Page 99 of Gifts

He leans to get into my space, his anger matching mine. “No. You’re the one who’s confused.”

I stand my ground, throwing my arm out to the side. “How am I confused? This is my house. I told you to leave, yet you’re here.”

“Baby,” he starts, but for the first time ever, his endearment isn’t sweet or loving. It’s irritated at best and livid at worst. “I’ve said this more than once and I’m pissed I have to repeat myself. I told you that when I spent time with your children, I took that shit seriously. If you think you can go off half-cocked and take that away from them and me while you get your shit together, you’re sorely mistaken.”

I take a step back, shocked by his words, but that doesn’t faze him because he closes the distance and keeps in my face.

“Levi and Emma like it here. I just figured out what’s going on with my daughter yesterday. If you think I’m gonna uproot her again now, you’re crazy.” I didn’t think it was possible for him to get any closer, but he does. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was going to kiss me, but he doesn’t. He lowers his voice to a menacing growl, telling me he’s not fucking around. “And when I said I wasn’t leaving you, I fucking meant it. This is me, Keelie, holding my ground—keeping my word. You’re so worried about protecting yourself from people lying to you, stealing from you, and dying on you, you haven’t opened your eyes to see what the fuck’s going on. I’m not leaving. I’ll give you all the space you need, but you’re going to have to take it while the rest of us are here feeding goats, building rockets, talking to donkeys, training puppies, and carrying on. Take all the time you need, baby. I’ll give it to you, but know you’re gonna have to do it while the rest of us are living our lives.”

My chest is heaving and my heart is pounding so hard I feel it everywhere. I have no idea what to do or say, but he doesn’t give me a chance to figure it out.

He steps back and looks me up and down with menacing eyes. “You should take a nap—you look exhausted.”

And with that, he leaves me standing alone on my driveway in an odd stillness. I didn’t think it was possible, but he even silenced the goats.

Well. What the hell am I going to do now?

Chapter 25

The Difficult One

Asa

Keelie didn’t take a nap. I’d never come right out and say it, but she looks like shit. Her eyes are bloodshot, she’s worn ragged, and looks like she’s two blinks away from passing out.

If I wasn’t giving her the damned space she wanted, I’d carry her upstairs and put her to bed myself.

Fuck if she didn’t piss me off this morning. What happened last night triggered something. The minute she saw me in the emergency room, it was written all over her face. I knew I’d have to be careful and watch her after we got home, but I’ve gotta say, she surprised the hell out of me this morning when she tried to tell me to leave.

Her words sliced through me for about a minute before I decided there was no way she was getting what she wanted. She could demand we get the hell out all day long. It’s not happening.

There’s no way I’m uprooting Emma again after yesterday, and there’s no way I’m leaving Knox and Saylor. I am not that man. Keelie will come around. There’s no reason to put her kids through the wringer just to re-enter their lives when she gets her head straight. Knox and Saylor have been through enough. The look on Knox’s face when I told him I wasn’t leaving was proof enough. I’ll always be there for them.

We’ll go about living our lives while she takes her space. I won’t enjoy it, but I’ll give her all the time she needs.

She’s been a mess since she got home from school. It was all I could do not to get takeout so she didn’t have to cook, or make her sit down when she insisted on doing laundry, or make her go inside when she went out to the barn to make sure the kids took care of the animals. She made dinner for everyone, we ate together, and everyone talked to one another but the two of us. Levi and Emma even gave me the eye after dinner wondering what’s up. Later, Saylor and I started her new book and Knox and I even had time to look over his new model.

Life.

It carried on, just like I said it would.

Keelie just put Knox and Saylor to bed and disappeared. She’d better be in bed catching up on her sleep.

“Dad?”

I see Emma coming out the back door. I’m on the patio with her dog, watching him sniff around the yard for the last time tonight.

I put my arm around her and pull her to my side. “You ready to go back to school tomorrow?”

She sighs, leans into me, and shrugs.

I kiss the top of her head. “You’ll be fine. If you feel uneasy, you go straight to Keelie. If you can’t get to her, go to a teacher. I wouldn’t ask you to go if I didn’t think you’d be safe. The two who were involved in the drive-by are in jail or out of commission for good. Terry Mosher is officially expelled and your principal told me the other names you gave him are being questioned by the police. I’ll pick you up and drop you off, but inside the building, you’ll be okay.”

“I know.” She looks up. “What’s up with Keelie? She’s been weird tonight.”

I look back out to the yard. “She’s dealing with some stuff, but she’ll be fine.”

“But she didn’t say a word to you all night. Did you piss her off?”

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