Page 62 of The Broken Note

“None of your business.” Her voice sounds scratchy. I can picture her in bed, hair tussled and eyes at half-mast. Damn. Just the memory isn’t enough. If I didn’t have this crapshow of a dinner, I would have rushed over there and finessed my way into her bed.

We wouldn’t even have to mess around. I’d be okay just holding her.

And that right there tells me I’m in deep.

“Did you eat?” I ask.

“Why do you care?”

I smile at her heated tone. “I have something important to ask you.”

“What?” She grunts.

I lower my voice. “What are you wearing?”

Cadence makes a sound of pure frustration and it takes everything in me not to laugh.

“Call me to ask stupid questions like that again and I will poke the air out of all your tires. Try me.”

I laugh outright this time. After filling my car with trash and stealing my clothes from the pool, I know that’s not an idle threat. She’s good for it.

“Goodnight, Cadey.”

“Eat dirt, Dutch.”

I smile when I hear the dial tone.

She’s sexy as hell. I’m not going to lie. Pissing her off is fun. Plus I’m glad to hear her snapping at me. It means whatever she’s going through with her family isn’t keeping her down.

A part of me wants to text Jinx and get info about it, but there’s another side of me that wants Cadence to share.

For now, I’ll wait for her to tell me what’s wrong.

If she takes too long, I’ll take matters into my own hands.

After pocketing the phone, I head down the hallway to grab the car keys for the Lambo. We barely take it out, preferring rugged trucks to something as delicate as the convertible. But Zane needs some air and it’ll help to take a drive.

On my way, I pass the room where mom and dad are talking.

“I’ve been turning a blind eye because what you do with your life means nothing to me, but keep irritating me, Jarod and I’ll tell the boys everything.”

I freeze, my ears perking up.

“Go ahead and tell him. You think I’m scared?”

“I think you’re being a child. Why are you in constant competition with the boys? So what if they want to play for Bex Dane and not you? It’s their life. Let them live it!”

“You coddle them, Jacqueline. That’s why they’re unruly and uncontrollable.”

“Controlling adults isn’t in my skill set, Jarod. If it was, you wouldn’t have been such a massive disappointment in our marriage.”

“I’m through talking with you. The next time you decide to grace us with your presence, leave me out of it.”

“Remember my words, Jarod. Don’t you dare smother these boys and threaten them with moving in or I have no idea what I’ll do.”

I hear agitated footsteps.

Dad is storming out of the room.

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