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“Yeah,” I said, fighting to keep the emotion from my own voice. “I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll go.” His hand disappeared from my back as he stood. “You don’t need to worry about coming into work today. I’ll cover it, but you can call if you need me.”

I stayed in the same position until I heard the front door shut. When I looked up, my phone was sitting on the table next to my untouched cup of coffee that was doctored up the way I liked it.I’m such an asshole.

I grabbed my phone and opened my contact list. James’s name was the first on my list, right above Hannah’s. My thumb hovered over it.

Instead of breaking down like I truly wanted to, I moved my thumb and tapped Hannah’s name.

She picked up on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”

I snorted. “I’d ask if I woke you, but something tells me I didn’t.”

“I have class in an hour—unless I need to drive home instead. Now I’ll ask again: what’s wrong?”

I groaned and brushed my hair back, but my fingers caught on a few knots and only fueled my frustration. “Um, Carlos is fine, but we spent the night at the vet.”

“I’m on my way.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but the call dropped.

Given the fact that it was rush hour, I wasn’t expecting Hannah for a while. A record-breaking forty minutes later, the front door burst open and Hannah charged into the living room. I poked my head out of the kitchen where I’d disposed of my empty mug after finally drinking my coffee. It had been the perfect cup, which only made me feel worse about lashing out at James.

Carlos wagged his tail, but he was still too high to be his usual self. Hannah dropped her bag at her feet and fell to her knees in front of Carlos, accepting the lazy kisses to her face while she spoke to him in a hushed voice.

“Do I want to know how fast you drove?” I asked, returning to my spot.

“Are you asking as a parent?”

“Yes.”

“Then five under the speed limit. What happened to him?”

“He has muscle spasms in his back left foot. He woke us up in the middle of the night screaming, and he wouldn’t stop.”

Hannah shifted onto the floor. “How much was the vet bill?”

“Don’t worry about it, Hannah. He’s my dog too.”

Only then did she pull her attention from Carlos to look back at me, studying my face longer than I was comfortable with. Damn it, she and Erin were a little too good at reading me like a book. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s nothing to do with Carlos. They sedated him and sent muscle relaxers home with us in case the pain gets to be too much for him. He’ll be okay.”

Carlos laid his head down, trapping Hannah’s hand between his chin and the couch cushion. “Then what’s going on?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” My walls were rising again, my defenses slowly clicking back into place. Not only was Hannah my daughter, but I didn’t necessarilywantto talk about the fight with James.

When I was met with silence, I glanced up to see that classic Erin glare. Cold, blue eyes met mine and I gulped.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told her.

“Why? Because it works?”

I laughed. “God, you are your mother made over.”

“Don’t deflect, Ryder. I might be your kid but I’m an adult. Just spare me any dirty details.”

I groaned, putting my head in my hands again. “I can’t stand you, child.”