Chapter 43

I yanked Xavier away from Lorraine. He could push me around, but not her. Thankfully, Lorraine just smiled softly. "He's just a kid," she said, making me feel like a fool. "This trip's been chaos," I mumbled. Xavier, arms crossed, glared defiance. "Behave," I warned, giving him a light swat.

Finally calm, I called Yvonne. Leaving her alone was dangerous; Lorraine's suggestion was our best bet. As I dialed, Xavier protested, "I don't want you with her!" I raised an eyebrow. "And what's that to you?" I mimicked his tone. His face froze. "I'm not scared of you!" he stammered, whispering to Jonas. Clearly, he was plotting something.

Yvonne answered coldly. "What do you want? Why are you bothering me?" She made it sound like I was the troublemaker. "You have three minutes to get to the hotel. I'll text the address."

She had the nerve. She'd dumped Xavier on me, thinking I was a free babysitter. We'd agreed on one kid each. This was her parenting, or lack thereof, and she was dumping it on me.

"Why are you so harsh?" Lorraine asked, smiling faintly. She'd been quiet during the call, but pleased. "That was polite," I shrugged. I'd been too accommodating before; it only emboldened Yvonne. Not anymore.

Chapter 43

Yvonne finally arrived, dragging her feet. "Wow! Thirty minutes. Impressive," I quipped. From the flight, she'd done nothing to prove me wrong. Was self-awareness a foreign concept? "Xavier's with you," she dismissed. "That's all that matters."

"You trust me with Xavier? Or are you giving up custody?" Her expression darkened. "Do you have to push me?" Her reaction surprised me; she wasn't entirely indifferent. "If you cared, you wouldn't have dumped him on me!" I shot back. "You knew this wasn't convenient!"

Her shoulders stiffened; she laughed bitterly. "Oh, I get it. You're worried I'll ruin your romantic getaway." Her gaze flicked to Lorraine, suspicion and malice in her eyes.

"Don't make this something it's not," I said firmly. "We agreed, one kid each. You handle Xavier."

Tired of arguing, I handed her the hotel key card. "Here. It's all yours. You and Xavier can stay there."

She hesitated, confusion on her face. "What's this supposed to mean?"

"I found you a place. What else? Where am I staying?" she snapped.

Women and their sixth sense...Her gaze darted to Lorraine, the hostility unmistakable.

Chapter 44