Matched For Love(59)
“Geez, Dad. I was just asking.”
Deek ran a hand down his face, searching for patience. He’d run out about four hours ago. “I don’t want to discuss it anymore tonight, okay?”
“Fine.” Asher pouted as he reached out to play with the pepper flake jar.
Deek hated when his son made messes with the condiments, but it was a battle he didn’t have the energy to fight. Maybe Annie could be the bad guy for a change.
When the food came, Annie finally laid her phone down. “I haven’t had pizza in forever.”
As Deek chewed his tomato-y, garlicy, slice of heaven, a retort of You could have all the pizza you wanted if you’d get your ass home occasionally wanted to slip out, but he stopped himself.
He was in a foul mood and needed to snap out of it.
Asher said, “We come here a lot, Mom. The last time was with Emily and Mrs. Went.”
Annie’s eyes slowly rose until she met Deek’s gaze. The anger simmering in them was lethal. She said, “About Emily. Maybe you shouldn’t play with her anymore, Asher.”
His little face fell. “Why not? She’s fun.”
Annie set down her pizza and wiped her hands on her napkin. “Because Deek and I don’t think you should be playing with her, and that’s final.”
Annie sent Deek a look that warned him not to argue.
“Dad?” Asher turned to Deek with pleading eyes. “I thought you liked Emily and Mrs. Went.”
He’d had all he could take of Annie’s demands.
He looked her in the eyes and said, “I do like Emily and Mrs. Went.” Then he switched his gaze back to his son. “And that’s the problem. Your mother is jealous of Mrs. Went and is taking it out on you.” He threw his napkin down. “I’ll be in the car when you guys are finished.”
He stood, grabbed his coat, and walked outside as calmly as he could. He’d rather punch the hell out of something, but that wouldn’t solve anything.
After he had slid into the seat, wanting to drive away from his own life, he laid his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes.
He shouldn’t have done that. It’d just send Annie to that quiet, ugly place he hated to see.
Was this the way he was going to spend the rest of his life? Listening to Annie complain about the house, his parenting, and Asher’s friends?
Lori believed that she was enough for Emily. Because she loved her daughter and that was all anyone needed, to be loved by somebody. The family dinner he and Asher had crashed at Lori’s had been one of the nicest evenings of his life. Was it so wrong to want that for them too? And the way he and Lori could talk and eat without all the game playing Annie did?
Did Annie even love Asher? It made Deek sick to watch Asher beg for Annie’s attention like he’d done all day.
Was he making the biggest mistake of his life?
A quiet tap sounded on the window. It was Asher, so Deek popped the locks. After his son had climbed into the backseat, he said, “Mom had to go to the bathroom. She’ll be right out.”
Deek turned and asked, “Does it make you happy to have mom here, buddy?”
Asher nodded. “Yeah. But when she’s here, you yell at me a lot. It scares me that you’ll go away too if I make you mad enough. Like Mom did.”
Dammit.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you in there. But I’ll never leave you, Asher. Because I love you. No matter what.”
“Are you mad at Mom?”
“No. I’m mad at myself. For letting things get like this.” He grabbed his cell from his coat pocket. He wanted to let his lawyer know that he was going to nix Annie’s contract. “But I’m going to fix it right now.”
“Do I still get to play with Emily?”
“Yep. I need to fix that too. Just as soon as we get home.”
Annie opened the passenger door and slipped inside. “We need to talk, Deek.”
“I agree.”
They drove in dead silence all the way home. After the garage door had slapped shut behind them, Asher headed for his room, and Deek and Annie headed for the den.
Deek closed the door and then circled behind his desk. He leaned back in his leather chair and crossed his arms. “You first?”
Suspicion clouded Annie’s face. “Maybe you’d better go first.”
He tapped keys on his computer to wake it up. “I e-mailed the lawyer and told him to forget the contract.”
“Why?” Panic filled Annie’s eyes. “Because of the Emily thing? Fine. He can play with her, then.”
He vowed he’d stay calm. “You shouldn’t have done that, but no. It’s because Asher told me I yell at him when you’re here. Any idea why that would be, Annie?”