Page 38 of Unbreakable
“Then be a father, and treat them with respect,” I bit.
He shook his head and headed for the back door. “Then you treat me with respect, dammit!”
My jaw tightened and I swallowed hard.
“I’m going outside.” He didn’t quite slam the door, but he didn’t not slam the door, either. Bella’s tears turned into full-on wails.
“Come here, baby,” I said, fully sitting on the floor and pulling both kids into my lap. “Daddy’s okay. He doesn’t always know what to do with his feelings.”
“You know what to do with your feelings, Mommy,” Bella said.
“Not always,” I said. “Not always.”
The door to the back deck flung open again, cold air pouring inside. “Jeanine, can I speak to you outside?”
My stomach sank and my heart pounded. Dylan never acted like this with me. For the first time ever in our marriage, I was scared.
“Now, Jeanine. I’ve got practice soon.”
I kissed Bella’s head and pulled Greyson close to me. “Go get yourself some cereal, okay? I’ll be right back.”
My guts turned to liquid as I stepped out into the cold November morning. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering as my skin prickled, the cold composite deck material chilling the soles of my feet. Dylan seemed unaffected by the frigid temperature, his eyes full of rage.
“You almost got our kids hurt,” he bit out, low.
“I’m sorry. You were there too, though. It was an accid?—”
“It would have been picked up if you hadn’t picked a fight with me. You’re telling me I’m not acting right, and you’re the one not taking responsibility for what you did.”
“It was an accident, Dylan,” I insisted.
“An accident that wouldn’t have happened if you’d just try a little.” He shook his head, looking out into the yard. “Do you know how fucking hard I’m working, J? Huh? I get shit at work, then I come home and get more shit from you. You treat me like I’m one of the kids, and I’m supposed to be your fucking partner.”
My mouth flapped. “I’m sorry work’s not going well. Do you . . . want to talk about it?”
“Oh, now you ask about me,” he said, shaking his head. “All you care about is yourself, and your little problems. You’re probably only asking so you can point out how right you are, that we just need to go back to California and magically, it’ll all be better. Meanwhile, I’m out here busting my ass and all you can do is complain about how I ruined your life.”
My shivers became trembling, adrenaline igniting my insides and the cold chilling my outside. “Dylan, I never said?—”
He turned to me, gritting his teeth and curling his lips, like he was trying to hold something especially vicious back. “You said I built this life for me, but what you won’t see is that I built it foryou, Jeanine.”
“You built it foryou,” I protested. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you?—”
He breathed hard, little clouds emanating from his lips and nose as he got closer to my face. “Enough!” He cut me off. “I’m only going to tell you this one time, Jeanine. Stop fucking whining and step up. Get it the fuck together. Be my fucking wife, or you might be getting that trip back to California you’ve been wanting so bad.”
My lip wobbled. He’d never spoken to me like this. It was the meanest he’d ever been, a side I’d never seen except when he’d bark at his teammates on the ice. What happened to my sweet, compassionate Dylan? Was that a thinly veiled threat to throw me out?
He walked past me back into the house, and before the door shut, I heard him speaking in soft, apologetic tones to Greyson.
At least he was nice to the kids. But what the hell had happened between the two of us?
Things weretense with Dylan when he left for practice. I crammed as much stuffing as I could back into the couch cushion and duct-taped it in place. Then I flipped the cushion over to hide the damaged side.
“See?” I told Greyson. “Good as new.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, his head down. “I made you and Dad fight.”
“No, you didn’t, honey. And all mommies and daddies fight sometimes. It’s okay.”
