Games of the Heart (The 'Burg #4)(156)

“You guys have fun?” I asked.

“It’s a wonder I can move, I ate so much junk it settled like a weight in my gut but yeah,” he answered. “We always do.”

“Good,” I whispered and he grinned up at me.

Then his grin faded and he told me, “Had my time with my girl last night, Dusty. All three of us can help you today.”

With it being the weekend, Fin and Kirb would be working the fields with my Dad. There wasn’t an extra tractor and I needed to get my pottery sorted. The plan was, Mom was helping me crate the finished pieces for a delivery pickup on Monday at the same time I’d teach Mom to do that on her own so, when I had time, I could be at my wheel or glazing and firing. I had pottery to sell and a variety of galleries, including my own not to mention my website, to keep stocked. This meant I worked the fields on the weekdays and I was in the barn on the weekends. Until the crop was in, this was going to be my life. And Hunter and Jerra were arriving with their kids the next day. I needed to be able to spend time with them so I had to sort my shit out which meant I was facing a long day.

Mike had long since planned a trip into Indy with the kids to go to No’s favorite music store so he could pick his birthday present. This included lunch at some restaurant that they all liked to go to when they were in Indianapolis.

Mike wanted to delay it so they could all help out. I didn’t want my shit bleeding into his kids’ lives, especially not when they had a fun day planned. With Audrey playing games and Rees having bullies on her back, they needed their good times, not to be put to work on the weekends.

“I’m good. Mom will help and I’ll see if I can rally Rhonda,” I told him.

“Dusty –” he started and I gave him a squeeze.

“I’m good, gorgeous, really. Mom’s great. She likes to be busy. She needs more to do. That’s the crap part for me but she’ll be all over it. I love being at my wheel. I lose time, I love it so much. It’s all the grunt work that’s a pain in the ass. Mom likes doing that kind of shit. It’ll be fine.”

“Sure?” he asked, his fingers moving randomly on the skin of my ass.

“Sure,” I replied on a smile. “But, while I have you and we have a quiet moment, we need to talk about something.”

His head tilted slightly on the pillow and he held my eyes when he invited, “Shoot.”

“I’ve got a phone meeting with my accountant next week. I need to give him your bank details and tell him how much to transfer into your account monthly for my part of the mortgage and utilities.”

Mike’s brows drew together and he asked, “Your part of the mortgage and utilities?”

“Yeah, whatever it is, half it and I’ll have that transferred whenever you want, first of month, middle, last. Whenever it fits your schedule.”

“You’re not paying half the mortgage and utilities, Angel,” Mike stated, he did this firmly, very firmly, and I stared at him.

“Sorry?”

“You’re not paying half the mortgage and utilities,” he repeated.

“What do you mean?” I asked then didn’t give him a chance to answer before I said, “Are you thinking about the kids? Because I don’t think a quarter is cool. Or a third. They aren’t earning so they don’t factor –”

Mike cut me off with, “No, I’m not thinking about the kids or a different percentage. You’re not payin’ any of the mortgage and utilities.”

I blinked. Then I stared again.

Then I asked, “Why not?”

“Why not?” Mike asked back.

“Yeah, why not?”

I felt Mike’s body get slightly tight under me and his hands stopped roaming on my ass.

I should have taken this as a warning.

I didn’t.

“Because this is my house, it’s my mortgage, the utilities are my responsibility and you’re my woman and I take care of my woman.”

Was he insane?

“Mike, this isn’t the ‘50’s. I’m living here. I earn. So I help pay the bills,” I told him.

His body got tighter, another warning I didn’t take.

“I know it isn’t the ‘50’s, Dusty. I also know you’re at your wheel two days a week rather than whenever you wanna be. And you’re workin’ a tough gig the other five days. Not to mention you told me that, with the economy, your business has taken a dip. And further, your ranch is not rented out so you’re already paying a mortgage and utilities for a home you aren’t occupying.”

“Yes, but I’m occupying this one so I pay my way.”

“You rent your ranch, we’ll talk again. For now, I pay your way.”

He was insane.

“Mike, that’s nuts. I’m living here.”

“Did you pay rent on the farm?” he shot back.

“No but I paid for groceries and anyway, that’s my family home.”

“Uh…Angel,” he started, his deep voice holding a vein of sarcasm I didn’t like all that much. “You might have missed it but a week ago this became your family home.”

Now my body was getting tight. “You know what I mean, Mike.”

“I do and I mean the same thing, Dusty.”

With a forearm in his chest, I pushed slightly away from him only for his hands to slide from my ass to wrap around my waist and hold me close so I stopped.