Page 59 of Heartbroken Husband
When I turned, she was exiting the building with the girls flanking her like tiny bodyguards. Her eyes met mine, and strangely, I instantly felt a little bit calmer.
“It’s fine,” she repeated. “We have booster seats. I don’t have a car, but Amber does. We’ll just use those. I installed ours in her car myself. It won’t be a problem to move them. I know how to do it now.”
Amber sighed but pointed across the street to the ugliest green Volkswagen Bug I’d ever seen in my life. “Alright. You’re a big, strapping man. Help me haul the seats, would you?”
I stared at the car, honestly flabbergasted that anyone would buy something like that, but then I realized she was already halfway to it and I raced to catch up. When I reached her, she already had the back door open, fiddling with the safety belt until a latch unclicked.
“There we go,” she said. “I’ll release it, and you can just lift it out.”
“Okay,” I agreed, figuring that while I had no idea what releasing it meant, I could lift heavy stuff.
The next five minutes were educational, to say the least. We transferred the seats to the Rolls. Then I crouched in the backseat while Amber issued instructions like a drill sergeant and Adeline tried not to laugh.
“No,” Amber said. “Not like that.”
“I’m doing exactly what you just said.”
“You’re really not.”
“I am.”
“Zach,” Adeline said gently. “You’re not. Will you just let me help already? Please.”
I sighed. “Fine. If you insist.”
“I do.” She slid in beside me, her shoulder brushing mine as she adjusted the strap with practiced ease. “Like this. See?”
“Oh. That makes more sense.”
“I know,” she said, flashing me a smile as she eased out of the car again. “It’s amazing how easy it becomes when you just let someone do it who’s actually done it before.”
I had the most intense urge to stick my tongue out at her, but I resisted. Only just, though.
“There we go,” Amber said dryly from the other side. “Teamwork.”
While all three of us turned our attention to installing the other seat, chaos reined supreme up front. Jennifer and Lu had climbed into the front seats and were pressing every button they could find.
The sunroof opened, then closed, then opened again. Jennifer shouted delightedly, pointing at the sliding roof. “Look, it’s like magic!”
“It’s not magic,” Lu said, pressing another button. “It’s a spaceship.”
“Backseat,” Adeline called. “Now.”
They both groaned but obeyed.Miracles really do happen.
Eventually, once everything was installed and the girls were buckled up, I waved for Amber to join them in back, but she shook her head. “Please. I have a reputation to uphold. I’m taking my own car.”
I glanced at the Bug, wondering if it would even make it all the way to the ranch. “There’s space for you in the Rolls. Seriously. I had my brother test the seat and he said he had more than enough leg room.”
“It’s not about leg room,” she muttered. “Just drive, okay? I’ll be behind you.”
“Alright then,” I finally agreed. “It’s your decision.”
“Totally.” She rolled her eyes but dropped her arms back to her sides from where she’d had them crossed over her chest, turning to march to her own car.
Adeline climbed into the passenger seat of the Rolls and I shook my head, not really understanding what that had been all about, but I opened the driver’s door and slid in behind the steering wheel, trying to put Amber’s strange attitude behind me.
Not long after that, we were leaving the city, but I was admittedly driving like a grandma, hyper-aware of everything going on around me. The cars. The kids. The fact that there were already crumbs in a vehicle that had arrived less than two hours ago.
