Without thinking, I looked around Hix’s kickass kitchen that beat even my awesome kitchen by a mile.
First, it was bigger. It also had a showstopper recessed ceiling over the island that had been set in old, tamped tin. There was a copper hood over the stove. The many cupboards had different finishes, a mix of cream, distressed green and dark wood. The upper cabinets that had windows also had arched panes that were amazing. Further, there was a copper sink that had a faucet that looked kind of like an old-fashioned well pump. The floors were immaculately refinished wood. And the pièce de résistance was a recessed pantry that had latticework screen doors covering it that I’d give my eyeteeth for.
It was sublime.
The minute I saw it (and his porch, which was also a lot like mine, but wider and longer and it had a porch swing) I totally hoped the people who owned it adored Florida and never stepped foot in Nebraska again.
What it also had was a drawer microwave in the island in the middle, that microwave was the only thing in the room currently that had a clock on it that was programmed and I couldn’t see it from where I stood so I had no idea what time it was.
But seven thirty sounded about right.
That said, in all that was happening, I had no idea why Hope would ask that question.
Then it hit me, and I might know why, but I still didn’t.
I walked to the island and put my hand to it, saying, “Hope, why don’t you let—?”
“My son is in that house,” she declared.
“I’ll get Hix to—”
“Unless he’s at a sleepover. Is he at a sleepover?”
“Hope, please, if you’d let me—”
“I cannot fucking believe you,” she hissed, her voice lowered like she was hiding what she was saying, likely from Corinne. “I cannot fucking believe him. But you, you’re a woman. People say you raised that brother of yours. You know better.”
“I—”
I said no more that time because the phone was no longer to my ear.
I whirled around and watched Hix put it to his.
He had his thermal on.
And he had a face filled with thunder.
Oh man.
“I asked Greta to phone you and tell you Mamie’s okay and I can only guess why that conversation lasted longer than it needed to but I’m too pissed to get into that now. Mamie’s here. Mamie’s fine. She’s upset and she needs some time,” he declared into the phone and kept right on talking. “I’ll call you when it’s cool for you to come and get her. But before that, my girl, her brother and I need to have a chat. Then I’ll need to have a chat with you. But I’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to come and do that.”
He listened for a second. I watched him do it and his face didn’t clear while he did.
Crap.
“No, you won’t come now. I told you, I’d call you . . .” he trailed off, his eyes flashed, he scored them through me and I felt my own eyes get big at the fiery look in his. I bit my lip and he clipped into the phone, “Listen to me, Hope. She’s done with your shit and she wants to move in with me. I do not think that’s right. And all our kids have got to get where we’re all at and get on the path to movin’ on. Now she’s at an age she needs her mother. But if you keep fuckin’ with me and shovelin’ your shit my way, I swear to fuck, I’ll file for full custody of all of them and I’ll use every goddamn dollar you wanted me to use for that fucking ring you wanted so damned bad to get them. Are you hearing me?”
He didn’t listen for very long before he continued.
“We’re not talkin’ about that fucked-up shit now, Hope, and far’s I’m concerned, we’re not talkin’ about it ever. Yes, I know. I’ve known for a while. It’s done. I’ve moved on. You need to pull your head outta your ass and move on too. Now, I’ll phone when we’re ready for you.” He took in a sharp breath and finished, “Later.”
With that, he rang off and stood there, completely still, staring at his phone like it was taking a superhuman effort not to hurtle it across the room.
“Baby,” I whispered.
His eyes cut up to my face.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“Hope?” he asked incredulously.
“Mamie,” I answered.
He no longer looked incredulous but still, his mouth got tight before he said, “She knows about her mom wanting that ring. She hears her mom bitchin’ to her friends about me. About you. Talkin’ trash about you and Lou and Bill, Lou havin’ a foul mouth and Bill bein’ a drunk and both of them bein’ bad influences she doesn’t want around her kids. And about me movin’ into this house, sayin’ I did it because it’s close to you. And she’s done with her shit. She misses what we had. She’s too young to understand all that’s going on. It’s too much for her. And it’s simpler with me. It’s more peaceful. It’s not ugly. It’s not negative and pissed off and bitchy. And she can’t wrap her head around that ring. So she’s pissed and she’s hurt and the hurt is makin’ her more pissed. So no. She’s not okay.”
“Okay,” I said softly, moving into him.
He didn’t hesitate to slide an arm around me, so I did the same to him with both of mine.
“I gotta get back to her and I also gotta wake up Shaw,” he told me.
I nodded. “I’ll go get Andy and we’ll do something else—”
“No you won’t.”
I stared up at him.
“Will he freak, comin’ here, bein’ involved in a drama?” he asked.
“Um, did you block out the two times you met my mom?”
He stared at me back then his lips twitched and I felt some of the tension ebb from his body.
“If we need privacy, you guys can go somewhere, unpack some shit, sit on the porch, go out and get some food, whatever excuse you gotta make to make it cool with Andy,” he said. “But with all the shit that just went down, I did not forget what happened in my bed right before it did so you’re a part of this now, Greta. So is Andy. That means you need to swing with this. If he’s got it in him and it doesn’t harm him, he needs to swing with it. And my kids need to see that you and him aren’t going anywhere.”
“Oh crap, you’re gonna make me cry again,” I warned, pressing closer to him.
His hold tightened on me and he murmured, “We got even less time for that shit now.”
“Right, yeah, of course,” I muttered, drawing in breath to pull myself together.
“She’s gonna start her period soon.”
I stopped pulling myself together as I felt my head twitch at his comment.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“Corinne started at her age. She’s gonna start developing. She’ll need to go out and buy bras and shit. I can deal with that. You’re around, you can help me deal with that. Corinne can help her deal with that. But she should do that with her mother.”
I slid a hand around to press it to his chest and agreed, “Yeah.”
“Hope needs to get her head out of her ass.”
I nodded and repeated, “Yes.”
He held my eyes for long moments before he blew out a breath.
Then he stated, “I promised Andy I’d go with you to get him. I need to get Shaw up, have a word with him so he’s with the program then talk to him and Mamie, and then we’ll head out.”
“I can go get Andy while you look after your kids, Hix.”