Page 11 of Ridin' True

Her cheekbones and cute nose only drew more attention to her mouth and those perfect, plump, sweetheart lips.

The navy skirt she had on clued him in to her narrow waist and slim legs, punctuated by the curve of her hips. The tan blouse she wore was modest and mostly covered by her hair, and he liked that in a way that surprised him. Left something to the imagination.

But his imagination was precisely what he needed to shut down until further notice.

He resisted the urge to adjust himself in his jeans and took the seat she offered.

“Okay, let’s start from the top. Tell me about your kids. How old are they? What are their names?”

“Marlowe, she’ll be eleven in a few weeks. Axel’s nine.”

She jotted down a note and then inquired, “How long have you and your ex been divorced? And what is your current custody arrangement?”

“We never got married. We were together for eight and broke-up six years ago. First year was rocky with the kids, but for the last five, we split physical and custodial rights fifty/fifty.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed, still writing. “And what does fifty/fifty look like in your case?”

“We swap on Sundays. Whoever gets the kids picks them up.”

She paused to look up at him. “That’s tidy.”

“Yup,” he muttered matter-of-factly.

“It would be helpful to get a copy of the written agreement.”

“I’m sure I’ve got it somewhere. I’ll email it.”

“Perfect.” Alexia lowered her pen then asked, “So, what changed?”

“I told you before, she can turn anything into a competition. It’s all about one-upping me for no good damn reason other than payback.”

“Payback for…?”

“She gave me an ultimatum. I didn’t choose her.”

“Ah.” Her eyebrows lifted and lowered, as if his response was enlightening.

Drudging up the past was the last thing he wanted to do, but if it would help his case, he was ready to lay it all on the table.

“We agreed on shared custody because it was convenient for her at the time. The kids were little, we both had jobs, and neither of us have local blood.”

“Pardon?” she asked with a slight frown.

“Parents. Siblings.”

Her face softened as she replied, “Right, okay. Got it.”

Wrangler tried not to stare at her too hard as he continued, “When we separated, she got the house. Took me a couple years, but I had one built just up the road. Got it for my kids. Figured if they were with me half the time, I needed to do my part to ensure their quality of life didn’t go down durin’ that half.

“Nicole got jealous of my place. We didn’t buy new. Couldn’t afford it at the time. But I was in a different place financially, so I got what I wanted. She told the kids I was tryin’ to buy their love so they would choose me over her, which was total bullshit.

“The way she puts them between us is fucked up. Couldn’t tell you whether or not she thought we might get back together. Sometimes, I think my house was her clue that was never gonna happen. Whatever her deal was, I know it wasn’t until after I moved in that she started datin’.

“Took her about a year to meet Evan. The second they got serious, she felt like she had the upper hand again. Didn’t matter to me. It got her off my back. Not to say she hasn’t fucked with me since. She gets bored and plays her games. I let her, on account of it bein’ easier than startin’ a fight.”

“Games? What kind of games, what do you mean?” asked Alexia, who was back at taking notes.

“She’ll plan trips or weekend activities during my designated days, claimin’ nothin’ can be done about it. If somethin’ comes up on my end and I need her to take the kids, she won’t swap with me, sayin’ it’s not her fault I’ve given up my time with them and she won’t give up hers.”