“Maybe we could watch a movie tonight,” I suggested in an attempt to change the subject.
“Yeah—” He stopped his meandering toward the front door and turned my shoulders to face him. I averted my eyes in Kacey’s direction. Chris moved his glasses to the top of his head, squinting at me. “What’s wrong?”
My stomach tightened. We’d been together too long.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied.
“Yeah, there is.” His dark brown eyes roved over my face. “Look at me.” I didn’t at first so he grabbed my chin to force the action. “You’ve been crying. Why?”
“Just feeling a little bit emotional today.” My shrug wasn’t sufficient to dislodge his grasp.
He didn’t roll his eyes, but they lifted toward the sky a bit. Like he’d been-there-done-that. “Who did you talk to today? Was itTag?”
I shrugged again, wracking my brain for a way to change the conversation. I couldn’t admit to calling shelters and making plans to flee to Texas. Why was I such an open book? Even my thoughts couldn’t have a smidge of privacy. Like a hound on the trail, Chris couldn’t resist the urge to sniff around when I had something on my mind.
He sighed, “Miranda, we’ve been through this.” He let go of me and took a step back.
I played along, pretended vacation was all I wanted. “I know you have to keep looking for work, but what if Kacey and I went by ourselves? We’d visit for a ten days or so then come right back.”
“It’s not safe for you to travel alone like that.”
“I can drive fine.”
He scoffed, his agitation swelling.
“What? You don’t think I can drive to Texas? We’d have Tag once we got there—so we wouldn’t be alone.” Arguing with Chris wasn’t a great tactic, but I had to make some sort of case.
“You haven’t seen him in years, why now?”
“I miss him.” When his jaw ticked, I realized I probably should shut the heck up and stop pushing.
“Youmisshim.” He wanted me to confirm.
“Yeah?”
He crossed his arms, daring me to ask him. “What would you need from me?”
“Nothing.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Nothing?”
“J—just gas money.”
He threw his hands up. “Unbelievable!”
The unfairness of the situation made my chest clench. Chris was the unappointed gatekeeper in my life, and I hated him for it.
“So, let me get this straight. You want to use money we barely have to go see another man?”
My jaw dropped and I faltered for a response. “Chris! What are you insinuating?” I needed to dial in my emotions, but his audacity! “You do realize Tag is mycousin, right?”
“Still it isn’t appropriate for you to go see him like that.”
“Besides my mom and stepdad, who I don’t care to ever see again, Tag is my only family.”
He rolled his eyes full-on this time. “Do you not remember anything? Youwere abandoned. When you needed help, I was the only person there for you.Not Tag.” He grabbed my shoulders again, turning me toward Kacey this time. He leaned forward and his yeasty breath moved the hair around my ear. “Weare the only family that matters, Miranda. The rest of them left you—high and dry.”
The vision of my son swam. Chris wasn’t wrong.
