“I never put the crack pipe in your hand,” I responded. “Your punk-ass boyfriend did that.”
She thrust a hand through her hair. “Maybe not physically, Aiden, but you’re not innocent in all this. You think it’s easy being a single mom? You think it’s easy being me?”
“No, Bree,” I stated calmly. “But I tried to make it as easy as I could. Asked you to move with me to Wyoming; asked you to bring the boys. I could’ve taken some of the load, but you said no.”
“Why should I move my entire life for you?” she spat.
“I have to work,” I pointed out. “What do you think pays for all this? What do you think pays for the designer sneakers, expensive bags, and clothes? You think you’d have this lifestyle if I worked security at the fuckin’ mall?”
She opened her mouth to throw more shit at me but was interrupted by the sounds of car doors slamming from outside.
“The boys are here,” I informed her. “Gonna tell them to pack their stuff.”
“Haven’t got any luggage,” she bit out.
My eyes narrowed on her. “Where are the cases I bought for when the boys travel to me? I noticed they only had overnight bags with ’em.”
She looked down in silence.
My mouth hardened. “You sold ’em?”
“I was short of cash,” she whispered.
The muscle in my jaw started twitching like a motherfucker. “I give you six grand a month, pay your fuckin’ rent, and give the boys extra for new threads. You shouldn’t have to sell shit. And if you do, you get a part-time job like everyone else. Jesus, Bree, I didn’t realize how deep in shit you were.”
I heard the front door open and laughter filtered in, followed by Roan shouting, “Mom? Dad?”
“Living room,” I called out.
After a few seconds, the boys bustled in, their laughter melting from their faces as they noticed the oppressive air in the room and, no doubt, the frustration in my expression.
“Everythin’ okay?” Rex asked.
“Fine,” I replied. “You’re comin’ to live with me for a while.”
Roman headed toward his mom and clasped her shoulder gently. “You’re comin’ too, right, Mom?”
Bree looked everywhere except in his eyes. “No, baby. I’m gonna stay here.”
Rome twisted his neck to look at me. “You were gonna ask her.”
I sighed heavily because I knew I was about to break my boy’s heart. He could read between the lines, and once he found out his mom had turned down my offer, he was going to feel like she’d abandoned him. Though he wasn’t wrong; in a way, she had.
In the end, it was Rex’s voice that cut through the room. “He did ask her, right,Mom?”
Bree looked stricken.
I took a step toward my oldest. “Son?—”
He cut a hand through the air to silence me and rounded on his mother. “Tell Roman. Dad did ask you, didn’t he?”
She held her hands out pleadingly. “I can’t just pack up and leave. I’ve got responsibilities here.”
“We’re your responsibility!” he bellowed. “Us. Your sons!”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Breanna yelled back. “You’re always acting out. I’msickof the way you disrespect me.”
“Yeah, Mom,” Rex returned, his tone challenging. “That’s because you don’t deservemy respect. You sit indoors all day, drinkin’ and gettin’ high with Kev and his buddies. You don’t clean the place, you don’t cook, you don’t do anythingexcept party.”
