He stalks across the lawn, and I fight myself not to step back. He’s pissed at himself, at his shitty decision making, but I’m not about to be his punching bag. I ready myself because I’ve never seen him so angry.
“You satisfied?”
“What?”
“Are you fucking satisfied? You got enough ammo this morning to last you some time, sweetheart. You wanted it? There you go. You were waiting for something to hold against me, to prove you’re right about what a piece of shit I am. Happy?”
“Stop it. I saw what went down. You didn’t mean to hurt him. I’m not going to condemn you for a mistake.”
“Are you serious right now? You’ve been holding the same mistake over my head for six fucking years. The next time you get pissed off, I’m sure this will come up.”
“I’m pissed off now.”
“Nothing new.”
“Hey, you know what, you ass? I was young once too. I’ve been there, I’ve dealt with drama. I’m glad those days are over for me, but don’t piss on me because you made a mistake.”
“Goddamn right I did,” he grumbles, turning his back on me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Carry on. Nothing more to see here.”
“Hey, Troy, why don’t you try the adult version of dating? It’s a lot easier, fewer casualties.”
He turns back to me, clenching his fists.
“Yeah? Is that where your boy toy comes over at the end of the night and pretends what you have is real?”
“What?”
“I saw you bring him in last night. It was nearly eleven. Tell me, did he tell you where he was before he decided to come over and get some?”
“That’s none of your—”
“My son is in there!”
“Keep your voice down,” I choke out. “And don’t make your drama mine.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he left before Dante woke up. He’s not in it for him.”
“Stop it. He stopped by for an hour or so and has a meeting with a client this morning. And no, I don’t want Dante meeting him yet. You see, in a mature relationship, we take all feelings into consideration on all sides.”
He shakes his head as if I’m clueless. “You’re fooling yourself with this guy.”
“Hey,” I snap, all patience evaporated as I take angry steps toward him. “In an adult relationship, it’s a one at a time process, you know, easy to remember the name of the person you’re dating. Sex is gradual. There’s no one and done, Troy. In the adult version, you take the time to get to know the person, make sure your goals match because you’re well versed on what you do, and do not want. And me? Well, over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to date an adolescent who’s got an agenda just to fuck me. I’ll never be any man’s breadcrumbs! I want to date a man worthy of my time, attention, and my son, who means more to me than any piece of ass! I put Dante first and make sure I don’t put him in the position to question the exit of a different stranger every morning. That’s the difference! The men I date don’t use women and toss them away the next day.”
“At least they’re aware of it, not playing stupid.”
My eyes water with that blow. “You bastard.”
He shrugs. “Just being real, honest. That’s what you want, right?”
“You want real and honest, how about this? This little spectacle is why I could never take you seriously! You’re a child, Troy, playing a man, and I see right through it because I was raised by one!”
Troy visibly flinches as Dante sounds up from behind the screen door.
“Mommy?”