Chapter 57
“What the fuck, Blakely? You’re always on my ass about going out and then you go out, get drunk, and get caught by the cops,” Kai says, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
Kevin got home just in time for Kai to come pick me up without having to drag Amari out of bed.
“Compared to all the times you’ve gone out, this one time shouldn’t be such a big deal.”
“You got caught by the cops. At least I don’t get caught.”
“You think what you’re doing is fine just because you haven’t been caught?
You think it’s totally fine to go out, leave your family at home, roll back in at four in the morning drunk, and then sleep off your hangover the whole next day, only to do it again the following day.
I did this once, Kai. Once. Unlike you, you’ve done it a million times.
You wouldn’t be able to handle it if I went out like you do.
So don’t yell at me for this one time,” I say, raising my voice.
Who does he think he is yelling at me over this?
He has gone out more times than I can count.
I feel shitty enough, but I didn’t think I was going to get a lecture from him, given what he’s done.
We’re both jolted upward and then lifted from our seats before settling back down with a thud. “What the fuck was that?”
“I didn’t see it,” he says.
“Bullshit. Since when do you drive right through speed bumps without even slowing down?” I put my head in my hands as if the throbbing is going to stop that way. My drunkenness is wearing off, and the hangover is settling in now. “Did you do that on purpose?”
He snorts out a laugh. “No.”
“It’s not funny.”
“Do you know what’s not funny? You giving me so much shit for what you just did tonight. I took Amari so you could have a girls’ night with Paige. What happened to that?”
“We decided to go out.”
“What made you guys decide to go out?”
My brows raise from the questions. “Why does it matter what made us decide?”
“Tell me,” he says with his jaw clenched.
“Tell you what?”
“What made you decide to go out? Was it a guy?”
My mouth drops open, dumbfounded by the question. That’s where he’s going with this. But why? “What? No.”
“Bullshit. Is there another guy?”
I look at him, baffled. He stares straight ahead, watching the road. He won’t even glance my way. “What makes you think there is a guy?”
“To get back at me.”
“To get back at you for what?”
“For Allison.”
My heart drops at that name. The weight hits me like a ton of bricks. “Did you do something with Allison?”
“No. But you think I did.”
“If you didn’t do anything with her, why would you bring her up?”
“Don’t switch it back around on me to avoid my question.”
“There is no reason for her to be brought up if you didn’t do anything with her.” I cover my mouth as nausea churns in my stomach. I’m going to be sick. “Stop the car.”
He tilts his face toward me and pulls the car over.
I hang my body out of the car. Nausea overtakes me as I puke all the alcohol up. My head spins and throbs harder than before.
Kai drives off after I get myself back in the car. I lean my head against the seat, close my eyes, and the spinning begins. It gives the sensation of being on a merry-go-round, going round and round even though the car is driving straight.
My body jolts back and forth, waking me from my sleep. As I slowly wake, a throbbing ache pulses through my head, making it feel like my skull is about to break. I wince at the harsh light shining through the bedroom. “What are you doing?” I ask Kai as he shakes my body awake.
“Waking you up.”
“Why?” I ask in a groggy voice from my dry mouth.
“I told you I would drop off Amari in the morning. It’s morning.”
I reach for my phone. “It’s eight in the morning.
” After Kai dropped me off last night, he said he would keep Amari until the morning.
I didn’t think he meant this early in the morning.
I’ve only had three hours of sleep. As I lean up, I catch sight of Amari sitting in her crib. “Can you give me a couple more hours?”
“No. I’ve had her all night.”
“You can’t be serious right now?” Kai tightens his lips, holding back a smile. He’s doing this on purpose. He knew that I would be hung over.
He gets up from the bed.
“I always let you sleep while you slept off your hangover.”
“I never told you to.”
My mouth drops. “No, but you wouldn’t wake up. And when I tried to wake you up, you would get mad at me.”
He backs up against the doorframe, staring at me with a smirk on his face. “You’re a hypocrite.”
“I’m a hypocrite?” I let out a groan. “At least I can still tend to our daughter when I’m hungover.”
Silence passes through both of us. A sting lingers in my chest being called a hypocrite.
“You’re such an asshole, Kai,” I whisper.
“You’re going to call me an asshole? I watched our daughter all night while you went out and partied.”
“And I did it a thousand times for you. I was forced to do it because I had no say in the matter.” He stands there, staring at me. “Whatever, Kai, just leave. We don’t need you, anyway.”
“You don’t need me?” he says and points to his chest. “Who needed who last night?”
“Can you leave, please?” My tears stream down the sides of my face, soaking the edge of my hair. I wipe my tears and look over at Kai, whose face has dropped at the sight of my tears.
He leans in and kisses Amari. “I’ll be back later,” he says to her. She wiggles her arms with the touch of his kiss.
After I hear the front door shut, I drag myself out of bed with a loud groan. The more I move, the harder the throbbing hits against my skull. I sit on the edge of the bed and grab Amari’s hand. “Hi, baby. I missed you.” Her bright eyes raise at the sound of my voice.
Memories of last night linger in my memory.
Some of it is hazy. I remember the guy I was dancing with, and I think we talked, but I remember little of our conversation.
I drag myself off the bed and into the bathroom.
My limbs are heavier than before. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror.
Dark circles surround my eyes. I can’t help but feel sick again.
I lean over the toilet and throw up more of last night’s alcohol.