“Where’s Lily?” I heard Rhodes ask.
“Taking a bath,” said Alex.
“I’ll go check on her. Make sure she’s not playing swamp monster again.”
By the time I caught my breath, and my mortification, I realized Alex and I were alone—and there was something I needed to say to him.
“Alex?” I closed the distance, not stopping until the island stopped me. “Can you put the knife down? There’s something I need to say to you.”
“There’s nothing you have to say that I need to hear.”
“Wrong, bitch!”
Alex almost cut his finger off. “Excuse me?” he blared, knife shooting away. “What did you just—”
“You heard me!” I rounded the island—coming at him so fast he backed up into the fridge. “I’m getting real fucking sick of your attitude, Montgomery. I messed up, I know that. It wasn’t right for me to say one thing, and then do another. But co-parenting is hard for every parent—even the ones who get along.
“If you don’t want me to do something with Nari, you need to talk to me and explain why. Don’t just bark orders at me, and then treat me like a monster for using my own judgment instead of blindly following yours.” The words shot from my mouth one after the other—pelting Alexander from all sides.
Even more wonderful than that... I was actually making sense.
“I completely understand your caution with Nari after she was grabbed by that piece of shit, but you need to hear me when I say that I love that kid,” I shouted at him. Yes, shouted. I was on a roll and couldn’t seem to slow down or lower my voice. “I love her, and I would never willingly or knowingly put her in danger.
“Courtneyismy best friend. I trust her with my life and I trust her with Lily, but if you don’t, why don’t you stop being an ass for two seconds and justmeet her! Get to know her and Taylor, and give Lily a chance to make a friend who isn’t her teacher!”
“Sue—”
“And another fucking thing,” I screeched, slapping the fridge door just to the right of his wide eyes. “How flip flipping fucking dare you lock me outside with a bear! A bear, Alex! What kind of vindictive psychopath does something like that, and then turns around and acts like I’m the dangerous one!” I shoved my face in his, swallowing his eyes in my narrowed ones. “If you ever do anything like that to me again, you’re going to wish that car crash finished me off, because I’ll never stop coming for you, bitch!”
A growl ripped from his throat. “What? Is that supposed to scare me? Is that supposed to be a threat?” He knocked his forehead against mine, shoving me back with his head alone. “I already fucking wish that car crash finished you off!”
“No, you wish you weren’t a lonely, pathetic, unemployed bitch baby with a shriveled-up, unsucked dick!”
“No more than you wish you weren’t a shit-peddling failure that the internet chewed up and spat out! I’m lonely and pathetic? Ha!” he barked, making me jump. “You’re the one with no friends, no job, no husbands, and no life! The only one who can stand you is our kid, and even that biological imperative is wearing off fast! Not even your own mother wants you around!” Spittle showered my face. “Lord fucking knows why you’re hanging around until she croaks, because if my mother told me I was a worthless leech and her worst mistake that many times in a five-minute conversation, the only thing I’d be sticking around to do is piss on her grave!”
“Make sure you pull down your pants and squat for that piss, bitch boy, otherwise that little guy will never reach!”
His face turned a dangerous puce. “You’re so fucking—! Argggggh!!!”
I blew back, then returned his bellow with my own. “Ahhhhh!”
Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Micah and Rhodes burst into the kitchen.
“What the fuck?!”
“What’s going on!”
“I’m done with him!” “I’m done with her!” we shouted at the same time.
“Can you be done with each other a little fucking quieter!” Rhodes blared. “Lily can hear you!”
That silenced me better than anything else could.
Alex and I flung away from each other, glaring at opposite corners of the kitchen.
“Look, guys.” Resignation laced Micah’s voice. “If you can’t get along for Lily’s sake, then—”
Sue’s phone went off, cutting off whatever Micah was going to say. I answered it rather than listen to another word about that asshole.
