Page 28 of Pretty Relentless

I step inside, holding my hands at my sides, and move out of the way.

“We overslept this morning, so she’s getting ready now,” Julia announces.

Before I can offer to wait in my truck, a man wearing lounge pants walks out of the bedroom I know is my ex-wife’s. “Hey, babe. The remote’s out of batteries,” he grumbles, slapping the remote control against the palm of his hand.

I stare at the man standing in front of me, his eyes narrowed into little slits. “I thought you were getting rid of whoever was at the door?” he mutters, watching me closely.

“This is my ex-husband, Gavin,” Julia replies, clearly feeling about as awkward and uncomfortable as the rest of us.

Taking a step toward him, I extend my hand. “Gavin Pierson.”

“Mike Gagnon,” he states, squeezing my hand firmly. Almost too hard, actually. Like he’s trying to prove something or demonstrate his strength.

“Nice to meet you. I wasn’t aware Julia was dating anyone,” I say, standing my ground.

He shrugs, as if it’s none of my business. And in a way, it isn’t, but in the other way, it’s very much my business. We sharea child, and we’ve always been very firm on talking amongst ourselves when it comes to dating and Annabelle.

“It’s new,” she replies.

“Not too new,” Mike says casually, thumping the remote in his palm again.

I turn my attention to my ex-wife. “Can I have a word?”

She nods, glancing over to Mike. “Give me a minute.”

He glances between Julia and me before saying, “Don’t forget the batteries,” and returning to the bedroom.

The moment he’s gone, my gaze zeroes in on my ex-wife. “I thought we had an agreement.” Julia rolls her eyes and walks away, heading off toward the kitchen. I follow, determined to get this conversation out of the way before Annabelle emerges from her bedroom. “Julia.”

She huffs and pours herself a cup of coffee. “It’s not serious.”

“Then why are you bringing him around our daughter?” I ask quietly so we’re not overheard.

“It’s fine. Annabelle knows Mikey, his son.”

“How?”

I can tell she’s getting annoyed, but I don’t care. If someone is going to be around my daughter, clearly sleeping under the same roof as her, in her mom’s bed, I have a right to ask questions. I’m one-thousand-percent certain Julia would be doing the exact same thing, if the shoe were on the other foot.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she lifts her chin. “Karate.”

I slowly nod, thinking back to the last time I took her to her weekly Tuesday karate class in Hudson, but not remembering Mike. “And you two…”

Julia huffs dramatically. “Listen, we’re not getting into the details. We’re seeing each other. Mike is a travel agent inHudson. He’s divorced and has one son. Mikey is two years older than Annabelle. Happy?”

Slowly letting out a long exhale, I say, “I don’t care that you date, Julia, but do appreciate a heads-up if someone is going to be around our daughter like this.”

Her eyes narrow. “You don’t trust me? I didn’t say a damn word when you dated what’s her name with the buck teeth and mousy hair,” she counters, instantly going on the defensive.

I hold up my hands. “Actually, you did have plenty to say, but that’s beside the point.”

“Fine, you want a heads-up? I’m seeing Mike. There.”

Sighing, I realize this conversation isn’t going anywhere good. She’s not understanding my concern, and the fact it has everything to do with our daughter and ensuring she’s safe and comes first. “Fine,” I reply, turning toward the doorway and hoping Annabelle hurries up so we can get out of here. “And for the record, I never had Samantha around Annabelle. The only reason you knew I was seeing someone was because you guys showed up at the pizza place.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t have seen us together because I didn’t feel it was serious enough to warrant introducing her to our daughter.

“No one will replace me.”

I exhale and close my eyes. “You’re right, and no one is trying to.”

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