Page 42 of Bad Husband

Nope. It’s like I’m not even there.

I leave them up there and pass Nathalie in the hallway. “Tell your kid it’s time for dinner.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?” she asks, putting her hand on her hip. Nathalie could be pretty if she wasn’t such a bitch. She has long blonde, super curly hair that’s always sticking up all over the place. It’s wild and like I said, would be considered cute, but her personality ruins it for me. “Didn’t Madison send you up here to do that?”

I stare at her, the two of us standing in the middle of the hallway as Callan rushes down the stairs when he hears Brantley’s voice. There’s something off about the way she’s watching me, and I know this is my wife’s best friend and she more than likely knows more about me than I want her to. But is she withholding information? I could tackle her to the ground and sit on her head until she tells me what she knows, but I won’t.

Instead I try more of an asshole approach because it’s what I’m good at.

Leaning in, I whisper in Nathalie’s ear, “Just because you’re happy being single and fuckin’ my best friend, doesn’t mean you have to talk my wife into being part of your slutty single mom cult.”

Harsh? Oh, just wait until she starts in.

“Oh, please.” She pushes me into the wall with a quick jab to my shoulder. “I’m not talking her into anything.You’vedone this all on your own.”

Why do people keep saying that?

“Well, she agreed to go on a date with me,” I say, half tempted to stick my tongue out.

Nathalie rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to fuck it up.” She sticks her head in the bedroom. “Boys, dinner’s ready.”

And then they both come running.

Nobody listens to me lately.

“SO I HEARD you got your balls waxed, Ridley.”

Choking on a mouthful of steak, I shoot Madison a glare. “You told her?”

Luckily the boys aren’t at the table with us. They’re in the backyard playing basketball. Well, Noah and Grady are. Callan’s sitting by the pool with his feet in the water reading his book.

Madison smiles, her eyes lighting up and you know, it’s been a long fucking time since I’ve seen this smile.

I turn to Nathalie and force a grin. “Fuck off, Natalie.”

“It’s Nathalie.”

“I don’t care.”

Brantley stares at me, a slow smile creeping across his face. “Is that why you were walking weird?”

I nod, not knowing what else to say. I fucking knew she was going to tell everyone.

“Does it, you know, make it look bigger?” he asks, laughing now.

I refuse to look at any of them and cut into my steak again. “Stop talking about this. It’s not appropriate.”

“Ha!” Nathalie laughs. “You’reneverappropriate.”

She’s right, but I refuse to ever agree with her. “And neither are you so shut the fuck up.”

Madison kicks me under the table. “Ridley, knock it off.”

I know what you’re thinking, geez, you’re in a bad mood now.

Yeah, well, have you had your ball skin ripped off? No? Then don’t judge me.

Grady walks up to us, takes my steak from my plate and throws it on the ground. I want to take my steak knife and stab his hand for doing that. But I don’t.

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