And keep your cool. Don’t let her rile you up either.
Knox
If you have to cut them off, then do it.
Holt
I don’t want to cut them off. They’reHannah’s parents!
Emmett
They also should respect you and the way you want to raise your girls.
Grayson
You are their father, not her.
Holt
What if they try to go for custody?
Knox
They won’t. They know they’d lose. There’s not a single judge in the area who would award them anything more than visitation.
Holt
This fucking sucks. I wish I could believe that they’ll listen to me with an open mind.
Grayson
I’m sorry they put you in this position, Holty.
Knox
Bring the girls out when it’s over. We’ll help you process.
CHAPTER 32
Holt
Staring up at the small ranch house, nausea begins to roll through my gut. They bought this house right after Hannah and I found out she was pregnant with Lauren.
They’d struggled with the distance after we moved here from Denver. In fact, I remember them being pissed that we’d decided to move to my hometown. They couldn’t figure out why we’d want to live in such a small Podunk—their words, not mine—town. It didn’t matter that my whole family was here, or that we wanted our kids to grow up in a place where everyone knows everyone. Nothing we said made them understand our choices.
So Hannah and I were shocked when they told us they were moving to Pine Creek Falls. After all the grief they gave us over our move, it was a huge surprise, but we were excited because it meant we’d have both sets of grandparents close by. We said on numerous occasions how grateful we were for all the extra support.
For the first time since they moved, I’m wondering if being this close is causing more problems than it’s solving.
I’m stalling. I don’t want to go in there and have this conversation. Kathy was never very good at even minor confrontations. We had to set some boundaries after Lauren was born to keep Kathy from showing up whenever she felt like it without asking. She did not appreciate having her access limited.
Now I’m about to do it again.
Sighing, I force myself out of my truck and knock on their door.
“Hey, Holt,” Kathy answers before frowning. “Where are the girls?”
I hadn’t told her they weren’t coming today because I didn’t want her to avoid talking with me.
