Page 52 of Fierce-Trent

“I can’t wait,” Eli said. “Mom got me a bike, Dad. My own bike.”

Jeff was smirking at him. “Did you tell your mother that you already knew how to ride?”

“I did. She was happy for me. Excited too. She said it was a good thing you taught me because now I can just take off and be with my friends while she watches.”

She looked at the smirk falling from Jeff’s face. As much as it hurt her to say those words, it worked the way she wanted it to.

Eli got to see how happy she was for him and he came back and told his father like she assumed he would.

She didn’t want to play those games, but she wasn’t going to be Jeff’s verbal and mental punching bag either and he’d have to see that.

“You can go see your gift from me too then,” Jeff said, looking at her. “Guess your mother and I thought the same.”

“I got another bike?” Eli shouted and ran into the house.

She wasn’t surprised to find that out. She expected it once she thought more last night about it.

“Eli,” she said. “Can you come kiss me before I leave? I’ll talk to you soon and get you from school on Wednesday.”

Eli came running back to the front of the house pushing his new bike. She wouldn’t go in. It’s not like she was invited and didn’t care to see the inside either.

“Look, Mom, it’s red.”

“It’s nice,” she said. “You’re going to have so much fun riding it, I just know you are.”

She kept the smile on her face and hoped it was genuine. She knew he would have fun on it and she wasn’t going to let it bother her that this bike cost twice as much as the one she bought. She knew because she’d looked at it, and though she was tempted to purchase it, she’d decided against it knowing he’d outgrow it soon.

It just wasn’t practical and she’d always been the practical one in the relationship.

“Thanks, Mom. I love you. I’ll call you tonight before bed. I promise.”

She looked at Jeff. Eli never said that to his father when he was brought back to her. She was the one who had to remind Eli to call his father most times.

“Love you too,” she said, then turned and left and drove to Trent’s house.

She wanted to cancel on him but then told herself no. She couldn’t do that. These things happened at least once a month and she had to just move past it.

She knocked on Trent’s door. He opened it and said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, putting a smile on her face. She didn’t talk to Trent last night. She was mentally exhausted after she got Eli in bed and sad on top of it.

“Roni. I’m not stupid. Something had to have happened. Is Eli okay?”

If he hadn’t asked that first, she wasn’t sure she would have said a word. And she was mortified to find tears rolling out of her eyes.

“Eli is fine.”

“But you’re not. Come in. Tell me what is going on.”

“It’s nothing,” she said. “This is our date day. What did you want to do?”

“Right now, nothing,” he said. “Not until you tell me what is going on. I’m not going to be that way and pretend that something isn’t bothering you. Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t,” she said. “I’ve got to get over this on my own and it’s hard.”

“I can be a good ear,” he said. “Did Eli not like the bike?”

“He loved it,” she said. “He got two of them.”

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