Page 79 of Fierce-Dane

“You’ve dated other women?” Mel asked, her jaw dropping.

He frowned. “Do you think I haven’t dated one person in over three years?”

He was playing it up and he knew it. But it was true. He’d been on dates. He just hadn’t slept with anyone.

Again, no one’s business. Least of all his ex’s.

“I guess I didn’t know,” Mel said.

“Listen, I’ll talk to you more about this if you want. I’m going to want to let the kids know soon and want to do this therightway.”

He could tell she didn’t like the way he’d said that and he didn’t care.

“Fine,” Mel said softly. “I’ll talk to you later. We’ve been here a few hours already and I’ll just say it’s time to go. I don’t want the kids to see you without knowing.”

He was going to argue with her and say that he could leave but decided not to.

For once he wasn’t going to be the one to compromise for her.

She could do it for him.

22

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Sloane felt she spent enough time in the bathroom and walked back to see Dane standing there alone.

“Everything okay?”

“Sure,” he said.

“It doesn’t look it to me,” she said. She looked around and didn’t see Mel anywhere. “Are you done talking? Should I go hide?”

She was smiling when she said it. There was part of her that wanted to stay out of the way if Dane’s kids came over.

In some ways, she thought she might be ready to meet them. But in others, it could cause some conflict.

She was no stranger to conflict though and wasn’t sure why she was running from it.

In her mind, she stopped running years ago.

“No,” he said. “Mel was going to take them home. Normally I would be the one to say I’d leave.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked.

They moved over to a bench and took a seat.

“Because I’m always the one giving in. For everything. She said she’d do it and I agreed. I could see the shock onher face. As if she couldn’t believe I wasn’t arguing with her over it.”

“Do you want to leave?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “I mean we will if you want to, but I’m being selfish and for once don’t think I’ve got to be the one to give in. I do it all the time.”

“You do,” she said. “And I’ll never tell you what to do one way or another. How you and Mel parent your children is between you and her and not me. But something else is on your mind. What is it?”

“It was the stunned look on her face that you were with me.”

“Oh,” she said. “I saw it. I know jealousy when I see it too.”

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