Page 26 of Suzanna's Surrender
And there it was again, she thought, that clipped, critical tone that had once made her shiver. Now she only sighed. “I’m sorry. I was outside.”
“Digging in the garden, I suppose. Are you still pretending to make a living pruning rosebushes?”
“I’m sure you didn’t call to see how my business is going.”
“Your business, as you call it, is nothing to me but a slight embarrassment. Having my ex-wife selling flowers on the street corner—”
“Clouds your image, I know.” She passed a hand over her hair. “We’re not going to go through that again, are we?”
“Quite the little shrew these days.” She heard him murmur something to someone else, then laugh. “No, I didn’t call to remind you you’re making a fool of yourself. I want the children.”
Her blood turned to ice. “What?”
The shaky whisper pleased him enormously. “I believe it states quite clearly in the custody agreement that I’m entitled to two weeks during the summer. I’ll pick them up on Friday.”
“You... but you haven’t—”
“Don’t stammer, Suzanna. It’s one of your more annoying traits. If you didn’t comprehend, I’ll repeat. I’m exercising my parental rights. I’ll pick the children up on Friday, at noon.”
“You haven’t seen them in nearly a year. You can’t just pick them up and—”
“I most certainly can. If you don’t choose to honor the agreement, I’ll simply take you back to court. It isn’t legal or wise for you to try to keep the children from me.”
“I’ve never tried to keep them from you. You haven’t bothered with them.”
“I have no intention of rearranging my schedule to suit you. Yvette and I are going to Martha’s Vineyard for two weeks and have decided to take the children. It’s time they saw something of the world besides the little corner you hide in.”
Her hands were shaking. She gripped the receiver more tightly. “You didn’t even send Alex a card on his birthday.”
“I don’t believe there’s anything in the agreement about birthday cards,” he said shortly. “But it is very specific on visitation rights. Feel free to check with your lawyer, Suzanna.”
“And if they don’t want to go?”
“The choice isn’t theirs—or yours.” But his, he thought, which was exactly as he preferred it. “I wouldn’t try to poison them against me.”
“I don’t have to,” she murmured.
“See that they’re packed and ready. Oh, and Suzanna, I’ve been reading quite a bit about your family lately. Isn’t it odd that there wasn’t any mention of an emerald necklace in our settlement agreement?”
“I didn’t know it existed.”
“I wonder if the courts would believe that.”
She felt tears of frustration and rage fill her eyes. “For God’s sake, didn’t you take enough?”
“It’s never enough, Suzanna, when you consider how very much you disappointed me. Friday,” he said. “Noon.” And hung up.
She was trembling. Even when she lowered carefully into a chair, she couldn’t stop. She felt as though she’d been jerked back five years, into that terrible helplessness. She couldn’t stop him. She’d read the custody agreement word for word before signing it, and he was within his rights. Oh, technically she could have demanded more notice, but that would only postpone the inevitable. If Bax had made up his mind, she couldn’t change it. The more she fought, the more she argued, the harder he would twist the knife.
And the more difficult he would make it on the children.
Her babies. Rocking, she covered her face with her hands. It was only for a short time—she could survive it. But how would they feel when she shipped them off, giving them no choice?
She would have to make it sound like an adventure. With the right tone, the right words, she could convince them this was something they wanted to do. Pressing her lips together, she rose. But not now. She would never be able to convince them of anything but her own turmoil if she spoke with them now.
“Damn place is like Grand Central Station.” The familiar thump of a cane nearly had Suzanna sinking back into the chair again. “People coming and going, phone ringing. You’d think nobody ever got married before.” Suzanna’s great-aunt Colleen, her magnificent white hair swept back and diamonds glittering at her ears, stopped in the doorway. “I’ll have you know those little monsters of yours tracked dirt up the stairs.”
“I’m sorry.”
