Answering to Him (Old-Fashioned Husband) Read Online Free PDF

I—”
    “Where the hell did it go!” she groaned, moments before slamming the refrigerator door shut.
    I sto od and was at her side in two seconds flat. I took her by the shoulders and turned her to face me. “Hey, calm down. What’s going on with you?”
    “Nothing,” she replied, sniffling and avoiding my eyes.
    It wasn’t like Alicia to keep secrets, and I frowned in concern. “What is it, honey? Out with it,” I ordered.
    Her eyes flew to my face, seeming to search for something, though I didn’t know what. “I just had a bad day , that’s all.”
    I waited patiently. I knew that if I tried to pull information from her, it would just upset her more. At least I’d learned something after sixteen years of marriage. She was wilting like a flower right before my eyes, giving in to the urge to come clean. Still, I bit back my smile. She looked like a naughty child right now, afraid of being reprimanded. It was in the way her eyes darted around before coming back to mine, the way she flushed slightly.
    “I got pulled over today,” she said, her voice so low I almost didn’t hear her.
    “What?”
    “I got pulled over,” she said, a bit louder, adding an annoyed huff at the end of her sentence.
    “For what?” I asked, with calm that I did not feel. Her eyes skipped away from mine again, and she walked over to the counter and began sorting through the cans and boxes she’d dumped onto the counter. “Alicia?” I called her, my impatience leaking into my voice and making me sound sterner than I’d intended.
    She kept her back to me, mumbling again , so I couldn’t hear her. In three quick strides, I was at her side and took her shoulder and turned her toward me.
    “Say it again,” I commanded. From the widening of her eyes, I could see that she was surprised by my firmness, but I was getting too frustrated to hold it back like I normally did.
    “For speeding,” she admitted.
    I sighed, shaking my head at her. I’d had a feeling that was what she’d say. We’d had this discussion many times before, and I really didn’t want to have it again right now. I needed to cool off first, before I lost my temper.
    “And…”
    That just about did it. “And what , Alicia?”
    She brought her beautiful eyes to mine, which were more blue than green right now, and filled with unshed tears. “I got a ticket for not having my license.”
    I clamped my lips together tightly so that I wouldn’t say something I’d regret later. This had been a constant issue for us, and no matter how patient and understanding I was, it kept happening. She was forgetful and prone to running out of the house without her wallet. She always kept cash in the bottom of her purse, or lying around in a jean pocket, so money wasn’t an issue for her. The problem came when she got caught speeding, which was often.
    “Say something,” she pleaded, her voice sounding so forlorn that I wanted to reach out and comfort her.
    I patted her shoulder, but my voice was a bit detached when I said, “I can’t talk about this now. Don’t worry about dinner, I’m going to go out. I’ll take Jonah with me.”
    Her lip bent back in a pout, and all at once, the clock seemed to turn back. It reminded me of an argument we’d had years ago, during which she’d thrown an enormous tantrum. That had been in our first year of marriage, and I couldn’t remember ever seeing her pout since then. I thought it was adorable, though I wouldn’t ever tell her that. “Are you going without me?”
    “I think we need a little time apart right now.”
    “Are you that mad at me?” she cried.
    “Yes,” I replied simply.
    She turned away from me, but not before I saw the tears spill from her eyes. I wanted to tell her that it was all right, she could come, but I fought the urge. She needed to think about what she’d done—apparently nothing I ever said or did made her think twice about going over the speed limit. Maybe if I just gave her some time, she’d