Page 99 of Beating Heart
Why did I seem angry?
Why did he stay there?
Why isn’t she coming over?
“Pops, you’re not listening. Who’s Emerson’s friend?” he asked as I guided him to the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub.
It was a school night. I needed to stay focused.
“I don’t know,” I said, because I didn’t have a better answer at the moment.
But my blood was boiling.
Did she want to talk to the asshole? Did she miss him? Would she consider going back to him?
I had a shit ton of questions of my own.
Like father, like son, apparently.
“Get undressed and hop into the tub,” I said, trying hard to hide the anger from my tone. My son didn’t need to be exposed to that.
He stepped into the bathtub and sat down, and I handed him his body wash and grabbed the cup to pour water over his head.
“I liked when Sunny gave me a bath last night.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to chill the fuck out. “Well, you’re stuck with me tonight, kiddo.”
“You’re my favorite, Pops. I like being stuck with you.” He scrubbed the shampoo into his hair, and his words settled me in a way. “But I like being stuck with Sunny, too.”
And just like that, I was pissed off all over again.
I dropped to sit on the floor while he played around in the water, and I glanced down at my phone to see I’d missed a few texts.
Tara
Guess what?
Tara
Hello? Are you not going to guess?
Tara
NASH! Are you there?
She’d always had zero patience. Clearly, that hadn’t changed because all three texts came in at the exact same time.
What is it? I’m trying to bathe my son.
Tara
I found an Airbnb. I’m coming back home to spend time with my boys in two weeks.
And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse…
Life managed to surprise me.
twenty-six
