Kicking my door closed, I head in the house. “Hey, buddy! You up for some pizza?”
“Yeah! Mommy is wetting me watch Paw Patwol!” He doesn’t wait for me and runs back off into the house.
“Well he seems to be feeling better.”
“Ugh, yeah. Now he just has the energy of a hundred toddlers. I have the energy of a zombie.” She slow blinks as I pass by her and I’m not fully convinced her eyeballs are going to open again as she sways on her feet.
“Okay. New plan. You’re going to go to bed. I’m going to feed this gremlin and watch Paw Patrol until he passes out. I’ll put him to bed and lock up.”
“No. I can’t ask you to do that.” She shuffles behind me.
“You didn’t ask. I just decided that was going to happen.” I grip her shoulders and spin her around to face the stairs. “Up. Bed. Now.”
She sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly before she takes her first step. “Okay.”
After my buddy and I enjoyed more than our fair share of pizza he passed out on my lap watching the rest of his Paw Patrol show. I never even got my ice-cream but I’ll take a happy snoring little buddy any day over the sick one we’ve had the last couple days.
My body tenses when I hear the front door click open. But a quick glance over my shoulder and I see it’s only Murray.
Looking at my phone I still see no messages from Cal.
“I see you finally decided to follow my advice.” I sneer at him.
“Just got back. Got a bad fire that wouldn’t quit.” He sheepishly answers kicking imaginary rocks with his feet.
“Whatever. He just fell asleep twenty minutes ago. So you can carry him upstairs. She went to bed when I got here and skipped dinner. Don’t wake her up.”
Sliding Jaycob’s little head onto the couch from my lap, I slip the throw blanket under him as a pillow.
Ignoring Murray, I slip past him to get my shoes on. He’s guilty by association. Doesn’t make my husband stop working, doesn’t force him to use the other ranch hands and instead they both choose to get their hands dirty.
The door knob clicks open when I turn it and Murray’s eyes haven’t left me.
“Jules.”
Spinning to face him he gets the first of my anger. “What?”
“Go easy on him.” He says with a weak smile for his friend.
I scoff. Leaving him standing in the living room. Rushing to my truck I let my anger fuel me on the drive home.
I letHow Not To by Dan and Shaybeat through my speakers. The lyrics washing over me as I sing them with all my emotions pouring out of me. Almost as if I can feel the anger leaving my body, the song sinks in reminding me of all the good times I’ve had with my husband.This was supposed to be a break up song. What the fuck.
Ugh. No. Jamming the button to switch songs I getConsider Me Gone by Reba. Much better.
His stupid truck is parked in the driveway and I don’t know why the sight of it makes me so angry. I knew he’d be here.
I turn when I get to the front door, flipping off his stupid big ass truck covered in dirt.Fucking asshole.
Pushing the front door open, I walk in and he freezes mid-step only a few feet away from me.
I forgot what I was wearing until his mouth practically hits the floor as his eyes roam from head to toe, taking in the outfit he’s going to miss peeling off me tonight.
“Jules, I –”
“Save it, Cal. I don’t care what it was. You had to put me first forone night. That’s all I was asking for. One fucking night and you couldn’t even do it.”
He hangs his head in shame.Good. You should be ashamed.
