Page 74 of Fierce-Dane

He didn’t know what was going on that the kids were fighting him so much on this.

He thought things were better with them and Ethan since he’d talked to them about it.

Maybe his sister and mother thought he was a wuss for doing it, but in his mind this was about wanting what was best for them and not about helping his ex out with her relationship.

He also knew at some point he might have to let his kids know he was seeing Sloane.

He’d start slowly and introduce them to the fact of it but not have them meet just yet.

Since this was the first person he had been with since his split, he didn’t want them to get upset when they felt they could come to him for anything.

“I know,” Tiffani said. “But Ethan will probably be there today. He is on the weekends more.”

He lifted an eyebrow at that. He thought that Mel was trying to spend more time with her boyfriend when the kids weren’t around to avoid this problem.

He couldn’t say anything about it though.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Do you have anything fun planned today? Maybe ask Mom if you could do something.”

“She said we were, but I’m not sure what,” Tiffani said. “She’d surprise us, she said.”

“Sounds like fun,” he said. “You like surprises. Get the rest of your stuff and we’ve got to hit the road.”

When they were in the car, Tyler said, “Dad. How come you’re the only one that calls Mom Mel?”

“I am?” he asked. He knew that from his sister but just figured Ethan did it too. “It’s only a nickname.”

“But she doesn’t let Ethan or anyone else call her that,” Tiffani said. “I heard Ethan call her that one night and Mom got that snappy voice she gets when she is mad and is trying not to be.”

Dane grinned. He knew that voice well.

It’d been directed at him one too many times.

The one where his ex lowered her voice and made it firm.

It was as if Mel didn’t want to yell. He knew she didn’t like to be yelled at.

When the two of them had issues, they hardly ever fought. They’d talk and snap but never yell.

He felt like he never won. Not even a fraction.

The fact he got half a win with Sloane earlier this week on the payment of her massage was promising.

He supposed he could see her side of it, but she saw his too.

Compromise was a nice thing.

“You’ll have to ask Mom why no one calls her that,” he said. “I have no idea.”

It didn’t make sense to him, and if his ex asked him to start calling her by her full name, he would. But she never did.

When they first started dating, he’d called her that by accident. Kind of a shortened slip of the tongue when they were laughing over something.

She’d smiled and told him she’d liked how it sounded on his lips.

From that point on, he’d called her that but noticed none of her friends did.

He was too tired and over things to even try to figure it out now.

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