Page 48 of Crave Thy Neighbor

He chuckles. “It’s fine. We can chalk it up to your tiredness.”

“Thank you. I’ll order the pizza.”

“Yes, I’d rather they take that order from you than me.”

“What? Not secure enough in your sexuality to place that one?”

“Oh, I’m secure. I just don’t think I can get that out without laughing.”

I shake my head, pulling my phone from my pocket with a grin.

There’s a text waiting from Sam.

#1 Kid: Dad got me a new headset for my PS!

A pang of envy hits me.

Patrick’s out taking Sam shopping while I’m moving us into someone else’s apartment.

Me: Awesome!

#1 Kid: Yeah, and he got me new Nikes.

Probably the ones I couldn’t afford for Christmas.

Me: How cool! Tell Dad I said hi.

#1 Kid: He says hi back.

Me: Love you, kiddo.

He sends me back a heart emoji.

“What has you smiling?”

“Huh?” I pull my attention from my phone. “Oh. Sam. He was telling me about all the great things his dad is buying him.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

I shrug. “It’s fine.”

Nolan levels me with a stare, begging for me to not lie to him.

I sigh. “Fine—it’s not fine. It’s actually really damn irritating because PatrickknowsI don’t make as much money as he does.”

“You feel like he’s rubbing it in your face?”

“Yes and no. I mean, it’s not intentional. It’s just not…thoughtful either, you know?”

“Have you told him how it makes you feel?”

I snort. “No. It’s pointless. I spent the first several years of our marriage telling him how I felt, and it fell on deaf ears. It was how our relationship worked. I gave, he took. I tried, he didn’t.”

“That’s shitty.”

“It is, and it’s a big reason we got divorced. I needed more, and I never got it. We didn’t work together in the right areas.”

“Why’d you stay married so long then?”

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