Page 115 of The Heartbreaker
“But how do you think it would look if she moved her out of my classroom? What would she say to the administration to make that happen? Because nothing positive would result from that either.” As she filled her lungs, her eyes briefly closed, and the stress appeared—something I hadn’t seen until now. “At our school, it’s not common for kids to be moved unless it’s a student-to-student issue. A teacher-to-student issue would put me under a microscope, and they’d want answers. It’s all equally as messy.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
Should I have said something to Jana on the first day of school?
Had I made this situation even worse than it needed to be?
“That isn’t going to happen either.” But as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t sure if they were true.
When it came to Daisy, Jana was like me, and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for our daughter. If this news set her off … I couldn’t predict the outcome.
“Ridge”—she held my hand tightly—“can we not talk about this anymore?” Her eyes were pleading with mine. “It’s been a perfect night so far—minus the Rhett hiccup. I haven’t seen a single storm cloud, only the sun.” She paused, which silently emphasized those words. “I’d much rather discuss him than get even deeper into this. My anxiety has peaked. I don’t want it to reach a level I can’t come back from.”
I fucking hated that I had caused her to feel this way.
That her body was stiff, and her breathing was off, and her chest was a bundle of damn tension.
I put my drink down to hold her with both hands. “Of course.”
She leaned her chest against me. “Now, tell me why your brother is so grumpy.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Addison
Ridge
If you’re wondering if I got an apology from Rhett this morning, the answer to that would be no.
Me
Let’s cut him a little slack, okay?
Ridge
I’m going to cut you a little slack for saying that, LOL.
Me
Now that you explained everything to me and the source of his anger, I have a soft spot for him.
Ridge
No. Nooo. And hell no.
Me
I can’t help it … I’m weak.
Ridge
He can be an asshole to me, but to be one in your presence is where he fucked up.
Me
But I get why he is one, and all I want to do is give him a hug.
Ridge
