Page 13 of Legally Mated
“She wants to take jazz after Christmas, if your budget willstandit.”
“Can she take another class without her gradesfalling?”
“Oh, right, I have your copy of her report card. I think she’s fine. You can make parent-teachernextweek?”
“Wednesday, right? Yeah, I’ve got my week sorted. Mostly. There was a little hiccup at work today, but I can probably make it up Monday or Tuesday night.” He had April this weekend and while he might take work home with him, it stayed in his bag until she was busy playing with friends or she wasinbed.
“Good.” Brenna took a sip of her wine and set the glass aside. “She misses you,youknow.”
“It’sbeenbusy.”
“Uh huh,” she said. There was a pause in the conversation, then she said, “The grapevine says you’re sleeping with theshifter.”
“The grapevine needs to keep his fucking mouth shut and mind his own business.” He knew this had come from Brenna’s on-again-off-again boyfriend. “You know I would never be with anyone I thought was a risktoher.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s what I told him. I don’t know what I think about it, to be honest. I personally don’t have a problem with them, but it’s going to give you a reputation, and her byextension.”
“Would you like to meet him?” Laine asked, spearing her argument with one ofhisown.
“No,” she said bluntly. “That’s not what this is about. It doesn’t matter what I think of him. What does matter is what people are going to think of April. And of you. You might believe I don’t love you anymore, but we were married, and there’s a part of that feeling that nevergoesaway.”
“I know that. You think I wouldn’t come down on anyone who hurt you like a ton ofbricks?”
That made her smile, a smile like one of her old ones, from before things had started going wrong between them. “I know. I just…think about her, would you? Before you do anything that will trickle down? You’re an adult, you can make your own choices. She’s stillvulnerable.”
She had a point, but still, it sat like a bitter taste at the back of his mouth. “I won’t do anything that would harm her, but they’re good people. Different, a different culture, but I’m not sure that we should be any more afraid of them than we are of any strong culturalgroup.”
“You’re not listening to me, Laine. It doesn’t matter what should be, only what is. Please, don’t do anything that will cause problems for April down theline,okay?”
He hated it, but he wasn’t going to win this argument. Notyet. “Fine.”
She nodded and gave him a brief hug, then picked up her wine. “Weshouldeat.”
He called to April, “Come on, kiddo, let’sgoeat!”
“Whoo!” April yelled and raced across the yard to leap on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around hiswaist.
“April!” Brenna scolded. “You’re too big for that. Get down off your father before you bend him like apretzel.”
April’s laugh chimed out into the looming twilight, but she slid down off Laine’s body and took his hand, dragging him toward the house. “Comeon.”
Laine followed her, laughing at her enthusiasm and Brenna’s exasperated expression. “See? She didn’t break me.” He faked a limp. “Mostly.” They’d always had the same sense of humor—it was what had brought them together during law school, the jokestheymade.
“Dad!” April punched him in the hip and swung from his arm, leaning away from him at a forty-five degree angle. “Can you help me with my homeworktonight?”
“Sure, if your Mom’s okaywithit.”
“Oh, am I ever,” Brenna muttered—more exasperation—then pasted an overly-bright smile on her face. “Times tables are fun. You can play the Times Gamewithher.”
“Times tables suck,” Aprilannounced.
“April!” he and Brenna cried at thesametime.
She looked up at them, all innocence. “Well, they do. Why bother memorizing them when I can just use acalculator?”
She let go of his hand to run ahead into the house and Brenna threw him a look. “See what I putupwith?”
“Want me to beat her?” Laine askedfacetiously.
