Page 112 of Beating Heart
“I’m going to head home and take Winnie out. I think you should have her stay here on the couch with you and Cutler. This is not something I should be in the middle of, Nash.”
“What? Don’t leave, baby. That’s what she wants you to do.” I could feel her pulling away, and it pissed me the fuck off that Tara had shown up and pulled her usual bullshit.
“Remember the other day when Collin showed up, and I told you that I needed to handle it?” she said, wrapping her arms around my middle and resting her cheek on my chest.
“Yep. And I hated every damn second that he was there.”
“We both have pasts. That’s what led us here, right? And Cutler wanted her to read him a book, and you need to respect that.” I looked down, and I swear I saw something flash in her eyes. Maybe it was hurt or doubt. And I hated that my ex had put it there. “He deserves to explore this relationship. It’s been missing from his life. And you’ll be the bad guy if you don’t allow this to play out. I will not take part in denying him anything that he wants, so I’m going to head home.”
“Hey.” I reached beneath her chin and tipped her head up to look at me. “I love you.”
“I know you do.” She smiled, but it was forced. And then she pushed up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss. “I love you, too. Goodnight.”
She walked out the door as laughter came from down the hallway. I stood out on the porch and watched Emerson walk across the yard.
When I made my way back inside, I walked down the hallway. I paused in the doorway and watched as Tara made her voice high and low for different characters. Cutler was laughing, but there was still apprehension there. The way his shoulders were stiff and his smile was forced. I could see the discomfort, even if he didn’t want to say it aloud.
“Hey, you can stay one night. Cutler, I want you to go get in my bed. You can sleep with me tonight. Tara can sleep in here.”
“I love sleeping in Pops’ bed.” He pumped his fist upward, crawling from beneath the sheets.
I followed him into my room and tucked him in. “Goodnight, buddy. I love you. I’ll be in in a little bit.”
“Daddy,” he said, catching me off guard that he didn’t call me Pops.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think Tara came because she knows it’s my Star Student Day next week?”
“I don’t think she knows about it. Do you want her to be here for that?” I asked.
“Well, Sunny is going to make me unicorn Krispies for my big day. I didn’t know Tara would be here, so I don’t know what to do.”
“Listen, you don’t have to do anything tonight, okay?” I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “It’s been a long day. I’ll be back in a little while. I love you. Get some sleep.”
“I love you, Pops. Will you text Sunny and tell her I love her, too? I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Of course I will.” I pulled the door closed and walked out to the kitchen, where I heard Tara’s muffled voice.
“I don’t care, Mark. Two can play that game. I’m going to spend some time with my family.” She stood in the corner, sipping a glass of wine and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m staying at the house with Nash and Cutler.”
I made my presence known and moved around the counter to empty my half-drank beer in the sink before tossing it into the recycle bin. She turned to look at me and quickly ended the call. “Nash is here, and we want to hang out. I’ve got to go.”
She set her phone down on the table and walked back to the counter to refill her wineglass.
“Don’t be using me to make your boyfriend jealous. You weren’t invited here. You left me no choice.”
“So what is this? Now you have a girlfriend, so I’m the enemy?”
“That’s not it, and you know it. You can’t just show up and expect to stay here. We have lives of our own. You don’t get to come and disrupt everything just because you and your boyfriend are fighting. For once, think about that little boy in the next fucking room. Don’t complicate his life just to make your boyfriend jealous.”
“Fuck you, Nash. You know nothing.” She tipped her head back and downed the whole glass she’d just poured.
“I know enough. What are you here for, Tara?”
“I’m here to spend time with my son. And I don’t appreciate you making that hard for me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry that I’m not making your unplanned visits easy for you. You haven’t seen that boy in two years. I can count on one hand how many times you’ve called during that time.” I moved closer, squaring my shoulders. “It’s not about making it easy on you. It’s about making it easy on Cutler.”
