Page 66 of The Homecoming

She watched baby Danny sleeping in his clear bassinet.

“You said you’d taken the gun from him.” He shifted on the couch. “But you left out a few details, didn’t you?”

“He told you.”

Weasel nodded. “His was a bit muddled. Tell me your side of it.”

“Well, I’d managed to take the gun out of his hand. Then his mood swung into a rage and he shoved me against the wall and pressed an arm into my throat. When he bumped my stomach, it seemed to really shake him back into reality. He fell back and ended up where you found him.”

Weasel’s eyes flashed with anger, and it was immediately obvious he didn’t know.

“I thought he told you.”

“He told me he was really sorry for hurting you. I didn’t take it to mean physically, at first.” He leaned forward and folded his hands. “But the image of you sitting against the wall with a gun kept coming to me, then you went into early labor. I couldn’t let go of the feeling there’d been a physical altercation.”

“You’re a tricky bastard.”

“I’m smarter than I look. But you still weren’t going to tell me.”

“I don’t want everyone to know,” she sighed. “And I don’t want him blamed for what happened. He wasn’t himself.”

“You still should have told me, at least. I’d have had you checked out by a doctor and maybe what happened yesterday could have been avoided.”

She closed her eyes. “Can we not harp on my mistakes, please?”

“Yeah, as long as you promise me you’re done making the mistake of not talking to me. I can keep my mouth shut, ya know.”

“Of course…. Also something else.”

“What’s up?”

“Can you tell me for sure that Mark’s nowhere around?”

“My sources tell me he’s living in Wilmington now. Don’t you worry about him. I got it covered.”

Autumn nodded. “Okay.”

He crossed the room, looking down at Danny. “Have you talked to Madera?”

“He hasn’t called.”

“He looks just like him,” Weasel motioned to Danny.

“I know.”

“He doesn’t know does he?”

She shook her head.

“That’s bad.”

“I know.”

He turned and started toward the door before her voice stopped him.

“Weasel,” she said, and he turned back. “You’re more than just that wild man act you put on.”

He smiled. “I am a wild man. It’s part of my personality. I just see so much shit, that I love to have a good time to balance it.”

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