I snorted, earning a glare from the angry dad.
“Owen, you have lost Play-Doh privileges for two weeks.”
Owen’s lip trembled and…oh, wow, my heart felt heavy. He looked down at his feet just as a tear dripped onto his shoe.
“Oh, my God.”
Gideon glanced at me with a furrowed brow. “What?”
I pointed to the quiet boy who I had yet to even hear speak. “You made him cry.”
Gideon rolled his eyes. “He shouldn’t be happy with a punishment.”
I realized right then and there that I didn’t like it when kids cried. I’d gotten upset a lot as a kid for reasons like no one wanted to befriend the town freak, or thinking about my parents not wanting me. Seeing Owen cry because of Play-Doh bothered me.
“What if it’s supervised?”
Gideon faced me. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s really upset, Gideon. He’s got to be in this house, can’t go to school and see his friends, is now honestly the time to be punishing him?”
The jovial expression that was on Gideon’s face earlier disappeared suddenly and was replaced with, dare I say, anger.
Without looking at Olivia or Owen, he said, “Liv, you and Owen go find something to do, and I’ll be with you in a moment.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
I peeked at Olivia, who totally was wearing an oh-shit face…was that directed toward me?
Once they left, Gideon moved and shut the door and rounded on me so fast. “Never do that again.”
“Do what?” Why was he so angry with me?
“Undermine me in front of my children.”
Oh…“I wasn’t undermining you. I just think you’re being a little hard on the kid. He barely speaks, never gets in trouble,and is stuck in this house, like all of us.” Anger began to spark within me. “Well, not you, right? You can come and go as you please.”
“You don’t know him; you spend an afternoon with him, and suddenly you’re his guardian angel.”
“Fine, fair. He’s not my kid and I don’t know him, and sure, I’m probably out of line and should have waited until they weren’t in the room to tell you that I thought you were being a colossal dickhead, but I didn’t, so boo-fucking-hoo to you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You take blame at the same time as you throw it?”
“I think you were wrong.”
He was so close now, I could feel his breath on my face. “You don’t get a say in how I raise my children. That’s not your place.”
“What is my place?”
“Whatever I damn well say it is.”
I snorted and stepped away. “In your fucking dreams, Mr. Hendrix.”
“Look, Penn.” He sighed. “I get that you’re not used to being around families and kids, maybe even rules and structure?—”
“I beg your motherfucking pardon?” I interrupted. “You know what? Fuck you. I don’t even give a shit if I overstepped at this point. Go. Fuck. Yourself. I sure as hell won’t be doing it.”
“Penn.” He advanced, and I retreated.
