Page 105 of Fierce-Michael

Michael pushed the fridge back. “What is going on with your mother?”

“She was upset because she couldn’t get rid of her cramps. But it’s fine. She kept asking me what you were doing tonight and if Kelly was here. I don’t know why.”

She looked at Michael. This was all making sense to her, but she wouldn’t say anything right now about it.

“Why don’t you go to your room and put your stuff away,” he said. “I’m going to talk to Kelly for a minute.”

When Ty was upstairs she said, “I think she did this on purpose.”

“I’m sure she did. The question is what she said to you to get you upset because I can see it on your face.”

“You mean you were sure that she did that on purpose and you gave in?” she asked. She knew that question pissed him off, but she had to know.

“I didn’t want my kid to get the brunt of it,” he said. “That is my decision and choice as a parent.”

“I’m back,” Ty said. “What’s for dinner?”

“We’ll talk about this later,” she said. “I told Ty that I could order out or cook. You let me know as the parent.”

Kelly knew that was petty on her part, but couldn’t help herself from letting it be said.

31

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

The minute Ty was sleeping, Michael returned downstairs. Kelly was sitting on the couch and it’d been tense for hours.

Ty didn’t seem to notice while they ate dinner and watched a movie, both of them forcing out laughs.

“What did Electra say to you?” he asked.

She turned to look at him. “Why are you pissed at me?”

“I’m not,” he said.

“Could have fooled me,” she said. “It’s a tone I’ve never heard before.”

“I’m frustrated,” he said. “It never ends with Electra.”

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t. And I never say a word about it. But I commented on the fact you figured she did this on purpose and you gave in. I want to know why you do that.”

“I told you,” he said. “Ty doesn’t deserve to be subjected to her in that mood.”

“Newsflash,” she said, throwing her hands up. “People are moody in life. No one is perfectly happy all the time and you are doing a disservice to your son if you let him believe that. He should know that people get moody, sad, and mad.” She puther hand up when he went to snarl. “Don’t get pissed at me for speaking the truth. I know you’re going to tell me it’s your kid to parent, and that is your right. But I’m stating my opinion. Give or take it, but your choices to do things are coming between us tonight.”

“You’ve said you don’t have a problem with me having a kid. So you’ve lied?”

It felt like a punch to the gut that he let himself fall in love with someone who might not have been truthful.

“I haven’t lied and I’m hurt you think that I have,” she said. Her eyes were filling with tears. “I’ve been very supportive ofeverythingfrom the first date. Supportive to many dates being canceled or changed. We had no big plans tonight either. But to find out that you suspected she was playing games and gave in to it is just upsetting. That you’re enabling her to keep doing it to you. Whether it’s with me or someone else, she knows she has your number.”

He ran his hands through his hair.

Kelly wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t known for years, but he never had a girlfriend before or much going on in his life to even worry about those things.

“I have to deal with it,” he said. “I’ll do it on my terms. But it’s as you said, we had nothing going on tonight. I think this has more to do with the fact she said something to you that set you off than it does that our night was interrupted.”

“You’re so fixated on that,” she said. “She did say something, but there are two issues here.”