Belong (Seven Year Itch #3)(13)

Her eyebrow raised and I could tell she was thinking about castrating me. “It’s better if we drop it, Chad. I’m not here to fight. We came all this way to make sure you were okay, didn’t we, Harper?”

I looked down to see my little girl waiting for recognition. She was swaying her body, patiently hoping I’d give her my undivided attention. “We flew in the sky.”

I picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. “I know. I didn’t expect you so soon. I wanted to pick up some groceries and make sure the beds were made in the guest room.”

“Mommy says we have to stay for a couple days.”

“Yeah. She’s right. Is it okay? I’m sure there’s lots you can do in this big house.”

I sat her down and watched her run into another room. When my eyes met Veronica’s again, I could tell she was still pissed with me. “I told you we were taking the first flight.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t here to argue?”

“Yes. Sorry. I’m agitated, that’s all.” She reached over and gave me a quick hug, the kind you give to someone you don’t really like. It was hard not to take it personal. “Don’t worry about the groceries. You handle what needs to be done and I’ll manage everything else. Will the wake be held here? I’d like to keep it confined to the lower level. I’d hate for the rooms upstairs to get messed up. Then we’ll have to pay someone to come in and clean up before we contact a realtor. On the way here I looked up real estate in the area. Do you have any idea how much this place is worth? Once we’re home I’ll reach out to my friend…”

I cut her off. “Wait. Did you say realtor? What makes you think I want to sell this place? This is my childhood home. It’s not leaving my hands, Veronica, and even if it eventually did, it wouldn’t be your decision to make. My grandfather died not even twenty-four hours ago and you’re already coming in here and trying to take control.”

She flipped her hair as her eyes rolled with annoyance. “Get ahold of yourself, Chad. We can’t manage both houses. I’m thinking practical.”

“Yeah, maybe for the first time so am I.”

I passed by, heading in the direction Harper had run off in. I wasn’t upset they’d made the trip, but I was starting to see sides of my wife I didn’t care for, and it made me wonder if I’d been wearing blinders for my whole marriage.

I didn’t care where she went, or what she did for the rest of the day. I had important matters to attend to.

Harper was sitting in the library. She’d pulled out a book with a rabbit on it. The first page was open and she pointed to something handwritten when she spotted me walking in the room. “What’s this say, Daddy?”

I couldn’t help a smile from forming. “It says my name. I think my mother wrote it.”

“When you were little like me?”

“Yep. Do you want me to read it to you?”

She nodded.

I picked her up and carried her over to a comfortable couch in the far end of the room, overlooking the backyard where the lake connected to the property. It definitely beat the views from our California home, that’s for sure. For a second I thought about calling Veronica into the room just to throw it in her face.

With Harper on my lap, I began to calm down. She was the best therapy, and I knew once I began reading the story from my childhood, I’d be filled with happy memories. This particular book had been sitting out for years. It was my favorite, and my mother’s before mine. My grandmother had read it to her when she was a small girl. “I think it’s time I cross out my name and put yours in this book.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “I can have it?”

“Of course. You know Daddy would give you anything in the world if he could.”

“I heard Mommy crying last night.” She said before I could start the story. “Is she sad because the old man died?”

“Maybe. Did you give her big hugs?”

“She let me sleep with her.”

“I know. Did you keep my spot warm for me?”

She nodded. “Can I sleep with you and Mommy tonight? This house is big and I’m scared. What if there are ghosts? Mommy was on the phone and I heard her talk about ghosts. I don’t want to be scared.”

“This house isn’t haunted. I don’t know what Mommy was saying, but it wasn’t about this house.”

“She said she doesn’t like it here.”

“Who was she talking to?” I hated asking my daughter for answers, but it wasn’t like I could get an honest one from my wife.

“She said she was talking to you, silly.” Her face looked sad. “She said you couldn’t talk to me.”

I clenched my jaw, knowing damn well she hadn’t been speaking to me. Veronica was lying to our daughter to protect herself. She was probably talking to the girlfriend she claimed she’d broken things off with. I felt so annoyed, but overwhelmed with too much other shit to be able to do anything about it. I needed to handle one thing at a time, and my grandfather was going to come first.

I read the book three times to Harper, each one relaxing me a bit more. She loved the story, and I could tell she’d appreciate having the book as her own.

When she was getting tired, I took her to my mother’s room and tucked her in for a nap. “Are you going to leave me in here alone?”