‘Don’t be so antagonistic, Ash.’ He sighed heavily. ‘She went and that’s the important thing. I’m not a stay-at-home parent like you, but I’m doing the best I can.’

I didn’t like the way he made ‘stay-at-home parent’ sound like a dirty word. Where was the appreciation for everything I’d always willingly, lovingly done for him and the kids?

And what was with his self-pitying, hard-done-by tone?

‘Maybe you should give yourself a medal,’ I spat. ‘But when it gets hard, remember, this was your choice, not mine!’

I crossed my arms and turned my back on him, but not before I saw genuine hurt in his eyes. Way to go, Ashling. Acting like a surly bitch was really going to win his favour. Of course, if he hadn’t lost the plot first, then we wouldn’t have even been having this conversation.

Chapter 23

23

‘Can you go and get your brother for dinner, please?’ I asked Payton as I pulled a lasagne out of the oven.

She slumped against the kitchen bench. ‘But I just laid the table.’

‘Because it was your turn. I’m asking you to get Saxon as a favour to me.’

With a dramatic sigh, she wandered off towards the bedrooms and I began to dish up dinner.

‘His door’s closed and I don’t have a death wish so I’m not going in there,’ Payton announced when she returned a few moments later.

‘Did you call through the door?’

‘Yes, but he’s probably got his headphones on and can’t hear me. He never takes those bloody things off these days.’

‘Mind your language, young lady. And can you get the salad dressing out of the fridge and put it on the table?’

‘When did your last slave die?’

Her rudeness and back-chatting were becoming an issue. Did she talk to her father like this? Maintaining our close relationship was harder when I only saw her every second week, but that didn’t mean I should let her get away with murder.

‘You just lost your screen time on the weekend, missy,’ I called over my shoulder as I went to get Saxon myself.

I raised my hand to knock on his door, but before my knuckles met the wood, he shouted, ‘Fuck!’

I blinked. ‘What on earth is going on in there?’ I demanded as I flung open the door to see Saxon sitting at his desk, bent over his laptop, glowering at the screen as his fingers flew across the keyboard. He looked up, clearly surprised to see me, and then snapped the computer shut before I could get a look at what was on the screen.

The swearing was forgotten as Wei’s comments from a week ago haunted me. ‘Oh my God. Were you looking at porn?’

‘What? Mum! No.’ He grimaced, his cheeks turning red as he yanked out his headphones so they curled around his neck.