Page 89 of Peer & Coco

Chapter 37

Coco squatted behindthe island in the kitchen. Peer gritted his teeth and waited for her to pop up again, but she stayed out of sight.

"Do you want to explain why you're not going to stay here while Kelli comes and visits Tyr?" he asked again.

"I've stayed through four visits in ten days. It's my day off. I have a hair appointment and want to run errands. Kelli's...well, she's Tyr's mother, and you're his father, so it isn't going to hurt you to stay here while she comes over." She straightened, tossing the wet rag in the sink, and brushed her forearm across her forehead. "Today was the only opening with my stylist before we leave for Norway and I don't know how long it'll be until I find someone I trust to cut my hair once we move."

He balked. They were all short on time. He hadn't found a private moment with Coco to have a serious discussion. They were either at work, caring for Tyr, going in two different directions, dealing with Kelli's visitations, or asleep.

"Okay. I get it." He rolled a toy truck over to Tyr on the floor and stood from the couch. Going into the kitchen, he said, "When will you be back?"

"I don't know." She dried her hands on her hips. "Later."

"Coco." Her name vibrated in his chest. "Tell me what's going on with you."

"Nothing."

"You've barely said two words to me today."

She looked at him. "I'm a little frazzled. There's so much to do yet, and our passports haven't arrived."

"They came yesterday. I put them in the envelope with the plane tickets." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So that's one thing you don't have to worry about."

"Someone has to worry about everything." She walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

He hadn't made up his mind, but he was leaning toward staying in Portland. Coco wouldn't know that because until he knew what the hell they were doing, he wasn't going to add more stress on her shoulders.

Things were working out with Kelli visiting Tyr. She hadn't put any demands on him or asked to have their son spend the night at her house or threatened to keep him permanently. If she allowed him to have sole custody of Tyr and settled for visitations when it was convenient for one of them to oversee the meeting, then there wouldn't be a problem.

But, hell, he didn't know what was going to happen. He'd rather have his options open at the moment. He had four days to make up his mind.

Coco returned to the living room with the small wallet that she carried her phone in. "I'm leaving."

He stayed leaning against the kitchen island. She came to him and kissed him quickly. Too quickly.

Then, she went to Tyr and gave him smooches and talked with him quietly. For the amount of time he'd had with her lately, he found himself envious of his own son and the attention he received from her.

Coco walked out the door without another word or glance at him. He scoffed.

Tyr stood and walked to him. He gazed down at his son.

"What do you think about that?" He nodded when Tyr pointed at the door. "Coco will come back."

Tyr walked to the fridge and tried to pull the handle. Needing to distract his son from filling up on milk only, he found the box of bear crackers and poured a few in a plastic bowl, tempting Tyr out of the kitchen and to the activity center in the middle of the living room.

"Mam ma ma," said Tyr, cramming a graham cracker bear in his mouth.

"Hey, did you say Mamma?"

Tyr banged his fist on the tray. "Mam ma ma."

There was no doubt in his mind that Tyr called Coco mamma.

"You love her?" He ruffled Tyr's hair. "Me, too, son. Me, too."

Several minutes later, a knock interrupted him wiping Tyr's face free of crumbs. He walked over to the door and let Kelli in.

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