Page 174 of Timeless

“What type of client was she seeing?” Tyler asked but my eyes were still on the front door. Fuck it, she didn’t say where she was having this lunch.

Cole walked down the hallway, still looking half asleep. “Shit, where was Amber going?” He yawned and then looked at me. “You letting her leave the house like that? Without you?”

No. I was fucking not. I pushed him out of the way and took off up the hall, my hand landing on the doorknob. If Amber thought for a second I would let her go out with other men- which I assumed it was a man she was meeting. Because she seemed to attract men and collected their pieces of fucking jewelry!

When I opened the door, the taxi was gone and so were my chances of stopping her.

I dialed her number and put the phone to my ear. What a surprise, she screened my call and it went straight to her voicemail.

“Amber, you better fucking be ready for the fight of your life when you get back here. You know what you did and don’t think I’m letting you get away with it.” With my threat done, I hung up. I knew there was no point calling her again, because she was ignoring me on purpose.

“Guessing by your expression you didn’t stop my sister.” Cole smirked from behind the kitchen island. I couldn’t stop the glare. He always managed to get on my nerves. That smug look on his face, always so fucking happy when I’m suffering.

“Tyler.” I tore my eyes off Cole and looked at his brother, who was already searching through the daytime TV shows.

“Yeah, Jax?” His attention was on the television.

“Get up. We are going out.” I was going to drag him along, because he could help carry the bags. Plus, help me keep track Jack. “You ready to go, Jack?”

“Where we going?” Jack abandoned his cars on the coffee table. “Can you wear your vest?”

“Shopping.” And Jack groaned just as loud as Tyler; both went into automatic complaining about how they didn’t want to go. Jack was stomping his feet, going on about the TV shows he was planning on watching with Tyler. And Tyler was complaining about the same television he was going to miss.

Cole was laughing in the background. Tyler was pouting worse than Jack. Jack was busy threatening me. Tyler was ranting about how he would miss who the murderer of some series was.

Okay. So, this is what it feels like to be a parent and have children throwing a tantrum. God does Amber put up with this all the time?

“Stop it, the both of you!” I yelled over their complaints. My eyes went to Jack. “You are going. Because I said so.” I looked at Tyler. “And same goes for you.” They were still grumbling and I knew when Amber didn’t get her way, she wouldn’t stop complaining, so I had to somehow settle the reason for the tantrum.

“Okay.” I sighed, listening to them still groaning. “Doesn’t that thing record shit?” I waved my hand at the box they seemed to worship.

Tyler nodded. It hadn’t occurred to him, that that would solve his problem. But I knew by one glance at my son the fact it recorded hadn’t slipped his mind. God, he was just like his mother.

“All right, move it, the two of you.” I gave them their marching orders. First tantrum and I think I handled it okay. Cole was still giving me a smirk when I turned around.

“Nice work, Jax.” Cole gulped down milk from the carton and then smirk got bigger. “But we both know Jack’s tantrum is just beginning.” He said that like I didn’t know that. “Have fun dealing with it. Jack’s ability to throw a tantrum is just like his mother’s and then he has his father’s pigheadedness.”

I rolled my eyes. I could handle my son. Amber said he was like me. But what I just saw was Amber’s habit of causing trouble. Yep, Amber had given our son her ability to cause trouble and not do what he is told.

* * *

Just like I expected,Jack’s tantrum had only been starting. Sure, he wasn’t complaining but he was doing everything else possible to pay me back for dragging him down the street. First, he wouldn’t help me put him in the car seat and tried to tell me he didn’t need it anymore and Amber let him sit in the front seat.

I knew he was lying. I could hear it in his voice. So, I didn’t need Tyler to confirm his nephew was playing me a fool. Though Tyler had stayed closed lipped the whole time the scene played out.

I managed to figure out Jack’s car seat, which he wouldn’t help me with, and managed to make something that should be easy a fucking mission. Tyler didn’t help either. He took Jack’s side. Literally. He sat in the fucking back next to his nephew and they complained how they were going to get behind in whatever show they were watching.

I picked up a hole in their story. When I asked how Jack up to date on a show that aired during the day when he would be at school, they both went quiet. So, I knew then, they were watching it at another time during the day.

Which pissed me off more, because clearly their precious TV show aired more than once a day.

Then we got to the bank, and Jack decided he needed money. Now. He couldn’t wait for me to get clearance, and what did his uncle do? Encourage Jack’s behavior.

So, I had Jack whining the whole time, while I waited for some common bank clerk to give me access to my own god damn money!

Only fucking took them an hour! Then, when I finally had access to my money, I knew I didn’t have a bank card or a credit card so I needed cash. So, I asked for a cash sum out. And it was above their ‘acceptable’ withdrawal.

I had jumped through all their fucking hoops and now they weren’t letting me withdraw the amount of money I wanted. I snapped. Probably didn’t help my son had been whining for over an hour and testing my limits plus Tyler had been complaining about standing.

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