Page 64 of Unbearable

“Do you need me to go with you?” Dex asked when she stepped to the back of the room.

“No, I’ve got this. Can you see if you can speed up the lab?”

“I can handle that. I’ll keep you updated on anything we get in.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She marched out of the building on a mission. Now, she just had to hope the sexy new examiner would find something she could use.

That morning Fox woke with a raging headache. They were becoming the norm instead of the exception. The stress he was under was closing in on unbearable.

He knew the person lightly snoring next to him was the main cause. Unfortunately, he couldn’t put off dealing with the situation any longer. He needed to break up with her now, but he needed her to leave Ethan behind.

Quietly, he climbed out of bed. With any luck, a hot shower would help his head. That and a cup of coffee should give him just enough energy to deal with Brooke.

He turned on the water as hot as he could stand and stepped under the spray. With the water pounding on his shoulders, he waited for it to relax his muscles. It didn’t work. He was just as tense after the shower as he was before.

He tiptoed around the bedroom trying to dress without waking her yet. There was no reason to deal with her fallout until he had to.

The timer on the coffee maker had his cup ready when he walked into the kitchen. When his sister gave him the machine, he thought she was being ridiculous. What man couldn’t make coffee? Turns out, she was right, it was the best gift he had ever gotten.

Sitting on the couch, he tried to frame the conversation he was about to have in his mind. He couldn’t think of how to do this without drama involved. Hopefully, Ethan would sleep through the entire thing. He sighed as he pushed up from the couch. It was time to get this behind him.

“Hey, Brooke,” he said as he stepped back into the bedroom. She grunted and rolled over away from him. He lowered to the edge of the bed. The coffee had been left in the kitchen this time. He didn’t want another blackeye to explain. “Brooke.”

“What,” she whined, turning over to face him.

“We need to talk before I leave for work.”

“Why? Can’t it wait until later? That’s all you ever think about now. Talking.” Expecting her to roll back over, he was surprised when she sat up. “What? What is so important it can’t wait until I’m awake?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well?”

“I wanted to talk about us. I think you’ll agree that we no longer work as a couple. You’ve been unhappy for some time, and if I’m to be honest, so have I. I just think we’ve run our course.” It worried him that she wasn’t fighting back. She simply remained glaring at him with her arms crossed.

“You have so many friends,” he continued. “I thought you could move in with one of them until you found your own place. Of course, Ethan can stay here for now. I don’t mind continuing to pay for his school. You can still spend time with him, and Ican pick him up in the evenings or whenever. Just temporarily of course until you find something.”

He knew that if she saw how much easier her life was without her son in tow, she would leave him with Fox permanently. But he didn’t want her to think he was trying to steal Ethan away from her. He just wanted what was best for the little boy. Ethan stuck his head inside the bedroom with a grin on his face as if he had conjured him.

“Hey, buddy. Why don’t you get dressed, and we’ll get breakfast on the way to school?” Fox said.

“Yay!” Ethan shouted before slamming the door closed again.

“Okay, well, I think I said everything I needed to say. Is there anything you want to say?” He waited while she continued to glare at him. After a few minutes of silence, he stood from the bed. “Just find someone else to stay with tonight, and we can make arrangements to get your stuff moved.”

He left the bedroom to find Ethan trying to tie his shoes in the living room. They had been practicing bunny ears, but he still hadn’t mastered the skill. Fox ruffled his hair gently on the way to pack their stuff up for the day. Brooke still hadn’t emerged when they left. Ethan shouted goodbye to responding silence.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Fox asked as they pulled away from the building.

“Pancakes!”

“Always pancakes. Okay, pancakes it is.” He pulled into one of the fast-food restaurants that served breakfast. Ethan played on the playscape until their pancakes arrived.

Fox couldn’t help but wonder what Brooke was doing as he cut her son’s breakfast up. Would she be gone by the time he came home tonight? Would she take Ethan with her?

The thought that this might be the last time he saw Ethan was soul crushing. He had to hope that, for once, Brooke wouldput her son above herself. In the short time they had been together he had already begun to think of Ethan as his son.

“Are you not going to eat your pancakes?” Ethan asked.

“Oh, yeah, buddy. I just have a lot going on up here.” He thumped the side of his head for emphasis.

“Is it about Momma?”