Chapter 64
His reply bounces in.
But I will.
“Ugh, this man is infuriating.” I show Deb the texts and she reads them.
“Seriously, can I watch you two have sex? It’s going to be fucking fire.” She smirks. “Open an OnlyFans account, you’ll make bank.”
I snatch my phone from her. “We are not having sex.” That came out louder than expected, and we both cringe as we both look around. An old lady gives us a judgy side eye.
“Seriously, though.” I lean into Deb and whisper, “What should I do now?”
“Go to the shop. Buy. Lube.”
4 p.m., and not a peep from Gabriel since I saw him at the game this morning.
The sky has turned red, and I’ve ranted and raved all damn day.
This isn’t okay, his behavior is totally unacceptable. He can’t just turn up here and be an arrogant prick to try to rattle my boyfriend. Well, he didn’t just try, he excelled at it. Poor Jack is rattled to the bone…and who could blame him?
Not that Jack and I are star–crossed lovers or anything…but Gabriel doesn’t know that. What
if we were?
What if I loved Jack with all of my heart and Gabriel just planted a seed of poison into our
relationship?
What then…huh?
I stir the chocolate brownie mix in the bowl as I mutter out loud to myself. “If he thinks my cooking was bad before, just wait until he tastes my next meal. I’m putting full–blown dog
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shit in it.” I stir the mix with vigor. “And if he thinks for one fucking second I’m putting up With his bullshit, he can think again.”
“What’s bullshit?” Dominic asks from the doorway.
Crap…can’t I even mutter to myself in peace?
“Nothing, bubba, sorry, that’s an inappropriate word.” I smile sweetly. “Just thinking about a show I’m watching on Netflix,” I lie. One thing I’ve learned over the last three weeks about this whole shared–parenting thing is to not let my feelings seep in and poison the kids. Once you say something in passing about the other parent, they hold on to it forever.
“Gabriel is here,” Lucia yells excitedly from upstairs. “Yay.” She comes screaming down the
stairs and runs out the front door to greet him.
Dominic walks to the front window and peers through the side of the curtains, quietly
watching.
“Why don’t you go out and meet him too, baby?” I tell him. “That would be nice.”
Dominic shrugs, unsure what to do.
He’s warming to him.
My anger momentarily dissipates and I smile. “It was nice he came to your game today,
wasn’t it?” He stays silent.
“Do you like Gabriel coming to see you all the time?” He shrugs again.
I walk over and stand behind him as I put my hands on his shoulders, we both watch out
the window as Lucia talks a million miles per minute, she’s being all animated and he’s
laughing as he listens and talks to her. They’re getting something out of the trunk of his car
and loading it onto the grass in a pile. I smile as I watch them, and then I remember
something, something very important.
Gabriel Ferrara’s a fuckface….who I hate.
I go back to the kitchen to continue making my brownies. “They’re carrying something big
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Mom,” Dominic calls.
Thope it’s a coffin, he’s going to need it.
Thope
“Why don’t you go and help them?” I call back.
“I don’t know if…” He contemplates.
Ugh, why is this child such an over thinker?
“They’re walking around the side of the house with the stuff,” Dominic calls as he runs to
the back door.
L
“Just go out and see what they’re doing.” I roll my eyes as I pour the brownie mix into the
cake pan.
“Will you come?” Dominic asks hopefully.
Ugh…
“Sure.” I open the back door and Dominic comes to stand beside me.
“Hi there, you two.” Gabriel smiles up at us as he and Lucia carry something down to the
water’s edge.
“Hello.” I smile through gritted teeth.
Fucker.
است
Dom holds my hand and bites his bottom lip as if to hide his smile.
He’s so cute, I can’t stand it.
“What have you got there?” I call out to them. “I bought us a new card table and chairs and a firepit.” Us.
I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
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“Because I thought we’d play cards out here tonight.” I clench my teeth.
You thought wrong, I’m drowning you in the lake and burying your body in the woods
tonight.
“Oh,” I reply flatly. “Great.”
I go back inside. I really don’t have the capacity to deal with him today, this is a nightmare.
Gabriel begins to set up the card table and fold out the chairs and Dominic wanders down to the water’s edge to watch them.
“Can you sort the kindling for the fire, Dom?” Gabriel asks him. “I need a man around here to get this firepit under control. Do you think you can do that?”
“Okay,” Dom replies enthusiastically, he runs inside to collect the things. He begins collecting the kindling and throwing it into the basket.
Ugh… I roll my eyes. He’s now using Dom’s pyromaniac tendencies to bond.
Well played.
A
I peer
“Mom, we‘
into the oven at my brownies as I imagine Gabriel choking on them.
making a fire out the back,” Dominic calls. “And we’re playing Uno.”
Oh…
He’s excited.
“That sounds so fun, baby,” I call back. “Maybe we could take some blankets out there too,” I
suggest.
Dom’s eyes light up. “The checked ones in the linen press?”
“Uh–huh.”
He runs and takes the stairs two at a time.
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“Mind if I come through your back door?” Gabriel’s deep voice purrs.
glance up to see him standing in the doorway, he’s giving me the look, and I know exactly which back door he’s talking about.
