Page 24 of Bad Husband

Thinking this is one of those times she wants me to comfort her, I lean in and pull her into a hug. She lets me, but her muscles tense. Maybe it’s the concern weakening her distaste for me but she lets me hold her, the hot Arizona sun beating down on our faces. “Yeah, he’s weird but that’s okay. He owns it and I think it’s to be admired.” And then I laugh. “Now Noah, he’s got issues. He stabbed me this morning.”

Madison jerks back. “With a knife?”

“No.” I silently wonder if stabbing is something he does often. The look on her face tells me this isn’t the first time. “With a GI Joe. It hurt.”

“Oh, well I’m sure you’re fine.” She blows me off like my ruptured eardrum means nothing. “He stabbed Nathalie on last week with a pencil.”

Nathalie is Madison’s beside from and I don’t have any sympathy for her or that she was stabbed by my son. In fact, I intended on high-fiving Wolverine when I get home tonight. You’ll understand when you meet Nathalie. Until then, I don’t even want to discuss her. It’ll just piss me off.

“Callan’s not weird, Mad.” I lean back against my truck, my hands falling away from her. “He’s special, and we have to make him understand it’s not something he did wrong.”

She nods as though she agrees, tucking her hair behind her ear. My eyes are drawn to her neckline, my thoughts then moving onto what I’d like to do to that neckline with my mouth. “I’m going to be late tonight. Can you pick the boys up from Trisha’s house?”

I’m no longer thinking about Madison’s neckline. I’m sweating in fear.

Remember how I said I rushed into daycare this morning and right back out?

There’s a reason for that, and it actually had nothing to do with me running late. Okay, it did, but there’s another reason.

Fear of Trisha. Just wait until you actually meet her.

Have you ever seenAlice in Wonderland? You know the Queen of Hearts lady, right?

That’s what Trisha looks like. I’m not lying. Every time I look at her, I have this fear she’s going to say, “Off with their heads!” and chop my head off. Before you label me a pussy here, I had a bad experience one time on a subway in New York where this lady, who was kinda sorta dressed like the Queen of Hearts, offered to give me a blow job when I was seventeen. I was seventeen and it was a blow job. I still said no though because she looked fucking crazy.

Turns out, I was right. She was crazy and proceeded to lick my shoulder for an hour on the subway, and when I told her to stop because it was making me sick to my stomach, she tried to cut my throat with a plastic knife and said, “Off with your head!”

I never returned to New York and never will.

“Why do you have her watch them? She’s crazy.”

Madison waves me off. “Just because some cat lady who looks like Trisha tried to cut you with a plastic knife doesn’t mean Trisha’s crazy.”

“I don’t trust her.”

She reaches into her purse as if my concerns for our children’s safety means nothing to her. “She nearly killed me.”

“Who?”

“The Queen of Hearts lady.”

“Oh my God, you’re such a baby.” Her smile tugs at her lips, and I feel like I’ve at least accomplished something here. Opening the door to her car, she gets in, and I push myself away from my truck to stand closer. “Can you pick them up or not?”

“Yes, I can.” I stand with my body in the door of her car so she can’t shut it. “Can we talk tonight?”

It’s not hard to miss the way her smile fades and the panic sets in. “Sure.”

Sure. She gave me a sure. That’s a start, right?

Backing away, I allow her to shut the door because I have to get back to the jobsite, finish with the plumbing inspector and attempt to get at least a start on hanging drywall.

The entire way back to the jobsite, I keep thinking of the way she said sure. Like she wasn’t sure, but wanted to. I can’t help but think she doesn’t want the divorce. She couldn’t, could she? We’re perfect for each other. We get along, we laugh, we have great kids and similar upbringings.

Part of what drew Madison and I together was our similar childhoods. A father missing from the picture.

And then I think, is that why she wants a divorce? Because she thinks I’m missing from the family?

Well, I admittedly gathered that much last night, but I keep going back to the fact that she said she didn’t love me. I have to show her that love is still here.

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