Page 35 of False Start

Madelyn

The muscles in Kyle’s back were as tight as a bow string, and I watched him subtly crack his neck like he was preparing for a fight.

I prayed it wouldn’t come to that, but with my ex, there was no telling.

I hoped Marshall would be smart enough not to start something in a public place. I hoped the fact that our son was here would stop him. But I couldn’t be sure.

He’d put his hands on me with Sebastian in the next room before.

“What the fuck is going on?” Marshall asked when he made it to our blanket. He was in his scrubs and white coat, which told me he was likely on break. His veterinary practice was relatively close, and it wasn’t unusual for him to take an hour to go home for lunch.

How this man could be trusted to help or saveanythingwas beyond me.

But at least him being on break from work meant he wasn’t drunk. He always had an issue with his temper, but when he drank, that’s when it became dangerous.

He tried to storm past Kyle, but Kyle side-stepped and angled his body in-between us like a human barrier.

“Hey, man,” Kyle greeted, extending a hand for Marshall’s. “We were just having a picnic. Nice of you to join us. I’m Kyle.”

Marshall eyed his hand like it was poison before ignoring it completely, his narrowed eyes snapping to me. “Madelyn, who the fuck is this?”

“I’m Kyle,” Kyle repeated. “I just told you that. Is your hearing bad, or are you just stupid?”

My eyes shot open wide at the same time Marshall blinked up at Kyle with a scoff. “What did you just say to me?”

“Wow, your hearing really is shit, isn’t it?”

I tried to intervene, stepping around Kyle so Marshall could see me. “Kyle is an old friend of mine,” I explained. “He just moved to Seattle.”

“Old friend,” Marshall deadpanned, his eyes slicing to me and then to Kyle and back again. “I’m sure he’s a very goodfriendof yours.”

Before Kyle or I could react, Sebastian was running up to us. I schooled my features enough to pin both men with a warning glare to keep their shit together before I turned just in time to catch Sebastian as he barreled into me.

“I’m a plane!” he exclaimed as I scooped him up into my arms with a spin.

“Oof, when did this plane get so heavy?” I teased, pretending like it was difficult to hold him. It was getting harder, that was for sure, but he was still my little man.

Sebastian was breathing heavy from playing, the new bag of rocks Kyle had given him safely secured in his little fist. When he saw Marshall, his face went absolutely blank. He didn’t light upwith excitement at the presence of his father, nor did he cower or show any negative emotion.

I didn’t know whether the lack of emotion should have made me happy or absolutely devastated.

On the one hand, I wished he had a relationship with Marshall that he loved, one that made him excited to see his father. On the other hand, I was simply glad to see he wasn’t afraid of the man, that Marshall’s wrath had been tamed enough for our son to not understand the full extent of it.

Although something told me he knew, even if he’d never bore witness to it.

Kids justknow.

Sebastian offered his dad a small smile, and then he gave me a questioning look before leaning a head into the crook of my neck and shoulder.

“Hi, Daddy,” he said quietly. I could feel his entire body tense with the words.

“Hello, my boy,” Marshall greeted. He glared a bit at Kyle as he stepped around enough to hold out his fist to Sebastian, who bumped it with his own fist before clinging to me again.

“It isn’t Daddy’s day,” he whispered to me. “Is it?”

I shook my head on a smile. “No, sweetheart. Your dad is just stopping by to say hi.” I carefully dropped him back to the ground. “Why don’t you go play on the monkey bars. We’re going to go soon, okay?”

Sebastian nodded, looking up at his own father warily, like he wasn’t sure he should leave me with him.