Spiralling Skywards: Fading (Contradictions, #2)(56)

“Our lives have been a little crazy these past few years with the kids and your grandad. She’s worried about your nan, and now Carter’s having some issues. I think it’s all just caught up with her.”

“Your lives have been crazy? Your lives have been fucking fertile, dude, that’s what they’ve been. You seriously need to go and get your nuts chopped, because I swear to god, you knock her up one more time, and I’ll be ripping your dick and your bollocks off.”

I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand and moved towards my desk, not wanting to have this discussion with him but giving him a tight nod in acknowledgment. I felt a great big knot of emotion form in my throat. I really was the worst fucking husband on the planet.

“What’s going on with Carter then?”

“He’s been really aggressive with the twins, spiteful—he even bit the baby.”

“Carter? That’s not like him.”

“Nah, I know, and now the school wants to see one of us to discuss his issues.”

He shook his head. “Carter doesn’t have any issues. He’s just a normal little boy who’s had his mum and dad all to himself for three years and now he’s suddenly having to share them with three little brothers.”

“We’ve tried making a fuss of just him. I take him out on his own without the others when I can.”

There was a knock on my office door, and Mel poked her head in.

“Oh, sorry. Just wanted to let you know the contracts have been signed on those four units in Chillagoe.”

“Cheers, Mel.”

“Mel, before you go can you come in and close the door for a sec, please?” Luke asked without turning around to look at her.

She did as he asked and walked towards us with a frown. Luke turned in his chair slightly and looked her up and down.

“You ever, ever speak to or attempt to humiliate my sister like that again, you will be out of here so fast those long skinny legs of yours won’t know what’s hit them.”

I sat back in my chair and watched the exchange, not having a clue what was going on.

Mel’s cheeks flushed, and she folded her arms in front of her chest, cocking one hip to the side.

“She had baby puke all down her back, it was gross. Am I not allowed an opinion?”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Lucas had obviously puked over Sarah’s shoulder, and it had gone down her back. Mel decided to broadcast it across the office and let everyone know how disgusted she was.”

For the first time in my life, I wanted to punch a woman. Sarah would’ve been mortified.

“You did what?”

“All I said was that it was gross. Having sick all down your back is gross. She doesn’t even work here, so you can’t sack me for that anyway.”

Luke bolted upright from his chair and stood right in front of her.

“Sarah is the wife of one of your bosses and the sister of another, and it wouldn’t matter if she were a homeless person from the street, she’s a human fucking being and you will treat her with some respect. Do I make myself clear?”

“As crystal.”

“Good. Get out.”

She left, slamming the office door behind her.

“Your wife has had a really shitty day. Why don’t you finish early, buy her flowers, a nice bottle of wine, and go home early.”

“I need to go up the school and sort this shit out with Carter. I’ll hang around till then.”

He stood and nodded. “Buy her some flowers.”

“I will, and thanks for that with Mel. I had no idea.”

“No worries, it’s what big brothers are for.”

Luke left my office, and I called the school. No one could see me tonight, so I made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon instead. I then looked online for local house cleaners that also did ironing. I needed to find a few ways to lighten the load so that Sarah had a little less to do.

***

I stood in the school playground the following afternoon with my hands buried in the pockets of my pea coat. It was freezing, and the weather only added to my bad mood. I’d just had a meeting with Carter’s Head, who informed me that Carter had been picking on a few of the smaller kids with a bit of pushing and shoving.

I had never been able to abide bullies, and I wouldn’t have a kid of mine behaving like one. When he did it at home, I tried talking to him and telling him it was wrong, but that didn’t seem to be getting through, so tonight I was going to kill two birds with one stone and try a different tactic.

I got a few looks from some of the mums as I stood there, and it pissed me off even more than the cold weather and the shitty meeting. I had been up here every day for two weeks after Lucas was born, so they knew that I was Carter’s dad and Sarah’s husband, and yet they were looking at me as if I were the dish of the day. These were probably the same women that Sarah got coffee with a couple of times a week.

Did she stand here with them and look at the other dads when they came to pick their kids up?

There was a thin woman with dark hair and full-length leather coat who kept looking my way and licking her lips. It was actually making me physically shudder. I was gonna ask Carter later who she was and tell Sarah to stay the fuck away from her. She was supposed to be here to pick up her kid, not to pick up blokes.