21. Zane
Zane
I was so annoyed and angry that I chose to leave the house and fix fences all day. If I’m going to be mad, I might as well get something done. I stay out until well after dinner.
But even after working all afternoon, I can still picture Bliss smiling at that man.
She had seemed awfully upset, too, though I’m not sure why.
A text chimes on my phone, and I set down the fence post pounder.
I glance down at the screen. It’s from Max.
Max: Come get your wife. She won’t leave.
Zane: Bliss is at your house?
That’s strange. I thought she was still at the ranch. But then again, she did seem really mad at me. I’m not feeling too warmhearted toward her right now either. The way she was talking with that new guy in town.
Talking, ha.
There’s a deep-seated rage that fills my chest when I remember him smiling at her. It was absolutely ridiculous that she was flirting with him. She is married. I mean, it’s not like we’re doing things married people would normally do … but still. I don’t want to watch her flirt with other men.
Max: She showed up on my doorstep, and Charlie let her in. She looks like she’s planning on staying here, and Charlie seems happy to let her. I want my wife to myself tonight.
Funny, because I’ve been thinking the same thing.
Zane: Be there soon.
I gather all my tools and throw them in the back of my truck.
I have a wife to go find.
I march up the sidewalk and onto Max’s porch. His dogs jump up from their napping spot and start barking right away. “Jim, Larry, it’s me. Calm down.”
They look at me sheepishly, probably embarrassed that I surprised them in the middle of a nap, but they calm down and sit at my side while I knock on the door.
I hear a deep voice on the other side and then heavy footsteps.
The door swings open, and Max stands there.
He glances over his shoulder quickly, then back at me.
“Glad you could make it. They were just about to turn on some tragic movie where the main characters die.”
I nod grimly. The true sign she’s mad.
“Thanks for texting,” I tell him.
Max nods. “I got home from the field and found them snacking on the couch, glaring at me. I live here! What was I supposed to do?”
I step inside, keeping my boots on since I don’t plan on actually staying.
Pulling the door closed, so the dogs can’t sneak inside, I turn around to see Bliss curled up on the couch, snuggled under a fuzzy blanket and lying on a pillow.
Charlie is sitting in an overstuffed chair close to her, wrapped in a matching blanket.
Neither of them looks ready to move. Maybe I shouldn’t intrude…
Max leans over and says quietly, “They’ve sworn off of talking about husbands tonight. I think we’re both in big trouble, and I’m not even sure what we did. Charlie said something about me being overprotective and bossy, and Bliss called you a flirt. I hope you’ve been flirting with her.”
My heart thumps loudly in my chest, and I know I have to rectify this.
I want Bliss to feel safe with me. Being friendly and outgoing is what I do.
And yes, sometimes people assume I’m flirting.
But when you are the friendly one, it’s easier to set the boundaries in an interaction.
It’s how I’ve kept everyone at arm’s length.
But I don’t need to do that anymore. Because I have a wife—who apparently doesn’t want to talk to me right now.
I walk into the living room, Max right behind me.
“This is a girls’ night!” Bliss declares, as though that will keep me away.
“I don’t think Max would agree with you.”
Max grunts from behind me and says, “No, I wouldn’t.”
“You look tired. I’ll drive you home.”
Bliss sits up straight and glares at me. “Telling someone they look tired isn’t a compliment, you know.”
I sigh. “I wasn’t trying to compliment you. I was trying to get you home.”
“I’m hanging out with Charlie,” she says as she adjusts the blanket to wrap it tighter around herself.
“Yeah, and I need to talk with you.”
“No, thanks. Plus, it’s not good to fight in front of friends.”
“I don’t think Max and Charlie will mind if we fight in front of them.”
“Well, I’m simply not talking to you. You were rude to me.”
And then she sticks her tongue out at me. It happens in a flash, and at first, I think I imagined it. But then I see Charlie hiding a smile with her hand, and I know my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.
“Sorry about your floor,” I tell Max as I step onto the living room rug without taking my boots off.
Bliss’s eyes go wide as I cross the room toward her.
Yeah, she should be worried. We don’t run from a fight in our house.