Page 39 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Ah.Straight to the firing squad.

Timothy made a strangled noise that might’ve once been a word.

“How’s the foal?”he asked, abandoning ship entirely.

“She’s great,” I said, not even pretending to help him.

“Daddy didn’t answer,” Sofia sing-songed.

He cleared his throat.“We’re all going to be quiet and watch the foal for a while.It’s okay if you get sleepy.I’m right here.”

“Okay,” Sofia said.

After an hour of waiting, Sofia conked out on the hay bale.Timothy made some borders out of horse blankets around her to make sure she wouldn’t fall off.

I cleared my throat.“So, I heard you were married.Is Sofia from that?”

Timothy shook his head.“No.That only lasted a few months before she left me for someone else.”

“I’m sorry.That’s brutal.My ex-husband left me for a vet tech at our practice.”I tried to laugh, but it came out thin.“Seems we both got left.”

He grimaced.“Yours is worse.You still had to work there?”

“Probably my fault anyway.”I shrugged like it didn’t matter.

His head snapped toward me.“How the hell is that your fault?”

“How’s it your fault your ex left?”

“She didn’t cheat exactly.We were barely married two months before we separated.We just weren’t right together.”He frowned at me.“That’s not the same as your husband cheating on you with someone you worked with.”

I stared down at my hands.“There were problems.I don’t think I loved him enough.”

“Bullshit.”The word came hard.“If he was unhappy, he should’ve dealt with it.Not humiliate you like that.”

“It’s done.”The words felt empty even as I said them.“So, what about Sofia’s mom?Is that serious, or do you have multiple baby mamas?”

He cracked a smile.“Only one.Milly and I had a brief thing.She might’ve had Sofia, but she never wanted her.Or me.”He shrugged.“I’ve had Sof pretty much the whole time since she was born.”

“She’s beautiful.And sassy.”I smiled Sofia’s way.“Like you.”

“She is.”His eyes melted when he looked her over to where she slept on the hay bale.

“You’re a good dad,” I said softly.

“You don’t know that.”

“I know.”I gave him a small smile but felt sad to my bones.I slid to sit against the wall of the stall, exhausted.

He sat next to me, our shoulders touching, and sighed.“Gia…”

“Rye.”

“We’re going to talk about it.”

I rotated my arms in front of me.The bruises looked a bit better than a few days ago.They didn’t hurt physically.I didn’t want my father in here, not in this space that smelled like hay, warm animals, and something almost sacred.“Same old shit.Same old asshole.We can’t let it ruin tonight.I’m okay.”

His gaze stayed fixed on my arms too long.“Can you stay away from him?”