Now it was even tighter as we drove up his lane to see Kristy get out from her car.

It was still early. The kids wouldn’t be home for at least an hour or two.

And she was alone.

No Knuckles.

Buck parked, but before he got out, angry eyes on Kristy, he was Buck.

So he issued orders to me.

“Right. In the house, baby, make yourself a margarita. I’ll be in soon’s I can.”

“No way.”

That made his attention shift to me.

“You’ve had enough today,” he declared.

“And I’m still standing,” I replied.

He stared at me.

Then he scowled at me.

Then he stated, “Next time, I’m gettin’ a weak woman who leans on me and does what she’s told.”

“Seeing as I’ve got my hooks in you and I’m never letting go, good luck with that, baby,” I returned, throwing open my door and pulling myself out of his SUV.

Kristy’s eyes were going back and forth between us, and I barely got a few steps in before I had Buck’s arm around my neck, curling me to his side and halting us a good ten feet away from her.

This was probably a good call.

I was in no mood.

“We haven’t had a good day, so whatever shit you got planned to lay on us, pick another time,” Buck demanded.

“I just want to talk,” Kristy said.

I felt Buck’s body move in surprise, which was the same thing mine did.

Not just her words.

But her whipped tone.

“What do you wanna talk about?” Buck asked cautiously.

“Can we go inside?” Kristy asked back.

“No,” Buck denied.

Her jaw got tight.

Buck said nothing.

I didn’t either.

This lasted what felt like a long time.

“Okay, listen, things aren’t good with Knuckles,” she finally said, each word sounding like it took the gravest of efforts to force it out.

“And I care about this because…?” Buck let that trail.

More self-forced confessions from Kristy. “I’m not proud of it, but maybe I’ve been takin’ that out on Tatie and Gear.”

Buck again said nothing, and neither did I, but our bodies did the surprised sway again.

“Tatiana mostly,” she muttered.

“I’ll repeat, I care about this because…?” Buck pushed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because I don’t want you to take my kids from me, asshole.”

“Well, callin’ me names makes me feel all kinds a’ good about makin’ your life easier when you got it shit and you take that shit out on my kids,” Buck replied.

“My kids too,” she fired back.

“Woman…”

Uh-oh.

His tone had changed and was such, I slid both my arms around his middle in case I had to hold him back.

“…your daughter was assaulted. She was nearly raped. And you’re not gettin’ on with your old man, you show the fuckin’ day after that shit happens, and lay my baby girl out, and now you’re layin’ claim to those kids like you’re saving your place in line for mother of the year?”

“She’s a handful,” Kristy hissed.

“I know that,” Buck bit back. “She’s also a teenage girl. You been one, you didn’t see this coming?”

“You don’t know how it is day to day,” she returned. “It’s tough day to day, puttin’ up with her shit.”

“Okay then, it’s so tough, I’ll take that chore off your hands,” Buck stated instantly.

“Buck, listen to me—” she began, leaning forward.

“No, you listen to me, bitch. I have not been a teenage girl. But I had two sisters. And growin’ up with them, I got the drift. Shit happens for girls. It’s worse, the kids at school are fuckwads. What my sisters had was a mom and dad who gave a shit. What my daughter has is a dad who gives a shit who’s two hours away and a mom who’s so up her own ass, most a’ the goddamn time, my baby girl is blowin’ in the wind.”

“I’m gonna get it together, Buck,” she bit out.

“It’s too late,” he returned. “I sense you’re concerned about the custody battle, but you comin’ here hat in hand is not gonna stop that.”

“I’m gonna get it together!” Her voice was rising.

And at that, I lost hold on Buck as he broke loose and advanced on her, so the only choice I had was to follow, and fast, since he was moving like a bullet.

He was going so quickly, Kristy almost tripped in her retreat.

She hit her car.

And Buck got close, bent right into her face and thundered, “She was nearly raped!”

I put my hand on his back and whispered, “West. Honey.”

But my eyes darted to Kristy when I heard her broken words.

“I know.”

Okay, maybe not mother of the year and maybe late, as in too late.

But knock me over with a feather…

She cared.

From his next words, Buck clearly did not see this.

“You think she had a mom at home who gave more of a shit about her daughter than her own problems, she might not act out and maybe wouldn’t have been in a position to get herself nearly…motherfucking…raped?”

Okay, that might have a kernel of truth.

It was still below the belt.

“West,” I whispered again.

“You think I haven’t thought that?” Kristy demanded.

“No, I think you haven’t thought that. ’Cause, see, since that happened, my girl isn’t callin’ home tellin’ us about the joys of livin’ with her mom and her stepdad and how understanding and supportive they are and how she can’t come down for the weekend ’cause all her friends got all sorts of plans, she can’t tear herself away. She calls Clara and bitches about what a bitch her mom is and how she needs to get the fuck outta there ’cause she’s goddamned miserable.”

Kristy’s attention came to me when he mentioned me, but it went back to Buck on the word miserable.

“I’m gonna try harder, Buck,” she reiterated.

“Too late.”

“I think I’m gonna leave Knuckles.”

“I think I don’t care.”

“He doesn’t get on with the kids.”

“No shit?” Buck asked sarcastically.

I knew Kristy had had it just by the expression on her face, even before she spat, “You know, you’re not perfect.”

“Yeah, I do know that. I also know that house,” he swung his arm out behind him to point at the house, but he didn’t take his face out of Kristy’s, “is a safe place for my kids. Safe from their mother. And I’m gonna do what I can to give them more of that. I might lose. I might also win. We’ll see. But I don’t think dick. I’m gonna fight to give my kids some happy. And whatever happens, they’re gonna know their dad went to the mat for them. That’s what I know.”

They stared at each other, Kristy was near tears, Buck was not backing down.

“Go inside, West,” I said.

He turned his heat to me.

“No fuckin’ way.”