Page 48 of Guarding Over You
“We’re early,” she said.
She’d fed her daughter lunch at home before they left and they were meeting at The Children’s Museum At Saratoga. Julie normally arrived fifteen minutes early so they could have a few minutes to talk, then Billy would come next. The museum didn’t open again until one and she was meeting Blaze for lunch at one thirty.
“Why do we have to come early? I want to go in now.”
She turned to look at her daughter in the backseat. “It’s closed. They close for an hour to clean up for the afternoon. You’re going to have a great time in here. And we have to wait for Julie and your father.”
“Will I be here the whole time?”
“I don’t know,” she said. She just knew she was picking her daughter up at four here again when the museum closed. It was a nice day and she could talk to Julie in the parking lot.
“Do they have food inside if I’m hungry?”
“I’m sure your father has it planned,” she said. Billy normally did, so she had to give him some credit.
Or maybe it was because Gracie was always hungry and he knew it was easier to have a snack or meal with her to get her to continue to relax.
She wouldn’t consider it bribing. He had to do what he could to repair the damagehe’dcaused.
Arden saw Billy pull in first, not surprised he was early when she’d been last time.
Tit for tat.
A childish game and worse than she anticipated.
What she hated more was the thundering of her heart.
“Is that Dad?”
“It is. Stay in the car please while I get out and talk to him.”
Not what she wanted to do, but Billy got out and was leaning against his truck two spots over.
Best to get this over with.
“I didn’t think you’d get out to talk to me.”
“I figured since you were early you had something to say.” And she was going to see if she could get a read on if he left that note on her car or not.
“I’m sorry about the other day.”
“What exactly?” She wanted him to come out and admit he was wrong. That he shouldn’t have gone that extra step to threaten her. To think he could get her to back down.
“Arguing with you. Losing my temper. You probably think I’m using again and I’m not. I promise.”
His promises meant nothing to her and she had told him a long time ago to stop using that word.
“Why did you lose it?”
“I know you don’t believe me, but I really love Tina. I want her to meet Gracie. She loves me, but she’s skittish about my background. I talk about my daughter, but I think she doesn’t believe things are good between us and I’m just following the court guidelines until they are lifted.”
“So it has more to do with this woman than your daughter?”
His lips thinned, his jaw got tense, even his fingers flexed and released. She’d learned to see the signs for years, but in seconds it ended. Thankfully.
“No. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but they weren’t all my fault.”
“Don’t blame your addiction,” she said, shaking her head. “That is only going to piss me off.”
