Page 113 of After the Vows

I’ve got five inches and a good twenty-five pounds on him.

“You’re on. There’s a boxing gym in Rogue’s Landing. They have a ring.”

“I can’t believe this!” Holly yells. “I’m being harassed and you’re worried about a boxing match. What happened to us?”

“I was a fucking idiot who should have got rid of your ass the first time I came home to find Natalia in a dirty diaper.”

“Big deal. Her diaper was dirty. Put a clean one on her and she’d just dirty it again.”

I fist my hands and ignore her for the rest of the drive. I promised Weston I’d be professional. And I will be.

“I’ll book her,” Weston says when we arrive. “You start the paperwork.”

I hate paperwork, but I’ll gladly do all the mindless paperwork to get away from my ex. I exit the car and leave him to it.

“Don’t abandon me, Lucas!” Holly hollers after me but I ignore her. Her pleas mean nothing to me. The only feeling I experience when I consider her is regret.

My phone rings as I enter the station. I check the display.Mom calling.

“Hey, Mom,” I answer.

“Lucas, sweetheart, how are you doing? We haven’t heard from you since Natalia’s sports day. Which we would have come to if we had known about it. We miss our granddaughter.”

I sigh. “Now’s not a good time to make me feel guilty, Mom. I feel bad enough.”

“Why? What’s going on? I’ll get your father.”

“You don’t need to—”

“Lucas! Come to the phone. Our son needs us.”

“I’m right here, Florence. There’s no need to shout.”

“How do I put this dang thing on speaker?”

“Push the speaker button.”

“Which one is the speaker button?”

“It says speaker on it.”

“I don’t have my glasses. I can’t read those tiny letters.”

The phone clicks.

“Hello? Are you there?”

“I’m still here, Mom.”

“What’s going on, son?”

“Holly’s here,” I begin before explaining the events of the past week.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Mom asks.

“We could have come down there,” Dad adds.

“I want you to visit when there’s a reason to celebrate. Not because Holly lost her mind when she found out I remarried.”

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