“She won’t be around tonight,” I mutter.
Deirdre narrows her eyes, glaring at me. “Are you lying?”
My nostrils flare as I rein in my temper. “I have no reason to lie. I never have. Kiki is a wonderful woman who adores our son, and our son adores her.”
That only seems to piss her off more. Her jaw flexes as she cuts her gaze to the far wall. “I swear to God, if I find out anything—anything—that makes me more upset than I already am right now, that’s it.”
Oh, now she’s threatening me? That’s fucking great. “What the hell does that mean?”
If looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.
“You know exactly what it means,honey.” Her voice drips venom with every syllable.
I bury my face in my hands, a low growl rising from my chest. “Will you please just?—”
“Theo, come on baby. Time to go with your dad.” Deirdre’s voice calls down the hallway.
Guess the conversation is over. Nice of her to let me finish my thought.
A second later, Theo runs into the room and I have to get the expression on my face under control before my son gets close enough to read it.
As I reach for the door, Deirdre points a finger at me, her voice low and deadly. “I’m not fucking kidding, Eddie. Donotcross me.”
I do my damndest to keep a game face on for Theo, but my kid is too smart for his own good. He knows something’s up. Hell, Deirdre and I weren’t exactly quiet in the kitchen.
He stays silent until we’re about half a mile down the road, as though there’s enough distance to be safe from his mom’s wrath. “Are you okay, Dad?”
No, I’m really fucking far from okay, Theo.
But he doesn’t need to know the details. Hell, he shouldn’t know about any of this, but here we are.
I catch his eyes in the rearview and offer up the warmest smile I can manage. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Hopefully, his mother will be too, once she settles down. When she meets Kiki, she’ll love her the same way Theo and I do.
Fuck, Ihopeshe settles down.
A moment passes before Theo speaks again. “Are we gonna see Ms. Kiki?”
Speak of the devil.
“Not today, buddy.”
And maybe not for a while, either. The thought sits sour inmy gut, because I know it’s bullshit. Kiki would rather slit her own throat than put Theo in danger. She adores my son. But Deirdre is his mother, and I’m not looking to turn this into a bigger war than it already is, regardless of my opinion on the matter.
So for now, I’ll play the game her way, and when she’s not raging, I’ll arrange a meeting to let Deirdre see for herself what kind of woman Kiki is. How gentle she is with everyone in her life. How loving and nurturing she is toward Theo.
After that, this whole mess will resolve itself.
It has to, right?
“Awww...” Theo’s lower lip juts out. Boy, do I know that look, but I’m cutting him off before he works himself into full-on six-year-old devastation.
“Guess where we’re going now? To see Aunt Ori and Uncle Ash.”
Just like that, my kid brightens. “Can I see Iris and Merlin, too?”
“Sure you can.”
