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Again, Gedeon is—annoyingly—not wrong. One of his most irritating habits.
I thrust my five-month-old into his arms. “Here, take Nina.” Before he can argue, I stalk into my bedroom and slam the door.
Five minutes later, I shove a hastily scribbled note into his face. He barely manages to grab it before Nina can shove it into her mouth.
He squints down at my chicken scratch. “What’s this?”
“A new contract. If Arsen agrees to my terms and conditions, then I’ll come back home.”
“You can’t be serious, Laila.”
“What about this back-of-the-napkin contract written in purple gel pen in the middle of the night doesn’t scream, ‘I’m perfectly serious?’”
“Because all you’ve wanted for months is to get back home to see your mom, and now, Arsen is letting you and?—”
“Exactly! Exactly.” I jab a manic finger at him like I should have a tinfoil hat and a picture of Bigfoot tacked to the wall. Nina giggles like it’s all hilarious, but Gedeon takes a nervous step backward like it’s not funny in the least. “He islettingme come back. This, like everything else, is onhisterms. And I’m sick of him snapping his fingers and expecting me to run to him like a well-trained dog.”
“No one in their right mind would ever accuse you of being well-trained, Laila.” I growl back wordlessly, proving his point, and he drags a hand down his face. “What are your demands?”
“First, I want a divorce.”
His eyes go huge. “Laila, he’s never going to?—”
“Second,” I raise my voice, interrupting him, “I want my own house. I think we’ll both want that, especially after we’re no longer married.”
“Don’t count on it,” he mutters.
Nina giggles and pokes at his nose.
“Third, my mother and Evelyn will move in with me.”
“Maybe we should discuss this in the morn?—”
“Fourth,” I plow ahead, “Arsen doesn’t get to pop in and out of our daughter’s life when it suits him. If he wants to see her, it’s going to be a regular and scheduled occurrence. Otherwise, he can say goodbye to ever seeing her ag?—”
“Laila!” Gedeon shouts to get my attention, and Nina jolts in his arms. Her lip wobbles as she cranes away from him, face screwed up like she’s on the verge of tears. He forgets all about me for a second, kissing her forehead and cradling her against his cheek. “I’m sorry, kiddo. I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just that your mama is a crazy lady.” He shoots me a dirty look as thoughI’mbeing difficult. “Can we please, for the love of all that is holy, talk about this tomorrow? You’re upsetting the child.”
I pluck Nina out of his arms. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m just asking you to pass on a message.”
“Fine.” He narrows his eyes. “No.”
My eyes narrow right back. “Excuse me?”
“This is between you and Arsen. I’m not getting in the middle.”
“Newsflash, Ged: you’re already in the middle. Actually, if anything, you lean towards Arsen’s side. Now is your chance to balance the scales.”
He holds up his hands. “Count this as me stepping out of the equation, then. You can be a big girl and tell Arsen all of your crazy conditions when you see him.”
“I’m not seeing him. That’s what I’ve been saying. I have no intention of speaking to him ever again.”
“Then how is he ever going to hear your demands?”
I want to argue, but it’s clear there’s no point. Even the threat of boiling tea in his face won’t be enough to convince him to stand up to his boss.
“You’re an asshole, too, you know that?”
He winks at Nina, and she’s already forgiven him for scaring her a few minutes ago. “Nina doesn’t think so, do you, angel? You love your Uncle Geddy, don’t you?”
