“See ya tomorrow, Miss J!”
He rode away. Most kids would drop the missus and call me miss. It was just the different letter I’d have to get used to.
“Why are you eating out here?” His question cut through my contemplation.
“Because the company inside is rude.” I plucked my cookie off my plate and took a bite. I didn’t bother to finish chewing before I spoke. “You were quick to teach Deon about manners, but you sure sucked at them today.” I brandished the portion of the cookie I hadn’t chomped off. “Did it occur to you to share why you ripped me away from a party that was partly for me? That had almost mywholefamily there? They all showed, with less than a day’s notice, and they evenbrought food. I ate all the cookie salad, by the way, and I’m not even sorry. You’re not the only one who can be thoughtless.”
His sharp inhale almost made me cringe. Had I gone too far? I didn’t really know this guy. Would he get upset?
“Trust I had my reasons,” he said evenly.
I’d slept in a bed with this man twice. I trusted him with my physical safety. I trusted that he’d do a lot to keep his family’s land from getting sold. But to trust him around my family? With my feelings? That was yet to be earned. “Why don’t you trust me with your reasons?”
Several silent moments ticked by. I ate the rest of my cookie and polished off my plate.
“We each entered into this marriage with our own separate yet related agendas. That doesn’t give you access to everything about me, just as I don’t expect to have access to all of you whenever I want it.”
Ouch. What he was saying was true, but the hurt made my gut twist. I regretted those last few bites.
I wanted kids. I wanted a family. Should I press pause on expecting him to hold up his end of the bargain? I wasn’t sure I could help him with the land anyway, and I didn’t want my kid to have an emotionally unavailable father. Without kids, I could enjoy this little fantasy until Gideon went back to Vegas. Once he was gone, I wouldn’t have a reminder about what a stubborn ass he could be.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gideon
I looked out the window and checked the temp on my phone. The weather outside was warmer than the frigid vibes Autumn was giving off. She had gone to work for the day, or so I assumed since she hadn’t said a word to me.
After I’d shut down her admonishments, she’d sat outside for another half hour, and when she’d come inside, she’d gotten ready for bed and read until she shut the lights off. I had taken the opportunity to catch up on work. The board was not happy I’d left on such short notice and I had to wonder how many of those anxious texts were fueled by Taya.
I had over five years of diligent service to Silver, along with months of unused vacation. They should know I wouldn’t have left without reason. Many of them had known me when I’d worked for other casinos in the Las Vegas area.
I had mollified them for now. Where was my wife? How upset was she? All she had asked me to do was talk to her.
She’d called me rude.
I’d heard myself described in various ways over the years. Hard. Uncompromising. Too demanding.
Not fucking rude. By a schoolteacher.
I let the blinds go. I went to the fridge and dug out the rest of the leftovers. One slab of ham and a bun was all that was left.
My stomach was waking up and my damn mouth was watering. The plate I’d heated for myself last night after Autumn had retreated to the bedroom had made me want to gobble everything up. There wasn’t enough remaining for another meal.
I’d seen Autumn packing some in an insulated bag with horses on it this morning. No one in Silver would be caught packing a lunch bag with horses on it for work. She’d probably left me scraps to make a point. She could be rude too. I ate the remnants.
I sat at the kitchen table and worked for a few hours, answering emails and conducting one phone meeting. For my dinner, I found a freezer full of beef besides the ice cream. I made eggs instead. Autumn had plenty of veggies around to make a decent omelet.
The groan that left my mouth when I tasted the farm-fresh eggs was shameful. I sounded like I was getting my dick sucked, which wasn’t going to happen after the way Autumn had shut down on me last night.
I scrubbed the dishes with more force than necessary. It didn’t matter if she kept her distance. It didn’t. Getting her pregnant in a month wouldn’t be enoughtime to change Dad’s mind. I just needed him to buy that we’d have kids in the near future.
But that wasn’t part of the deal.
A bead of sweat broke out on my forehead.
I abandoned the dishes in the drying rack and went back to work. I stayed at the computer until my shoulders ached and my back protested. I missed my ergonomic chair.
When I glanced at the time, I did a double take. It was after six?
