“I know. I’m the worst mother in the world and all your friends’ mothers are cooler than me and let their daughters dress like hookers,” I inform her as she lets out a growl of frustration, turns, and stomps out of the room.
“You’ll thank me one day when they’re all working at McDonald’s and you’re a doctor!” I yell to her.
If this is what she’s like before she gets her period, I’m moving out when that day happens. Or shipping her to a convent to let the nuns handle her.
As I leave the kitchen to go check on Livia and see if she’s ready to go, I’m stopped in the living room by the ringing of the doorbell. Looking through the peephole, I let out a gasp when I see who it is.
“Alex, what are you doing here?” I ask my ex-husband when I open the door to him.
I haven’t seen him in months. The only communication we’ve had is through text. For a minute I freak out, wondering if Chloe went home last night and told him about the kiss to end all kisses. He’s wearing a tight-fitting green Hollister T-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and black Chucks. He looks like a teenager. Or like he’s having a midlife crisis, which I’m guessing is what happens when you date someone half your age.
“Hi, Kennedy. You’re looking good,” he tells me with a smile. “I thought I’d stop by and see if I could take the girls today. I feel awful that I’ve been so busy lately and haven’t had time to spend with them.”
To say I’m shocked by his sudden interest in our daughters is an understatement. But then I get a good look at his face and see a black-and-purple bruise discoloring one eye and my mouth drops open. Seeing him with a goatee AND a soul patch is disturbing enough, but seeing him with a black eye is downright unnerving.
“What the hell happened to your face?”
I watch as his cheeks turn pink from embarrassment and he reaches one hand up to touch the bruise.
“Oh? this?” he asks with an uncomfortable chuckle. “I ran into a door. No big deal. So, can I take the girls?”
He’s lying. He’s totally lying. I am quite familiar now with the way he acts when he lies. Before I can question him further, he looks over my shoulder and one of his eyebrows rises questioningly.
“Hi, baby. What in the world are you wearing?”
I turn around, expecting to see Meadow standing behind me in her slut-wear and am pleasantly surprised when I see she took my advice. A little to the extreme though when I see she has on a turtleneck, hooded sweatshirt, drawstring sweatpants, Ugg boots, a scarf, and gloves. I’m sure she thought that by doing this it would make me feel bad, but this child doesn’t realize she’s dealing with the master.
“Mom told me to get dressed. I’m dressed. Are you happy now?” she asks, turning an angry glare in my direction.
“Perfectly,” I reply with a big smile on my face. “Go get your sister—your father wants to spend the day with you guys.”
Meadow’s face immediately loses the preteen irritation and she looks at Alex hopefully. “Can we go to the mall?!”
Alex looks back and forth between Meadow and me uncomfortably and stutters his response. “Uh…um…well…”
“Your dad would LOVE to take you to the mall!” I say in an excited voice.
Let him deal with her attitude when she wants to shop at Sluts “R” Us and he vetoes it. At least he better veto it. Considering whom he’s dating, he probably has a frequent-shopper card for every whorish store in the mall.
Meadow turns and runs excitedly down the hall, yelling for Livia and leaves me alone with Alex again.
“So, how have you been? Are you seeing anyone?” Alex asks.
Geez, nothing like getting right to the point.
“Oh, you know…” I trail off with a shrug.
DOES he know? Did Chloe fill him in on all the details? The way Griffin only had eyes for me, his hand on my ass, how tightly he held me against him, the slow way he worked me over with his lips and tongue?
Jesus, it’s hot in here.
“Chloe said she saw you at the bar last night with her girlfriends.”
Shit. He knows. Am I happy he knows? Maybe he’s jealous. Good. This asshole needs to be jealous. He needs to be burning with rage that I made out with his ex—best friend.
“Oh, that’s right! I totally forgot we ran into her.”
Lies, lies, lies.
Come on, ask me about Griffin. Ask me about kissing him so I can rub it in your stupid face.
“She said you guys had a good time together.”
What the fuck? The only good time had by the two of us would be in a boxing ring.
“I’m really glad you can be the bigger person, Kennedy. I don’t know if I would be able to do the same thing if I were in your shoes,” he tells me.
You ARE in my shoes, you asshole! I kissed Griffin! Just admit that you know and that you hate it!
“DADDY!” Livia comes running into the living room and throws herself in his arms.
“Hi, princess! I’ve missed you so much,” he tells her as she wraps her legs around him and he holds her in his arms.
“Are you taking us to the mall? Can we go to Claire’s so I can buy some new earrings and bracelets and then go to the pet shop so I can cuddle the puppies?” she asks sweetly.