Page 111 of Beating Heart
My boys.
She’d never used that term, and it was clear that it was meant to bother Emerson. I reached for her hand, and her posture was stiff, her smile forced.
Cutler looked uncomfortable as he hung in Tara’s arms, and his gaze found mine over her shoulder.
Confusion.
Apprehension.
Maybe even a little fear.
That’s what I saw when I looked at my boy.
Hell, he barely knew this woman. Why’d she have to come on so strong? This was her shtick. She never stuck around long, so everything was intense and fast and aggressive.
I was fucking tired, and all I wanted was to get my son into his bed and my woman into mine.
Tara set Cutler down and turned to face me. “So, I got here, and I had confused the dates. Turns out, my Airbnb isn’t ready until tomorrow, so I figured I could snuggle with my boy tonight.”
Cutler’s eyes were wide, and he moved to step between me and Emerson.
“Are you serious? Why didn’t you just go check into the Magnolia Falls hotel?” I said, unlocking my door as I tried to figure out how to handle this. “Cutler, go get your pajamas on. No bath tonight. I’ll be right in.”
Emerson, Tara, and I all stood in the entryway, and the tension was thick.
“Nash, it’s really late. Are you seriously not going to allow the mother of your child to stay one night at your house?” She sneered at Emerson, which pissed me the fuck off.
“Okay, this ends here. This is my girlfriend, Emerson. Stop with the looks and the cheap shots, got it?” I narrowed my gaze. “It’s confusing to Cutler when you show up like this. I thought you were coming in a few days?”
“Mark and I broke up. I wanted to come see my son. I need him right now.”
The fucking balls on this woman. I leaned forward to keep my voice down, unable to hide my anger. “You need him right now? Are you for fucking real?”
“Oh, I’m sorry that we’re not all like you, Nash. I’m not made of stone. Sometimes I need people,” she said. “I missed my family.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, trying hard to tamp down this growing anger. “You can’t do this, Tara. If you want to come and have lunch with Cutler, I’ll allow it. But you’re not staying here, and you’re not fucking with my son’s head. No games. No bullshit. You got it?”
Emerson stiffened beside me, as she obviously didn’t know what to do in this situation. This was very on par for Tara. Of course, she’d show up now, when our lives were better than ever.
She was the most selfish woman I’d ever met.
“Don’t worry, Pops. Tara can read me a story, okay?” Cutler’s voice broke through the chaos in my head.
Did he want her here?
Was I the one being selfish?
I scrubbed a hand down my face and glanced at Emerson, who gave me the slightest nod.
“Yeah, sure, buddy. She can read you a story,” I said.
Tara smirked and walked right by me, following Cutler down the hall. I moved to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the refrigerator, holding one up for Emerson, but she shook her head no.
I tipped my head back and took a long pull.
“Hey, you need to relax. We knew she was coming. She just arrived a little early,” Emerson said, her hand running up and down my back.
I turned to face her. “This is bullshit. She planned it. So where the hell should I have her stay? It’s almost midnight. Should we let her stay here with us on the couch for one night?”
