The Reed Security Relationship Manual: A Reed Security Romance, Giulia Lagomarsino [acx book reading .txt] 📗

have to do those jobs, I would get punched in the face. If I said that it was part of the household duties, that would imply that I felt household duties all fell under her job, which would also get me a punch to the face.

I slowly stepped forward and snatched the paper out of her hands. “You know, I think I’ll just cross that one off the list.”

“Why don’t you cross them all off the list. I’m not wearing a tracker.”

She stormed out of the room, and I chased after her. “Sweets, everyone wears them!”

She slammed the door, and I sighed. “Fuck.” I really thought that this would be good for us. I walked up to the bedroom door and knocked lightly. “Sweets?”

The door flew open, and I stepped back, sure that I was about to get punched. “What?”

Swallowing hard, I licked my dry lips and stared at her, trying to make my brain function. This was not my Brooke. My Brooke was rational and always surprising me. I didn’t know what the hell was happening. “I was thinking I would take Evie over to the training facility, maybe give you some time to yourself.”

“Why don’t you do that,” she snapped.

I nodded and jerked my thumb down the hall. “I’ll just…I’ll…right.”

I turned on my heel and headed out before her death glare burned holes through me. With all of Evie’s stuff loaded in my truck, I grabbed her and loaded her into her car seat, even though we were just driving to the other side of the property. When I got to Reed Security, I immediately took her down to the training center where some of the other kids were.

As I was leaving the training center, I ran into Sinner, who was also dropping off his kids.

“Hey, are you working today?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, I just needed a break from the kids before the new one arrives. Man, I can’t wait to meet her.”

For someone that was surprised with an oops baby, he sure didn’t seem all that upset about it. “I still can’t believe you’re going on number four. Are you gonna go for a team like Cap?”

“Hell no,” he scoffed. “I’m excited for this new kid, but I’m also terrified. Mason is a lot to handle. That little dude is a terror.”

We turned and headed back to the main building. Sinner just seemed to be following me because he had nothing better to do. Maybe he was running from Cara like I was running from Brooke.

“He is not,” I said, even though it was true. That kid was the epitome of every parent’s nightmare. The kid screamed and lashed out when he was angry, unlike anything I had ever seen before. “He’s just going through the terrible twos.”

“This…” He shook his head with a laugh. “This is not the terrible twos. This is like a teenager on steroids. The other day, he told me he hated me and wanted to kill me in my sleep.”

I flinched back. “What did you do?”

“What did I do?” he asked in surprise. “I don’t know. I exist. That seems to be enough for this kid to hate me.”

“Are you sure he’s yours?”

“What do you mean? You think Cara would cheat?”

“No, I’m suggesting that maybe you should check with the hospital and make sure somebody didn’t pull a switcheroo.”

He thought about it a moment. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised. The first time I held that kid, he was swinging his little fists at me. It was like he hated me from the start. Maybe I should get a DNA test.”

“Right? That’s all I’m saying. It doesn’t hurt to check.”

He stopped me with his hand to my chest, his brows furrowed as he stared out in front of us. “But what if…” He slowly turned to me and swallowed hard. “What if the kid really is mine?”

I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Then I would suggest you have Knight install a few safety features in your house. For your kids’ protection,” I added, even though I meant for him.

“Yeah, for the kids,” he nodded along.

“Hey, it doesn’t hurt to check. Chances are, he really is your kid. You just need to figure out what gets him going. Maybe keep him away from the training center for now.”

“Or…maybe I need to send him to train with Knight. He can kick the little shit’s ass, and he’ll be so worn out when he comes home that he can’t attack me.”

“Does he actually do that?”

“Did you see that black eye I had last week? Or the bruise on my arm last month?”

“Yeah.”

“The black eye was from a truck of his.”

“And the bruise?”

“He took my hammer and just started swinging. I swear to God, that kid had murder in his eyes.”

“Well, they say you can tell kids are psycho from an early age.”

“Yeah, but how?”

“Well, does he kill animals?”

“No.”

“Then you’re probably fine. But I would still keep him away from any weapons for the time being.”

We headed upstairs in the elevator and entered the conference room where Cap sat.

“I thought you were taking the day off?” he asked, looking up from papers he had spread out on the table.

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “I had a little…run-in with Brooke.”

“What did you do this time?”

“I don’t fucking know. I mean, it could have been that I was writing up a rulebook for when we get married.”

Cap threw his head back and laughed. “You think that could be it?”

“Well, I assumed that was it, but you know Brooke, she’s the most chill woman of anyone you’ve ever met. I just don’t understand why this set her off.”

Cap nodded slightly, his brows furrowing. “How upset would you say she got?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Definitely more than usual.”

“And she was snapping at you?”

“Unnecessarily. Seriously, these rules are for both of us to benefit from. I mean, mostly me, but yeah, they’re for both of us.”

“Has she been craving a lot of chocolate?”

I