listen in.
I tried to lay on the bed and read, but my mind just couldn’t concentrate. Mark came back into the bedroom. He was off the phone. I rolled over on the bed and looked up at him.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” he asked, a fake innocent look on his face.
“Spill it. What took so long?” There was no way that she was out there complimenting him on his choice of spouse.
He grinned and sat down on the bed. “Turn over,” he said and when I did he started to rub my back.
“Did you talk about the bathroom?” I asked.
“A little,” he said. “She’s really sorry. She said that she told the girls that it was up to you whether they got to keep it.”
“Making me the bad guy,” I said.
“I told her that and she’s going to ask you first next time.”
“Perfect,” I growled. “Next time. What else?” I knew there had to be more. It sounded like Mark had been won over to the enemy’s camp.
“She says that she doesn’t get to spend enough time with the girls.”
“What!” I rose up off the bed and was gently pushed back down.
“She says that your mother gets to see the girls every day, and that it’s not fair.”
I buried my face in the comforter. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I mumbled.
“She thinks that she should get to come over more often.” His fingers found a knot and went to work. I moaned.
“Kill me now.”
Mark laughed. “I said that I thought her perception might be a little off.”
“A little off!?”
“Yup.” He kept massaging. “She’s just hurt because you never call her and ask for advice, or go out to lunch or shopping or anything.”
I rolled on my back and glared at him. “I don’t call my own mother and ask for advice. Why would I call her ? Besides, it’s natural for me to want to spend more time with my mother. She’s my mother! I don’t see you calling up my father and going out to lunch!”
Mark arranged some pillows on his side of the bed and got comfortable. “True. But I don’t think it’s going to make a difference with her.”
“Of course not,” I grumbled. “That would mean that she lived in reality instead of in her little make-believe world.”
“She thinks that you don’t like her.”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure that the feeling is mutual.” I saw the pain on his face and realized that we were talking about his mother. It wasn’t fair to throw Mark into the middle of this. I backpedaled furiously. “Just kidding!” I patted his knee. “You know I love your mother!”
Mark looked serious. “You have to remember, Piper, that my mother is all alone. She doesn’t have a husband or other children; she just has me. Could you try to cut her a little slack?”
I loved him so much. I would promise anything. Whether I could really do it was another matter. “Sure, hon. I’ll try to be nicer.”
“Thanks, babe,” Mark gave me a kiss.
I couldn’t leave it totally alone. “My mom is not over here every day.”
“I know, honey.” Mark kept kissing me.
“She hasn’t been over at all in the last week,” I insisted.
Mark grabbed me and pinned my body on the bed. “Are you going to keep talking about your mother? It’s not really what I want to be thinking about right now.”
I grinned. “Would you rather talk about your mother?”
He bit my bottom lip and growled, “Shut up. Now.”
Chapter Nine:
Patrol
I awoke two hours later, crushed under Mark’s arm, and sweating with our combined body heat. When I gently detangled myself, he flipped over on his other side and started to snore. I grinned and quickly threw on some sweatpants to go out and walk the dog.
Harvey was housetrained as long as I reminded him that the bathroom was outside. If it was raining, or the grass was wet, or there was thunder, or there might be thunder, or it was too hot, or he just didn’t feel like going outside, Harvey would pee in the house. That meant that he had to be crated at night, because my
I tried to lay on the bed and read, but my mind just couldn’t concentrate. Mark came back into the bedroom. He was off the phone. I rolled over on the bed and looked up at him.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” he asked, a fake innocent look on his face.
“Spill it. What took so long?” There was no way that she was out there complimenting him on his choice of spouse.
He grinned and sat down on the bed. “Turn over,” he said and when I did he started to rub my back.
“Did you talk about the bathroom?” I asked.
“A little,” he said. “She’s really sorry. She said that she told the girls that it was up to you whether they got to keep it.”
“Making me the bad guy,” I said.
“I told her that and she’s going to ask you first next time.”
“Perfect,” I growled. “Next time. What else?” I knew there had to be more. It sounded like Mark had been won over to the enemy’s camp.
“She says that she doesn’t get to spend enough time with the girls.”
“What!” I rose up off the bed and was gently pushed back down.
“She says that your mother gets to see the girls every day, and that it’s not fair.”
I buried my face in the comforter. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I mumbled.
“She thinks that she should get to come over more often.” His fingers found a knot and went to work. I moaned.
“Kill me now.”
Mark laughed. “I said that I thought her perception might be a little off.”
“A little off!?”
“Yup.” He kept massaging. “She’s just hurt because you never call her and ask for advice, or go out to lunch or shopping or anything.”
I rolled on my back and glared at him. “I don’t call my own mother and ask for advice. Why would I call her ? Besides, it’s natural for me to want to spend more time with my mother. She’s my mother! I don’t see you calling up my father and going out to lunch!”
Mark arranged some pillows on his side of the bed and got comfortable. “True. But I don’t think it’s going to make a difference with her.”
“Of course not,” I grumbled. “That would mean that she lived in reality instead of in her little make-believe world.”
“She thinks that you don’t like her.”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure that the feeling is mutual.” I saw the pain on his face and realized that we were talking about his mother. It wasn’t fair to throw Mark into the middle of this. I backpedaled furiously. “Just kidding!” I patted his knee. “You know I love your mother!”
Mark looked serious. “You have to remember, Piper, that my mother is all alone. She doesn’t have a husband or other children; she just has me. Could you try to cut her a little slack?”
I loved him so much. I would promise anything. Whether I could really do it was another matter. “Sure, hon. I’ll try to be nicer.”
“Thanks, babe,” Mark gave me a kiss.
I couldn’t leave it totally alone. “My mom is not over here every day.”
“I know, honey.” Mark kept kissing me.
“She hasn’t been over at all in the last week,” I insisted.
Mark grabbed me and pinned my body on the bed. “Are you going to keep talking about your mother? It’s not really what I want to be thinking about right now.”
I grinned. “Would you rather talk about your mother?”
He bit my bottom lip and growled, “Shut up. Now.”
Chapter Nine:
Patrol
I awoke two hours later, crushed under Mark’s arm, and sweating with our combined body heat. When I gently detangled myself, he flipped over on his other side and started to snore. I grinned and quickly threw on some sweatpants to go out and walk the dog.
Harvey was housetrained as long as I reminded him that the bathroom was outside. If it was raining, or the grass was wet, or there was thunder, or there might be thunder, or it was too hot, or he just didn’t feel like going outside, Harvey would pee in the house. That meant that he had to be crated at night, because my
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