Page 53 of Forever Mine

“Good. What’s up?”

He’d already wired money to my account for Angel, so I wondered what he wanted. Since our divorce, I avoided talking to him as much as possible. Nolan sometimes forgot we were no longer married and could be high-handed with his requests.

He cleared his throat, which was usually a sign that he was in control-freak mode. “Angel mentioned someone named Scott. Who is that, exactly?”

I was tempted to say, ‘none of your business,’ but it would sound childish so I decided against it.

“Scott is the man I'm seeing.”

“Is he someone that’s fit to be around our daughter?”

I took a deep breath and focused on Angel, who was chewing her thumbnail. My smile was reassuring, but her eyes remained watchful.

“Sweetie, can you bring my tablet from the bedroom? I left it on my bedside table.”

She nodded and walked away, giving me the space I needed.

“Nolan, in case you've forgotten, I’m not married to you. You don't have the right to ask questions like that.”

“We have a daughter in common. You're forgetting that.”

“And she's in capable hands.”

“I'm not denying that.”

“Then perhaps it would be more profitable if you kept your focus on Nadia and Christopher.”

“Wh-what d’you … ” He stuttered, but didn’t finish whatever he’d started saying.

I used the opportunity to override him. “Thanks for your concern, but Angel and I are fine.”

My straight shooting clued him in to the fact that I wasn't taking any of his crap. I was convinced the only reason he hadn’t fought to keep Angel was the fact that she was a girl. Nolan believed women were secondary to men and should know their place. I was a different person today and wasn't up for any of his nonsense. He could save it for his new wife and their one-year-old son.

Angel returned and handed me the Kindle. I took it made a silent kissing motion. “Thanks, honey. Nolan, I have to go. Say goodbye to Angel.”

After they wrapped up their call, Angel wriggled closer to me. “Are you upset with me, Mommy?”

“Or course not.” I pulled her closer. “Come here.”

When she snuggled against my side, I kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes, which had the same almond shape as mine. “There's nothing your dad can say to make me mad with you, okay?”

She bobbed her head, shaking her plaits. “I thought you were angry, because you sent me out of the room so you could cuss out, Daddy.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “I wasn't doing anything like that.”

She pulled back and looked up at me, as if I was lying to her.

We broke out laughing at the same time, because she used to witness me trying to be polite to her father when all I wanted to do was scream at him for being unreasonable. I pitied the poor woman he'd married. Better her than me, though.

“Mommy, you like Uncle Scott, right?”

Nodding, I said, “Yes, he's a good person. Why d'you ask?”

“Well, I think so, too, because he makes you laugh, and he's nice to me.”

“Those are good reasons to like him, huh?”

She nodded. “Yes, and everybody needs someone to love.”