Page 53 of Cedarwood Manny

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Adrien stood by the picnic table and kept an eye on Nathan and Kyle. In the last month, he and Nathan had gone through so many changes, but they were stronger. But over that time, he’d made the decision to give his ex-husband a chance to see Kyle. He’d agreed to meet with Gerry here at the park, but as he’d expected, Gerry hadn’t shown up yet. Adrien checked the clock on his phone again. No texts, emails or missed calls.Damn it. The jerk would have to be late.

Kyle sprinted up to him. “Daddy, will you go down the slide with me?”

“Sure.”Like I’d tell my son no?He took Kyle’s hand and crossed the playground. Nathan grinned from the foot of the slide.

“The tube’s a little narrow up there. You’ll have to scrunch down,” Nathan said. “I’ll be here at the bottom waiting.”

Adrien kissed his boyfriend, then climbed up the ladder. He hated heights, but after all he’d been through, he wasn’t afraid of much anymore. Kyle settled on his lap, then tapped the tunnel.

“Ready, Daddy?” Kyle asked.

“Sure.” He pushed off, sending them both down the slide. When they popped out at the bottom of the tube, he spotted Gerry. A shiver ran the length of his spine. He noticed the woman with Gerry, too.What the hell?He stood between his ex-husband and son. “Nathan, take Kyle to the car.”

“No problem.” Nathan scooped Kyle into his arms and carried the child to the opposite end of the playground toward the car.

“May I help you?” Adrien stood tall. He wasn’t about to have his ex bully him like every other time. Gerry’s hair was longer and grayer at the temples than it had been the last time Adrien had seen him. The lines around his eyes were deeper, but the sparkle hadn’t dulled. If Adrien had seen him at a club and not known Gerry, he might have been attractive. Knowing the man the way he did and what he’d been through, though, Adrien wanted to keep separation. The attraction was dead. But who was the woman with Gerry?

“Is that how you greet your former husband?” Gerry snorted. “Come on. We’re closer than that.”

“Are we?” Not that he knew. He swept his gaze over the woman. Her skirt fell below her knees and the billowy blouse did nothing to accentuate her curves. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail and wore little makeup—not Gerry’s type. Gerry tended to befriend the flamboyant types and rail-thin glamour girls. Not like this one. Adrien focused his attention on her. “My name is Dr. Ellet. May I help you?”

She smiled. “I spoke to your manny not long ago. My partner and I mentioned to him he should talk to you about leaving Cedarwood. Your husband here said you’re considering leaving. I just wanted to make sure that was the truth. We’re out to keep Cedarwood respectable. You know, a family friendly town.”

Her partner?He had a thousand questions for her, but kept them to himself. What made her so great she could give him hell about his life choices and decide who could live in Cedarwood? “Myex-husbanddoesn’t know of which he speaks.” Adrien folded his arms. “As for you, I knew you’d come to the house and I also know I’m not leaving town. Cedarwood is my home. Please stop visiting and trying to convince me otherwise. I’m not budging.”

The muscle in her jaw twitched. She inhaled sharply, then nodded. “I see. What about your manny? Word is you’re dating him. That’s against the rules.”

How does she know this stuff?“Are you sure?” He notched his chin in the air. “Seems like you know a lot about my life.”

“It’s not hard to know when you’re parading your relationship around Cedarwood.” She narrowed her eyes. “I have a nanny with the training center and according to the rules, dating isn’t permitted. I know. I’ve read the contract. It’s in plain wording.”

“Then it’s a good thing he’s not with the training center any longer.” Adrien kept his tone even, despite wanting to scream. She had no standing, but she wanted to make his life miserable. “Is there anything else?”

Gerry balled his hands. The vein popped out on his forehead. “Are you dating him?”

“I am.” No harm in admitting the truth, especially if the facts bugged Gerry. “But he doesn’t work for me or the training center, so there’s no issue. We’ve cleared that up with the center. So, I ask once more, anything else?”

“I want to play with my son.” Gerry stepped forward. “Withouthimaround. I don’t want Kyle to think the manny is important.”

Too late.“That wasn’t part of the agreement,” Adrien said. Besides, he didn’t want this argument in public. “You’re welcome to spend time with them, but Nathan stays. He’s Kyle’s manny and I trust him.”

Gerry’s eyes widened and his lip curled in a sneer. “You did this just to piss me off, didn’t you?”

“I did it for the safety of my son.” Adrien held firm. Gerry had given up his rights. Allowing him to see Kyle went against everything Adrien believed, but he also wanted Gerry to have closure. Now he wished he’d gone with his initial thought and ignored Gerry’s request.

“Ourson,” Gerry bit out.

“Mine. You quit on us.” Adrien forced a smile to keep from unleashing his frustration. The woman was still there with her odd grin. “If you’re going to spend time with Kyle, you’d better get moving. I agreed to forty-five minutes—no longer—and you’ve wasted ten already.”

Gerry growled, but walked past Adrien toward the playground.

The woman still stared at Adrien and said nothing. She’d done plenty of damage, but the way she lingered unnerved Adrien.

“Yes?” Adrien split his attention between his son, boyfriend and ex-husband and the woman. “Do you need something else?”

“You knew the rules. Wasn’t the reminder enough? The training center spoke to you,” she said. “You were busted. You and the manny aren’t supposed to be together. Beyond that, you’re”—she dropped her voice to a whisper—“gay. That’s not welcome.”

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