Page 52 of Someone You Deserve

Her eyes fill with tears. “I—I can’t protect him from that, Penn.”

“I know.”

“Why do kids have to be so cruel?”

“I wish I knew the answer to that fucking question, believe me. As it is, I’m trying to think of a way to fuck with the kid that isn’t illegal so he knows not to mess with our boy again.”

Her brow furrows. “You saidourboy…”

I freeze. “And?”

“You said it earlier on the phone, too.”

My heart starts to beat fast because I’m not sure where she’s headed with this. “Well, I mean…we are both responsible for him, aren’t we?”

Her gaze is so analytical that I’m having the hardest time reading her. Normally with Astrid, I can gauge what she’s thinking, whether she’s happy, stressed, or emotional. But right now, she’s looking at me like I’m a freaking math problem that she doesn’t know how to solve.

“Mommy?” Lilly calls from the front door, breaking our eye contact.

“Yes, baby?”

“Grandma says it’s time for dinner.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there!” Astrid calls over her shoulder.

Lilly waves at me enthusiastically from the door. “Hi, Uncle Penn!”

“Hey, Lilly Bear.”

“Bentley said you let him smash walls at your house! I wanna do that too!”

Chuckling, I reply, “Next time I’ll make sure you get to come.”

“Yay!” And as quickly as she came, she disappears back into the house.

“What were we talking about?” Astrid says as she turns back to me.

“Fuck if I know.”

She laughs, and the sight of her smiling instantly calms me. But then I remember that she’s supposed to be going on her date tonight and the peace I just felt gets replaced with rage.

“I’d better get going. Don’t want you to be late for your date.”

Her face falls. “Oh, uh…that won’t be a problem.”

“Why not?”

“Because I canceled it.”

Relief floods my chest, but I don’t get too comfortable with the feeling until I know more. “Why?”

“Because my son needs me tonight. Dick can wait.”

I internally smile at the fact that she called him Dick, but not before I do the running man in my head, celebrating that she’s not going out with him after all. Maybe Willow talked some more sense into her too.

“I think that’s the noble choice.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “I can tell you’resodisappointed for me.”

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