Page 80 of Just This Once

He laughs sarcastically, pointing at me as he asks Taryn, “Really? You’re fucking a kid?”

“Why don’t you go home?” she says, motioning to his car.

“I’m not going anywhere without my kids.”

A big act for a guy who doesn’t really seem to care about his weekend. If he did, he would’ve been here this morning, like Taryn said. Not outside shouting at us for being twenty minutes late.

“Go get your stuff,” he tells the kids, but they don’t move. Instead, they look to Taryn. I watch Craig’s temper rise with a locked jaw and flared nostrils as he realizes his kids don’t take what he says seriously. They’re choosing to follow only what their mother says. And he lashes out. Because that’s what insecure men do.

“Go get your fucking stuff now!”

Maddie jerks back at the outburst, but Taryn captures her wrist, soothing quietly, “It’s okay.” Turning to Jake, she hands her house keys over to him. “It’s your dad’s night. Go ahead.”

Jake holds out his hand for Maddie to take as they walk inside, and my stomach churns. I know what it feels like to be intimidated by your parent, and I’m not sure exactly what to do, but I know having Craig out here yelling and stomping like some roided-up bull isn’t it.

I try to keep my voice even as I tell him, “How about you gowait in your car? Nobody needs you yelling out here. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Craig turns his anger on me, taking a step closer until we’re chest to chest. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

I stick my hands in my pockets so I don’t do anything stupid, even though I would really fucking love to. “I’m just saying, your kids are watching. Don’t make this worse than it already is.”

Craig’s jaw clenches, and for a moment, I think he might take a swing at me. But then he takes a step back, his eyes darting toward the house, where his kids are watching from the porch.

Without taking my eyes off him, I nod to Maddie and Jake. “It’s okay. It’s cool. Everybody’s good.”

As soon as the door shuts, Craig scoffs at Taryn, waving his arm in my direction. “You think you can replace me? With this…this kid?”

“I’m not a kid, but you seem to be doing a pretty good job of proving you are. Out here acting a fool in front of your children.”

“Fuck off,” he mutters in my direction before opening his mouth to go in on Taryn again, but she cuts him off.

“If you don’t respect my time or the kids’ time, you cannot expect to be respected in return. As I’ve told you before, they’re old enough now to understand what’s going on, and you need to be prepared to face the consequences of your behavior.”

“Don’t condescend to me.”

She lifts her shoulders in a careless gesture. “I’m telling you the truth. I’m warning you that you will lose your children, and it won’t be because of me. It will be because of you and your actions. And I’m not going to let my children go home with you if you don’t calm down. You are not in the right state of mind to be their parent, let alone drive.”

He opens his mouth to respond but thinks better of it. His jaw snaps shut, gaze flicking between Taryn and me. Eventually, he grates out, “My children don’t need a replacement daddy.”

I rub my jaw, wishing I could punch his, though I am going to do the thing he should have and walk away. I take three steps back, putting physical distance between myself and Taryn. At this point, I believe any man would be a better father to his kids than he is, and I would love to let him know, but I keep quiet.

The kids shuffle back outside with backpacks over their shoulders, and I offer them a small wave and smile, sending all my support their way, hoping they can feel it. While Craig fumes, Jake and Maddie hug their mother, each of them telling her they love her, and in return, she kisses their cheeks, whispering words only they can hear. Then she nudges them to Craig’s car. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

Craig storms to the driver’s side without another word after the kids are in his car, and I move right behind Taryn, close enough that she can lean her weight into me. After they drive off, I wrap my arm around the front of her shoulders, pressing my face against the side of her head. “You okay?”

Her shoulders and chest rise on a breath. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

Except she’s not okay. Her voice is small and shaky, and I can feel her wilting in my hold. “Let’s get you inside. It’s cold out.”

She lets me lead her to the living room, where I hang up her coat and purse and urge her to sit on the couch then lock up the front door before taking Frankie out back, where I scream silently, adding a few shadow punches for good measure. The dog comes to sit at my feet, eternally happy, and I wish we could all be so lucky to be as oblivious as him. Inside, I toss down a bunch of treats so he’ll leave Taryn and me alone thenwalk back into the living room, where I find her curled up on herself. I feel downright useless. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”

“I’m used to it.”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to be.”

She wiggles her nose, blinking rapidly, and I start toward her, but she holds her hand up, not wanting to be touched right now, so I stay in place. Standing in front of her, desperate to do something yet unable to help.

“Talk to me,” I say quietly, and she sniffs, turning her face away from me, clearing her throat.

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