Page 107 of Fierce-Michael

“I was in the middle of a shit storm with the broken hose and water and wasn’t thinking and just wanted to get him.”

“I’ll buy that,” she said. “I really will. And if she hadn’t said what she did to me, I might have let it pass and brought it up another time. But then you admitted that you were sure Electra did what she had on purpose and that set it off. That she played you, she knew how, and it worked. It came off as if you wanted to makeher happyand give into her more than anyone else.”

Oh hell no. “Me? You’re the one who gives in to everyone. The people pleaser. I didn’t marry someone so he could have his dying wish.”

“That’s fucking low,” she snarled. “I didn’t think you’d play that dirty.”

Kelly stalked to grab her purse.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. Continuing this conversation isn’t good for either of us and I’m not going to let myself say something I’ll regret.”

She slammed out the door and he watched her go.

He knew the minute the words were out of his mouth he shouldn’t have said what he had, but he didn’t want to be judged or accused of giving in to his ex.

Because the truth was, everything she said was right.

He didn’t bring Ty home with the direct purpose to make Electra happy. He did it so that Ty wasn’t upset. But in the end, Electra got what she wanted just like she always did.

He couldn’t go after Kelly because he couldn’t leave Ty and it was probably best if he let her go right now. They needed space and the last thing he wanted was to put his foot in his mouth again.

He locked the house up. It was almost nine at this point and it was nothing at all how he thought this night would have gone.

Michael climbed the stairs to go to bed and noticed Ty standing in the doorway.

“What’s going on, bud? Are you okay?”

“I heard you yelling at Kelly.”

He should have paid more attention to the tone of his voice. Kelly was keeping her voice down; he realized that now.

“We were talking and it got a little loud.”

“It wasn’t talking,” Ty said. “You yelled. I know it. I’ve heard it before when you’re mad. When you want me to stop doing something and I won’t, you yell at me.”

He didn’t do it much but had in the past.

And his kid didn’t suffer any long-term damage from it either.

“Let’s go to your room and talk,” he said.

Ty turned and ran back to his room and climbed into bed. “Why were you yelling at Kelly?”

“We were talking loudly about something,” he corrected.

“Mom?” Ty asked.

He wasn’t sure how much he wanted Ty to know. A four-year-old would easily go and say things to his ex without meaning to.

“A little bit,” he said. “But can we keep that between us?”

“Sure,” Ty said.

“Was Mom whining and complaining a lot tonight?”

“Not really,” Ty said. “She told me to go watch a movie and I did. I came out to get a drink and she asked me if I wanted to go home.”