“Yeah, but only if you have wine for me.”
The door opened, and she held up a bottle of wine. “I have supplies.”
“Thank God, because it might be the only thing that will stop me from committing a crime tonight.”
She grinned as she sat on the edge of the bath and passed me the glass of wine she’d already poured. “I’m not sure if Holly has ever ushered me inside the house faster than she just did. Tell me everything.” Brynn’d had to rush off to a massage appointment when I’d arrived home, so she’d missed out on all the drama with Zara and Linc.
I gulped some wine down and squeezed my eyes closed for a moment before taking another gulp. Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and said, “Zara hates me, and I doubt she’ll speak to me for a good month. Maybe a year. Mum stuck her nose in and told Linc off. They had a huge fight, which then led to me having a huge fight with Mum. She left in a huff, at which point I told Linc he’d pretty much reached my limit, and that if he didn’t get his shit together and back me on parenting decisions rather than going against me in order to gain the kids’ approval, then he and I were done.” I took another deep breath and d
owned the rest of the wine in my glass.
Brynn refilled my glass. “What do you mean by you guys being done? As far as I’m aware, you’re already done. Are you planning murder? Or is it code for something else?”
“Murder is definitely on my list of options, but I’d need to watch a heap more crime shows first to figure out how to get away with it, and honestly, when does a girl have time for that?”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “So, what then?”
I sighed and drank some more wine. “You know, I could really do with a smoke right about now, but I made a decision at lunch to give them up.”
Brynn cocked her head to the side. “Lil, stop avoiding my question.”
I stared at her, not wanting to admit the truth of the matter because I knew it could lead to an “I told you so” moment, and I really, really hated those moments. “Okay, fine, you were right—I need to stop letting him get away with so much.”
“Which means?”
“Jesus, Brynn, why do you have to push me on this? I know what I have to do, and I’m gonna do it.”
“I push you because your heart is too kind and I know you too well. You’re angry with Linc today, but what happens when that anger subsides? Will you still be so ready to let go of your tendency to go easy on him? I just want what’s best for you, and I don’t think the way you two have been co-existing for the past three years is the best for you anymore.”
“I agree.” I took a sip of wine. “And that’s why I told him we’re doing things differently from now on. He’s going to have the kids every second weekend, he’s not going to drop by unannounced, he’s going to pay child support on time, and he’s going to take the kids every alternating Wednesday night. And on those Wednesday nights, he’s going to help the kids with their assignments rather than just doing fun stuff with them.”
Brynn’s eyes widened. “You guys worked all this out this afternoon?”
I nodded. “Yes, and I’m serious about making it happen. I can’t go on in this super-stressed state anymore.”
“Good,” she said, standing.
“Where are you going?”
She jerked her head towards the door. “I’m going to check in on Zara. When Holly called, she said Zara was asking for me. I just needed to make sure you were okay first.”
I frowned. “Holly called you to come over?”
“Yeah, she said shit had gone down and she figured you’d need me. You raised some good kids, babe.”
“If only they all still loved me like that.”
“They do. Zara will come around.”
As she exited the bathroom, I called out, “Wait! Is tomorrow your fishing date with the prostitute?”
She looked back at me. “Yes, but can we not refer to it as a date? It’s just fishing.”
“We both know it’s not fishing.”
“We do not.”
“We do. And by the way, what’s his name?”