Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Pennsylvania
While the cookies were baking, I was able to go up to the bedroom I was staying in and sift through my belongings. They’d been delivered the day before, but I was surprised at how much Gideon could distract me.
As much as I traveled, I hated leaving stuff in bags and boxes. One thing Tenny had always said—treat wherever you are like home, and you’ll be sure to respect it. I was tucking my empty duffel bags on the top of the closet when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Gideon walked in as I was moving toward the last box.
“Looks like you’re getting settled.”
I pulled out the four books I had and set them on the nightstand. “Yeah, I can’t live out of bags and boxes, no matter where I am or for however long.”
I collapsed the box and slid it under the bed, watching as Gideon gravitated to the nightstand to peruse my books.
“Interesting collection.”
“Is it?”
“Eclectic, I should say.”
I shrugged. “I usually get a new book every town I go to. It’s hard to move books, so I don’t have more than one per location.”
His gaze met mine. There was a glint of something—I wasn’t sure what. “And what book did you get in Northchester?”
“None…I would have. I planned to be here longer, but I didn’t expect to be stuck in this house.”
He playfully gasped. “Stuck in this house? It’s a work of art. There’s a game room.”
I laughed and couldn’t take my eyes off him as he pretty much prowled over to me. “Oh, a game room, how silly of me.”
When he was only a few inches from my body, he smiled. “What are you doing now?”
I glanced around the room. “I finished unpacking, so, nothing. Why, want to play a game of foosball with me?”
“Hmm.” His finger skimmed along my cheek. “I do want to play with you, but maybe I’ll play with—”
“Daddy!”
Holy cockblock. Gideon and I turned in time to see Olivia strut into the bedroom, dragging Owen behind her.
“Hello, Olivia. What is causing you to scream at the top of your lungs?”
“Daddy,” she huffed. “Owen ate my Play-Doh.”
Oh, dear. That can’t be good. “Isn’t that toxic?”
Gideon shook his head. “They make it themselves…which, if I’m being honest, is because Owen ate the storebought one once and ended up in the ER. So, we make it now.”
“Because you can’t get him to stop eating Play-Doh?”
“Exactly.” Gideon studied Owen. “We’ve talked about this. You can’t eat things that aren’t food, and before either one of you says it’s made from food, I will forbid you from having dessert. I’m making a point—don’t ruin it.”
I snorted, earning a glare from the angry dad.
“Owen, you have lost Play-Doh privileges for two weeks.”
Owen’s lip trembled and…oh, wow, my heart felt heavy. He looked down at his feet just as a tear dripped onto his shoe.
“Oh, my God.”
Gideon glanced at me with a furrowed brow. “What?”
I pointed to the quiet boy who I had yet to even hear speak. “You made him cry.”
Gideon rolled his eyes. “He shouldn’t be happy with a punishment.”
I realized right then and there that I didn’t like it when kids cried. I’d gotten upset a lot as a kid for reasons like no one wanted to befriend the town freak, or thinking about my parents not wanting me. Seeing Owen cry because of Play-Doh bothered me.
“What if it’s supervised?”
Gideon faced me. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s really upset, Gideon. He’s got to be in this house, can’t go to school and see his friends, is now honestly the time to be punishing him?”
The jovial expression that was on Gideon’s face earlier disappeared suddenly and was replaced with, dare I say, anger.
Without looking at Olivia or Owen, he said, “Liv, you and Owen go find something to do, and I’ll be with you in a moment.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
I peeked at Olivia, who totally was wearing an oh-shit face…was that directed toward me?
Once they left, Gideon moved and shut the door and rounded on me so fast. “Never do that again.”
“Do what?” Why was he so angry with me?
“Undermine me in front of my children.”
Oh… “I wasn’t undermining you. I just think you’re being a little hard on the kid. He barely speaks, never gets in trouble, and is stuck in this house, like all of us.” Anger began to spark within me. “Well, not you, right? You can come and go as you please.”
“You don’t know him; you spend an afternoon with him, and suddenly you’re his guardian angel.”
“Fine, fair. He’s not my kid and I don’t know him, and sure, I’m probably out of line and should have waited until they weren’t in the room to tell you that I thought you were being a colossal dickhead, but I didn’t, so boo-fucking-hoo to you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You take blame at the same time as you throw it?”
“I think you were wrong.”
He was so close now, I could feel his breath on my face. “You don’t get a say in how I raise my children. That’s not your place.”
“What is my place?”
“Whatever I damn well say it is.”
I snorted and stepped away. “In your fucking dreams, Mr. Hendrix.”
“Look, Penn.” He sighed. “I get that you’re not used to being around families and kids, maybe even rules and structure—”
“I beg your motherfucking pardon?” I interrupted. “You know what? Fuck you. I don’t even give a shit if I overstepped at this point. Go. Fuck. Yourself. I sure as hell won’t be doing it.”
“Penn.” He advanced, and I retreated.
“Get out.”
“Listen.”
“Now, Gideon. I swear to God, if you don’t walk out of this room in the next five seconds, your men are gonna have to put me down because I’ll lose my shit.”
He didn’t say anything and he didn’t move. There was no hiding how angry he was, but I was too. Yes, okay. In hindsight, I recognized that I’d had no right to interfere, but he’d taken it to a place it’d never had to go.
“Fine.” His voice was a smoky growl. He spun on his heel, left the room, but not without slamming the door.
Asshole.