels the need to challenge me.
“That cup there is yours. I figured that since you’re so surly and angry all the time that you drink your coffee black, but if I’m wrong, let me know and I’ll make it to your specifications next time.”
I stare from him to the cup of holy water that’s been teasing my senses several times since I climbed into the vehicle, incapable of forming words.
“Thank you,” I mutter as I pull the cup from the holder. “And I do happen to like my coffee black, but only because that’s how Momma and Daddy drink it.”
His lip twitches with what I can only assume is annoyance because this is not a smiling matter, and he’d be risking his own life if he laughed at me while I’m so tired.
I tilt the cup up, savoring the rich taste that hits my tongue. It’s definitely not store brand coffee in this cup. It’s luxurious and will go a long way in bettering my mood.
“You’re going to have to add not making that noise you just made to the list of rules right along with wearing bottoms around the house.”
“What noise?” I ask, my attitude still in full effect.
He sighs. “The fact that you don’t even know makes it ten times worse.”
Chapter 11
Chase
“They aren’t the same person,” Madison says, feeling the need to remind me about my own children. “They’re not going to have the same needs at the same time always.”
