Page 79 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
“I'm not here to discuss my relationship with you,” I said to Laura. “I only wanted to let you know that you need to clear all your crap out of this room if you want to keep any of it.”
“What the hell are you talking about? This is my studio!”
“You stopped living here when you decided to move out in the dead of night. Now it's a room full of your crap taking up space. I need the space.”
“And what would you need that space for?” Laura snarled, putting her hands on her hips.
“I'm going to convert it into a nursery.”
“A nursery?” Laura and Rhys spoke as one, shocked expressions on both their faces. After a second, though, the shock on Rhys' face gave way to joy, while Laura's expression sharpened in anger. “You can't be serious,” she said. “You're going to kick your wife out of her studio to have a nursery for your manny's bastard child?”
I took a step toward her and stared her down. My alpha pheromones had to be thick in the air now; I couldn't contain my anger. Laura backed away. She had to be sensing it too. Even my puppy was growling where he sat in a corner of the room. “Don't youevertalk about Rhys' child that way,” I said, voice as cold as the first frost in winter. My sense of morality, and the inevitable consequences, were all that kept me from hurting her that moment, and she knew it too.
Smart as she was, she didn't want to test what it would take for me to snap.
“Fine,” she said with a huff. “Actually, I've talked to my sister and I can room with her for a while.”
“Good. Go, then.”
She took one more minute to glare at me and Rhys, and then she left. The moment the front door fell shut behind her, I exhaled, feeling all the tension that had accumulated over the course of the day drain from my body. It was as if I'd lost at least ten pounds in a matter of seconds.
Next to me, Rhys looked relieved too—and cautiously optimistic as he took in the room. “You really want to make this into a nursery?”
“Sure I do. I don't think Caleb and Nathan would be happy if I told them to share a room. Well, Caleb probably wouldn't take it too badly, but Nathan....?” I laughed, partly because Rhys still wore this expression of wonder on his face and it made him look so adorable.
“Does that mean you want me to move in with you?”
“I want that more than anything.” I didn't want to spend another day running around town, wondering where he might be because I didn't wake up next to him and he thought my ex had the authority to scare him out of the house. “I want us to be a family. You, me, the kids...” A happy home for our children to grow up in, finally.
“Don't you think it's too early for that?”
“Not at all. But you can think about it. I don't need you to say yes right away.” After all, I didn't want him to feel forced to do anything. I was pretty sure he'd been under enough pressure during his time with the Vinists. “Actually, I think I'm gonna go upstairs and check on Nathan. He'll want to know that Laura's left the building.”
“How is he doing?” Rhys asked.
I shrugged, helplessly. “He's resilient.” I just wished he didn't have to be.
At least I had some good news for him now.
I climbed the stairs and knocked on his door. “Nathan? It's me. You can come out now.”
No response came.
I tried again. “I promise you your mother's left the house. Come on, you can help me and Rhys with dinner or walk the dog.”
Still nothing.
Was he mad at me now because I'd left the house earlier? Had Laura said something to him through the closed door? I wouldn't put it past her. “Is something wrong?” I asked, listening to any potential sounds from the other side of the door. Nathan's room remained completely quiet, though.
Was he even in there?
I tried knocking once more, and when that didn't change anything. I decided to change my strategy. I had spare keys to every door in this house hidden away in my bedroom closet. Nathan didn't know I had another key to his room because I wanted him to feel that it washisspace, but desperate situations called for desperate measures. I needed to know if he'd left the house or if he was still inside his room and not answering because hecouldn't.
Once I'd retrieved the key, I returned to Nathan's door with it. “I'm going to come inside now,” I announced to give him one last chance to open the door by himself. When he didn't, I used my key to get inside.
The room was empty, cold wind blowing inside through the opened window. I walked over and closed it, vague concern nagging at me. Nathan must have left here in a rage if he'd left the window open with no regards for his precious pets.
I checked the terrariums, but both the newt and the salamander looked okay, as far as I could judge.
