Page 133 of Lost in Love

“Get up, bud.”

“Shhh,” he giggles, smacking my hands away. “Daddy sleep.”

Laughing, I sit up and reach out to catch him when he falls off my head and into my arms. “Gotcha.”

Noah doesn’t like to be held. Never has. Even when he was a baby, if you picked him up, he screamed. Unless it was Madison. He’d hang on her hip all day long every day and you know, I don’t blame him one bit. If I didn’t have to work, I’d like to hang out with my hands on those hips all day.

He slaps my hands again. “No touching Wolverine!” And then he growls at me, takes the GI Joe in his hand and stabs me in the ear with it.

Rattled and wondering if my eardrum has been ruptured, I grab my ear and throw a pillow from the couch at Noah as he runs away from me. “That wasn’t nice, Noah!”

Like he fucking cares.

Tenderly touching my ear to check for bleeding, I notice Callan staring at me curiously. “Did you sleep on the couch last night?”

Still trying to process what just happened to my ear, I don’t answer his question and ask, “Where’s your mom?”

He shrugs, midbite of his bowl of Captain Crunch he’s holding. “Work?”

“Don’t you have school this morning?” I glance down at my watch. It’s 6:45. I can’t believe she didn’t wake me up and tell me she was leaving, and another thing, who the hell is she massaging at 6:45 in the morning?

“Yeah, I have school. Mommy usually takes me.”

Digging my phone out from underneath me, I check my messages. None from Madison but three from Brantley asking how last night went. They were sent at like three in the morning, which means he was probably out at the bar. No surprise there.

Callan disappears inside the kitchen dressed in his school uniform while I text Madison.

Me: So I’m taking him to school? What do I do with Noah?

Remember yesterday when I called her fifty-three times, and she didn’t answer?

Guess who answers right away this time?

Yeah, Madison.

Probably because we’re dealing with the boys this time.

Madison: Yes, take him to school. I had to work early. Drop Noah off with Trisha.

I actually snort as I read the text. Work earlier? Likely excuse.

Me: Doing what?

Madison: I do have a job, Ridley. Can you please handle taking Callan to school and Noah to Trisha or is that too much to ask of you?

Can she be any more of a bitch?

Yes, she probably can and will.

I don’t reply either. Let’s see how she likes being ignored.

Peeling my sore self from the couch, I rush upstairs, take a world record speed shower, knock all Madison’s perfumes and lotions off the counter because I fucking feel like it, and then I’m loading Callan and Noah in the truck.

Callan flips down the DVD player immediately. “Do you still have theCarsmovie in here?”

“Probably. Nobody watches that but you.”

And right then I pray to God thatCarsDVD is in there because my statement was only partially true. Over the summer there was one instance where Brantley thought it’d be funny to watch a porno back there. I’m pretty sure I took it out since then. I’ve never been so happy to hear that Pixar music.

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