The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 42

Given everything Xavier had done recently, I couldn't shake the unease creeping over me. As much as I hated to admit it, there was still Yvonne to deal with too.

"Don't even look at me. There's no way I'm sharing a room with you," she said bluntly.

As for Lorraine? No chance. Why would she share a room with someone she barely knew?

"It's fine. I can sleep anywhere," Yvonne replied with a casual shrug and turned to leave.

"Mommy, where are you going?" Xavier called after her, his voice tinged with panic. He might not see eye-to-eye with me, but the sight of Yvonne walking away unsettled him. He sprinted after her.

"What's the matter? Are you planning to sleep on the streets too?"

"Leave me alone. It's none of your business!" Xavier snapped, yanking his arm away and landing a solid smack on my side. The sting made me wince.

Jonas' face turned bright red with fear as he grabbed Xavier's struggling hands. "Xavier, stop it! You hit Daddy!"

"That's exactly what I meant to do," Xavier shot back, his voice sharp. "He's a heartless jerk anyway!"

"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes. Heartless? Didn't I just let him stay with Jonas?

"And who taught you to talk like that? Jared? Or your mommy?"

It was unbelievable. Yvonne was the one in the wrong, but somehow, I was the bad guy in Xavier's eyes. What kind of logic was that?

"That's not for you to know. Just give me back my mother!" Xavier's voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes. He might act like he was all grown up, but without his mother around, the cracks in his tough exterior started to show.

"I didn't make her leave," I said firmly, trying to keep my patience. But before I could say more, Lorraine suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Let her come back," she said softly.

"What?" I asked, certain I hadn't heard her right.

"Let her stay. She can have my room." Lorraine's expression was calm, but I knew she was doing this for me to ease the tension.

Lorraine probably knew that I took her into consideration when making my decision. After all, Yvonne and I used to be husband and wife. There was no problem for us to stay in the same room together.

"No," I said immediately. "I'm not putting you in that position."