Page 29 of Property of Stone
“Won’t Sunny mind sharing her room?” Especially with a stranger.
“Ain’t up to her.”
“She might end up hating you for that decision.”
“Won’t be the first time,” he muttered. “But she don’t make the decisions, I do.”
“For me to agree with this, you need to take the couch.”
“Too late. Already agreed. Maybe I don’t got a couch.”
“First of all, I can revoke my bad decision at any time. Second, if you don’t have a couch“—she shot him asure, buddylook—”you can buy a cot and sleep on that. In the basement, in the attic. I don’t care.”
“Said the house is small. No basement or attic.”
Now she knew he was lying. “I bet you could find a really nice tent to pitch in the backyard.”
“Kids might like that.”
“It was for you, not them.”
He sucked on his teeth.
She couldn’t believe only three days ago he talked her into this arrangement.
She still debated on whether to put her house up for sale. While she couldn’t afford to keep it, she also couldn’t afford to let it go into foreclosure. Something Stone had suggested at the time.
“If I let it go into foreclosure, it’ll ruin my credit.” Something he didn’t care about because the man probably didn’t have any. If she had to guess, he paid for everything in cash.
A really scary look came over his face. “What the fuck’s more important? Your life or your fuckin’ credit? Your credit gonna raise your son?”
No, it wasn’t.
One of the positives to this deal was, if she took his offer, once Vic was released from prison, he wouldn’t know where she lived. The house wouldn’t be in her name and if he needed to get a hold of her because of their son, he could go through her attorney.
“Then sell it, ‘cause you ain’t goin’ back there. No reason to keep it.”
She didn’t even know the guy and here he was trying to control her life. “What about my stuff?”
“Know a guy who’s got a movin’ company.”
Of course he did. “You want strangers to pack my stuff? All my personal belongings?”
“Said you ain’t goin’ back there.”
“Yousaid that, not me.” She couldn’t deny it would be smart to unload the house. It was too big and too expensive for her and Wren alone. She needed a smaller place with a reasonable mortgage payment. She was tired of struggling to maintain her marital home. One that also held bad memories.
While she had done her best for years, it was time to admit defeat. “Stone…”
“Babe…” He pulled in a breath through flared nostrils, then he ground out, “That asshole knows where you live. He might be gettin’ out any fuckin’ time now. You ain’t goin’ back there.”
“But—”
“Will get a coupla prospects to supervise the movin’ crew.”
“Great,” she said dryly. “Where am I storing all of my stuff?” She would need it for her next home since, if she took his offer, she’d only be watching his daughter until he found someone else to permanently take over.
Her involvement would only be temporary.
