Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

He pointed at a seagull overhead. “Bird.”

“Yeah. That’s a seagull.” I looked around. And then I saw her walking toward us. “Amber.” I tried to hide the bitterness in my voice in front of Grayson.

“Grayson wanted to say hi before we head out of town.” She smiled.

“Out of town?” I placed him on the ground so he could chase the birds on the beach.

“It’s my week with him,” she snapped.

“I know it’s your week, but where are you going?”

I hated this shit. I hated how we argued. I hated that I shared custody of my two-year old son with my ex. I hated that she was unreliable and changed her mind every other damn second.

She shrugged. “It’s getting hot. I thought we might go somewhere we could avoid the sun.”

“This is Texas. That doesn’t exist.”

I watched Grayson face plant on the sand. He hopped up and kept going.

Amber rolled her eyes, brushing her auburn bangs to the side. “I’ll text you. Ok?”

I shook my head. “I don’t like not knowing where you’re going to be.”

“I said I’ll let you know. I didn’t even have to bring Grayson by. You could try saying thank you.”

I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t taking her bait. I wasn’t going to get pulled in. She did this every time. She wanted me to fight and it wasn’t happening.

“Fine. I’m glad I could see him.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ll drop him off next week, unless you’re too busy

here.” She eyed the motel.

“No. I’m never too busy for him. Never.” I stared at her.

She laughed. “Right. And that’s why you spend all your time at this dump.”

I glared. “I inherited this property and it’s how I support my son. It’s a business. It’s my job. You know that.”

“Whatever. You choose to spend your time here. It’s useless.” She walked past me. “Grayson, come on. Let’s go,” she called.

He made another circle in the sand and ran toward us. His hair clung to his forehead. Even with the sun going down, he was sweaty. I bent down, wrapping my arms around him.

“Have fun on your trip. I’ll see you next week.”

He rubbed his nose over mine. I laughed. I hadn’t letting him out of my arms. It never got easier.

I rose and faced Amber. “Text me.”

She sighed. “I will.” She reached her hand out. “Come on, let’s get you buckled in your car seat.”

He ran next to her. Five minutes later they were gone. Although, I had no idea where my son was going.

3

Kaitlyn

Once we landed in Houston, I pulled my bag from underneath the seat and turned my phone on. I had three missed calls from Branch. I didn’t want to talk to him. My anger toward him suffocated any creeping curiosity about why he was calling after three days of utter silence.