“Daddee, you said a bad word!”
“Sorry, Ivy, I meant heck. What the heck, Matt?”
Ivy puffed out her chest. “Maah bought me snacks too, Daddee. Loooots and loooots of snacks.”
My jaw ticked. He hadn’t.
Without a word, I stalked to the pantry. I yanked the door open and stared.
Full shelves.
Fully stocked shelves.
Cans lined up like parade soldiers. Boxes stacked like bricks: candy, snacks, cereal, cereal bars. Bottles of water, cans of soda, energy drinks. He hadn’t just bought snacks for Ivy. Hell, there were even paper towels, and we were always down to the last roll.
My throat tightened. The damn pantry hadn’t looked like this since before Heather left.
I stood there a moment longer, then shut the door with a soft click.
“Bug.” I turned back around. “Can you give me and Matt a minute, please?”
Ivy looked up, finger halfway to her mouth. “Uh-oh,” she whispered dramatically. “Maah’s in trouble. Daddee gonna put Maah in time-out.”
She scampered off with frosting on her chin, muttering something about how Maah was in trouble now.
“Are you?” Matty asked. “Gonna put me in time-out that is?”
“Matt, this isn’t funny. You didn’t need to do all that.”
Matty raised a brow. “All what?”
“The groceries. The snacks. The cake. Paying for help atthe ranch. Taking care of Ivy. You don’t need to do all this. I can take care of my kid. I’ve been doing it on my own.”
“Are you done?” he asked calmly. Not biting. Just… patient.
That irritated me more.
I huffed, looking away. “This isn’t your problem.”
Matty tilted his head. “No? Then what was last night about? Didn’t we kiss and make up?”
“That doesn’t mean my life is your responsibility. I am a grown-ass man.”
“I know. What we did last night wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t a grown-ass man.” He walked around the table toward me, but I backed up into the counter. “Let me get this straight. You’re upset because I bought food for you and your child?”
I scowled. “I don’t need your charity.”
“It’s not charity.” Matty crowded me, both hands placed on either side of me on the counter, trapping me. “It’s called providing and taking care of my family. Isn’t that what this is?” His voice was still steady but with a hint of steel underneath.
“But…you’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Going too fast. We just got back together last night, and you’re making it feel like we’ve been a couple all this time.”
“Maybe I want to erase those four years without you. Maybe I don’t want to waste another second of us. You telling me you don’t feel the same?”
Dammit, I did, but my fucking pride was hurt by him witnessing my cash problem at the supermarket yesterday, and now this.
