Page 63 of Enraged

Knowing it was in his best interest to listen to his wife, he released Lena.

“You’re the best, Charlie Girl,” he praised his wife as he reached out to shake my hand.

“How ya doin’, Mr. B?”

“Hardheaded but above ground,” he joked. “How are you doin’, bud?”

“Takin’ it day by day.”

Nodding, he sat down in his recliner. “That’s all you can do.”

Mama returned with his bowl of soup. “If you want this soup, you’re gonna have to get them wet, nasty boots off my carpet.”

Standing up immediately, he headed straight for the front door to abandon his boots. From the other side of the sectional, Lena watched her parents quietly, clearly thinking the same thing that I was thinking.

We weren’t askin’ too much. We were askin’ the wrong people.

Jolene

“Turn your phone back on so I can reach you,” Dakota demanded. “Ignore or delete anything that upsets you, but please keep it on so I can check on you.”

We had just finished our soup and the last half of a Hallmark Christmas movie when he announced he needed to get going. Now, we were standing next to his truck, making sure I had gotten all of my things out.

“I’ll cut it on,” I promised. “It probably needs charging.”

Reaching into his truck, he grabbed the orange charger he unnecessarily bought while we were in the mountains. “Here. Go plug it in.”

Quit bossing me around, my guy.

As badly as I wanted to remind him that I am a grown ass woman, I knew his constant state of overbearingness was coming from a good place.

“Yes, daddy,” I joked. His eyes clouded over.

It was a joke.

He suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“What’s the matter?”

He propped his elbow up on the bed of his truck. “I don’t know how to say goodbye to you now.”

You what, now?

“You open your mouth, and if you try to speak really, really hard, words come out.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious.”

“What do you mean? Why?”

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Well, you know Cassie and I have been together since high school…,” he trailed off.

I narrowed my eyes. “Okay?”

Where is he going with this?

“That means she’s the only person that I’ve ever slept with and I always kissed her goodbye… now that you and I have slept together, I don’t know if I should kiss you goodbye, too, because anything less might be insulting or if I should just high five you or something.” He looked genuinely stressed.

I laughed, hoping it would lighten the mood, but he just looked more worked up.

---