Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“It’s not been thirty minutes, but I just finished the eggs. I take it traffic was better than usual?” I stopped dead in my tracks. “Danny.”
“Hey, honey.” He smiled at me. Like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t been gone for more than two weeks. Like the last time I saw him hadn’t been in the hospital where he was sitting with his pregnant wife who was also the owner of our building.
Like he hadn’t abandoned his children. I could understand him going after his pregnant wife -- or any pregnant woman -- in a burning building. She’d been just as capable as me, but she was in advanced pregnancy. I wasn’t. But him not even calling to check on us, on his kids, that I couldn’t forgive.
“You shouldn’t be here, Danny.”
“Why not? This is my home more than it is yours.” He stuck his chin up. I wasn’t used to him being belligerent after he knew he was in trouble. He always backed down, admitted how wrong he was, what a piece of shit he was, and that he didn’t deserve the wonderful family he’d been given. Now, he had the intention of trying to get me to take him back. I’d seen him act this way with people in his life, usually his father. It didn’t matter to him if I wanted him back or not. He simply didn’t care.
“It’s your father’s house. You shouldn’t enter unless invited inside.”
“He’s my dad. I don’t have to ask permission.” Yeah. This was a side of Danny I’d seen before, but never directed at me. He was cutting me out of his life. Or trying to make me beg him to come back. “Where’re the kids?”
“Seriously?” What kind of question was that? It was a school day. They’re in school. Duh!
“Yeah, seriously. I wanna see my kids!”
“Well, they’re in school. They’ll be home about three-fifteen. You’re more than welcome to come back then. Whether or not you can stay or even come inside is up to your father.”
“I’m not leaving, Evie. I’ll wait for them here. Or maybe I’ll just go get them myself.”
“What’s wrong with you?” I yelled at him. This was completely out of character for Danny. Yeah, if he didn’t have a use for a person he could be -- and often was -- cutting. But something was very different. He almost seemed… desperate? “We’ve been here more than two weeks, Danny. You’ve not called, come by, or tried to get in contact with us in any way. Now you think you get to take my children?”
“Did you try to find me? I coulda been hurt.”
“You were in the hospital with your w-wife.” I was proud I only stumbled slightly over the word. “Why would you even consider I’d try to find you?”
“If you loved me the way you always said, you would have.”
“Look, I don’t know what the problem is, but you need to leave.”
“Or what? You’re in my house. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you, Evie. All I have to do is call 911. Then you get charged with trespassing and breaking and entering and whatever else they can come up with. Which would go a long way toward me getting custody of Luke and Aneshya.”
I gasped. The blood drained from my face. I felt it go and knew I was going to faint.
“I sincerely hope this is your idea of a bad joke, Danny.” That voice… I sagged in relief. How could two brothers who look so much alike sound so completely different? And how had I stood Danny’s whiny voice all these years? So much time. Wasted. Instead of trying my hardest to make Danny love me. I should have been finding someone who actually would.
Danny whipped around to face Knox. “What are you doing here?”
Knox shrugged. “Like you said. This is my house.”
“Dad told me he’d sold the place. Years ago.”
“Yes. He did.” Knox didn’t expound.
“Well, obviously either he lied or you bought it.”
“That’s none of your business. Neither is Evelyn. Or the kids.” Knox didn’t sound angry… exactly… More like he was stating a fact. The look in his eyes, though. That told another story. Unless I completely misjudged Knox, right now, he was completely furious. I actually backed up a step away from him.
“Luke and Aneshya are my children, Knox. My name’s on their birth certificates.”
“That’s something we’ll be discussing later. Right now, though, I think you’d better leave.”
“This is between me and Evie. It has nothing to do with you or Pop.”
“If it involves Evelyn, it involves Dad and me. We’ve been the ones who’ve been on her and the kids’ side after they lost everything in that fire. You should have come to at least check on your children. To make sure they weren’t hurt in the fire.”
“I saw them at the hospital. They were fine.”