Page 37 of Wild and Bright

“I was, but then I came out here to get coffee, and Cadence invited me to play with her.” Though stilted, the words sound affable enough, but it doesn’t change that look on her face.

She glances at Cadence. “Sweetie, why don’t you bring the slime into your room? Uncle Cam is really busy. We have to try not to distract him during the day.”

“It’s fine,” I say immediately.

Cadence glances at me and then back at Lauren, looking like she wants to protest, but she eventually grabs her slime and walks out of the room.

“Why’d you do that?” I ask when she’s out of earshot. “She probably thinks I’m an asshole now. Making her stay in her room.”

Lauren waves a hand. “She’s fine. Kids don’t read that far into things. And you were the one who said you wanted to be left alone during the day.”

I want to deny it, but what could I say? She’s right. I didn’t want to be distracted during the day, but I mostly made that dictate because of her.

Because I knew I could lose myself if I didn’t set boundaries with her.

“I’ll go work at our downtown studio. That way she won’t feel like she has to stay cooped up in her room all day.”

She smiles. “She loves her new room. It’s twice the size of her room at my parents’. And it was so sweet of you to buy all those toys.”

I wave a hand, averting my eyes from hers, not wanting her to see how her shock at my kindness makes me hate myself. Why did I have to be such a dick all these years?

“It’s not a big deal.” I stand up from my chair and walk to the counter where I set my keys yesterday. “I’ll probably be home around dinner time. Do you want me to pick up food on my way back?”

“It depends on if I go out or not. I was planning on meeting a friend for happy hour, but my mom still hasn’t texted me back to tell me if she can babysit.” She lifts a brow. “She’s been an absolute delight these past few days.”

She keeps talking—something about how her mom resents her for taking away her granddaughter, but I’m only half listening.

Happy hour.

A friend.

“When will you be home?”

When her eyes widen, I realize my curt question interrupted her mid-sentence.

“I’m not sure.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to go out with him. It all depends on my mom.”

Him. My teeth clench as I imagine who it could be.

I want to tell her no—to forbid her from going—but I can’t do that. And though I don’t doubt for a second that after one drink too many she could end up blowing her “friend” in a public bathroom, it’s not reasonable for me to dictate her life based on hypotheticals. Our agreement was that she’d be faithful to me, not stay away from men entirely. I take a deep breath, trying to keep myself from lashing out. “I don’t want you coming in and out of the house at odd hours. It’s too distracting for me. I need you to give me a time.”

Based on the black scowl forming on her face, my guess is that wasn’t the right thing to say, either. She places indignant hands on her hips. “And I just told you I’m not even sure if I’m going.”

“Well, once you find out, let me know.”

Her nostrils flare. “I’m not going to report to you like you’re my fucking parole officer.”

I flinch, recalling similar things Hunter has said to me over the years. I know I’m not being fair, but goddamn it, she’s given me a lot of reason to fear her impulsivity.

I search my brain for a way to save myself, something that won’t make me sound like a jealous control freak. “You’ve never lived with anyone who has a creative job. I need a regular schedule so that I can focus. If I’m wondering where you are and when you’re going to get home, I won’t be able to write.”

She shakes her head. “You’re so full of shit. This has nothing to do with your creativity. This is about you wanting everything your way and thinking you have the right to tell everyone around you what to do.”

“Not everyone.” My tone is ice. “Just the people I employ.”

At her stunned look, I wince. Good God, I sound like a fucking maniac.

This woman makes me crazy.

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