Page 129 of Ruby Mercy

“No, she won’t. She has a school. She doesn’t need a new one.”

“She has a school that calls you in the middle of the day to come pick up your child. Sounds like you need a new school to me. That isn’t normal.”

Rayne flinches. “It’s—Stuff like that happens all the time. To everyone.”

“Most schools know how to handle kids. Especially kids as sweet as Yuliana.” I check the rearview mirror again and she’s asleep, her chin resting on her chest. “If they can’t handle someone as quiet and shy as her, they can’t take care of any kids. She’s perfect.”

Suddenly, Rayne snatches her hand away. “She isn’t shy.”

I glance over and Rayne’s face is flushed a deep red. Most of the time, I actively work to make her blush. This time, for a change, I have no idea what’s causing it.

“She absolutely is. She hides her face when people try to talk to her. She would barely even speak to me this morning because it had been all night since she’d seen me.” That’s not an exaggeration. I had to coax her out of her shell with a glass of chocolate milk. “Being shy isn’t a problem. It’s better than her throwing a bunch of tantrums. I’d rather have an introverted kid than a little demon.”

“Tantrums don’t make a kid a demon.”

“Agree to disagree,” I say.

Suddenly, Rayne throws her hands up. “How could I forget? Everyone must bend to your liking otherwise they aren’t worth your time.”

“I have standards, yes.”

“Unrealistic standards,” she spits, turning to me with narrowed eyes. “Standards no normal person could ever meet.”

“Which is why I don’t make it a habit to surround myself with ‘normal’ people. I prefer extraordinary people.”

Rayne blows out a frustrated breath and then presses herself back into her seat. It’s almost like she wants to disappear into the upholstery.

I roll my eyes. “What is your problem now?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“No,” she snaps.

“Tell me before I pull the car over and make you.”

She looks over at me, her brows pinched in concern. “How do you intend to do that?”

I smirk. “Use your imagination.”

We have a brief stare-off before Rayne realizes I’m fully serious. “Fine. We can have this conversation now.”

“Good. Let’s have it.”

She huffs again and shakes her head. “It’s clear you have impossibly high standards for the people in your life, but I have standards for myself, too. I’m not going to be your mistress.”

I blink, trying and failing to follow her line of thinking. “I didn’t realize I offered you the position.”

She scrunches up her nose angrily. “Well, whatever the hell you’d call a woman you fuck who you also buy a house for, I’m not going to do that.”

“You already agreed to the house,” I remind her. “Not that you really had an option in the first place. And there’re also no returns on the fucking. What’s done is done.”

“I’m not some doll you get to pose and play dress up with! I am capable of making my own choices. I made the choice to keep you out of Yuliana’s life. A choice that’s proving to be the right one.”

I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles are white. It’s safer that way, for me and Rayne alike. Because she doesn’t mean a word she’s saying. I need to remember that.

“You called me, Rayne. Don’t forget it. We are in this car together right now because you called me.”

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