Page 106 of River Wild

Jerk.

Tears sting my eyes.

I hate pregnancy hormones. They make me cry way more easily than I normally would.

Biting the inside of my cheek to keep the tears at bay, I turn back to the stroller, not really in the mood for shopping anymore.

So long as it keeps Olive safe, that’s all that matters.

I see a store worker passing by and wave to catch his attention.

“Can I help you?” he asks, approaching me with a kind smile.

At least someone’s being kind at the moment.

Unlike the big horse’s ass standing behind me.

“Yes. I’d like to take this stroller.” I pat it with my hand.

“Of course. I’ll have one brought up to the cash register for you.”

“Thank you.” I walk away, heading for the cash registers, not even bothering to look if River is following me or not.

I pay for the stroller. River carries it out to his truck and puts it in the trunk.

We get in the truck, and he pulls out into traffic.

He seems to be in a world of his own. On edge even.

The drive home is masked in silence, filled only by the radio playing. I keep my face buried in my phone, playing a game on it. Feeling simultaneously annoyed, upset, and confused by his behavior.

River isn’t exactly a stranger to mood swings. But this mood swing came from out of nowhere.

He pulls up outside my house. He’s out of the truck and getting the stroller out of the trunk before I even have my seat belt off.

I head straight for my front door, unlocking it.

Buddy is there to greet me like always.

“Hey, Bud.” I blow him a kiss.

Bending down to pet him isn’t an option at the moment with the size of this belly I’m carrying around. I honestly don’t think I’d get back up again if I attempted to bend down.

“Where do you want this?” River’s gruff voice comes behind me.

I jolt at the sound of him after having his silence for the last hour.

“Olive’s room, please.”

I waddle to the sofa, lowering myself onto it, and kick off my shoes. Buddy hops up onto the sofa and snuggles in beside me. I start stroking his fur.

I hear the sound of River’s boots thumping down the hall. Even though he’s acting like an ass at the moment, we do have dinner together almost every night, and I am starving.

So, I ask, “Do you want to order in tonight or—”

The sound of my front door slamming shut has my words halting.

I spin my head around to the closed door.

Did he just leave?

I push up off the sofa, which takes some doing nowadays, and waddle over to the window just in time to see River’s truck turning in the street and peeling out of there.