Page 1 of The Right Woman

Chapter

One

ADON

No one touches my radio.

Painted purple nails drum on the leather console next to me. If they make a move toward the buttons on the dash, I’m ready to strike them down. My head bobs forward as a foot lands against the back of my seat.

Through gritted teeth, I manage to maintain a normal tone. “Odin.”

“Sorry, Dad.”

With a quick glance in the rearview mirror, I make sure he’s still got his seatbelt on.

“Can you drop me off around the corner?” My daughter stuffs her fake nails in her mouth and chews on them. Her eyes dart around the school parking lot like she’s waiting for something.

I scan the kids walking in, wondering what’s got her so nervous. “Why?” As soon as I ask, I spot a few delinquent looking punks schlepping backpacks and kicking rocks on their way in. One carries a skateboard behind his neck. Fucking twerps.

When I pull into the drop off lane, Avery’s big green eyes meet mine with a look of terror. “Please, Dad.”

Muscles along the back of my neck tense, and I straighten a finger to wave it at the boys approaching the truck. “Those kids bothering you?”

“No! Oh my god.” She hurriedly unbuckles her seatbelt and slides onto the floorboard, then covers her head with her backpack. “Dad! Please! They’ll see me!”

Odin sings from the backseat, “Avery’s got a crush onLiaaaammmm!Dad! Did you know Liam is a drummer and Avery wants to kiss him?”

“Odin!” she screams as heat flames across my cheeks.

The boys make it inside while I memorize what they look like, just in case I need to kill either of them. “Sit in your seat. You’re not having a crush on a drummer. At least pick a horn player.” Desperate to avoid this topic altogether, but knowing I have to do something, I clear my throat. “Better yet. Stick to orchestra. Maybe a cellist.”

Avery’s olive skin turns red as she gets up and huffs at me, then jumps out of the truck.

“Do not slam?—!”

She slams the door. With a deep breath, I steel my nerves. If she wasn’t going to her mom’s this weekend, I’d confiscate everything she has and go through it all for any mention of aLiam. Will probably do that next week when she gets home. It makes me ready to shed the Dad Adon persona and ease into the evening’s festivities.

Odin bobs happily on the cushy bench, a broad grin painted on his face. He’s my little spy, so I ply him for information. “Tell me about this Liam.”

On the way to the elementary school, he spills every detail he’s discovered. Avery met the kid in band the first week of class. He’s in eighth grade, while she only just started sixth. They’ve chatted on the school app, and she told her best friend that shewants to make out with him. My heart pounds harder until Odin says he knows she’s never had a kiss before.

When I curse under my breath, Odin says, “Dad! You’re not supposed to sayfuck!”

“I can say what I want.You’renot allowed to say fuck. Here’s your mother.”

Emily catches some of her long brown hair as it blows across her face. My son and I step out, and he immediately grabs his mom for a big hug. With a nod her way, I hand her one of the overnight bags from the bed of my truck. Odin heads toward the entrance with a hop in his step.

“Odin! Wait. You forgot something.” Hurriedly, I snag his backpack strap and tug him in for a tight embrace. Every time I show my son affection, I think about how much I screwed up raising my youngest brother, Eli. I won’t repeat those mistakes. “Love you. Be good. Do what your mom and the teachers say.”

“Love you, too, Dad!” He runs off toward the front entrance while I load the rest of the bags into the backseat of Emily’s SUV.

“That it?” she asks, holding my gaze for a moment before we part.

For a moment, I hesitate and lick my bottom lip, then tilt my head and ask, “Do you know anything about a Liam?”

She affords me a rare smile. Not a full one, but it’s enough that it feels nice, knowing after all the years of being at odds with each other, she’s able to show some peace now. Emily’s just another victim of my grave errors. Ones I won’t make again.

“Yeah, I do.” The flash of her eyes tells me she knows much more than she’s letting on.

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