The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 43

I jumped, quickly pulling Xavier away from Lorraine. He could act up all he wanted with me, but getting physical with her? That was crossing a line.

Thankfully, Lorraine was far more understanding than I'd expected. "It's fine. He's just a kid," she said with a soft, forgiving smile, leaving me feeling a bit embarrassed.

"This trip has been nothing but chaos. Sorry you had to witness all of it," I said awkwardly.

Xavier, still sulking, crossed his arms with a look of pure defiance.

"Behave," I warned, giving him a light swat on the backside. Only after he settled down did I pull out my phone to call Yvonne.

After all, her being alone in this foreign place was quite dangerous, and Lorraine's suggestion was probably the most feasible at that moment.

As I started dialing, Xavier immediately protested, "I don't want you to stay with this woman!"

I raised an eyebrow, unable to hide my amusement at his little grown-up act. "And what gives you the right to tell me what to do?"

I mimicked his usual tone, watching as his face froze in surprise. "What's the matter? Are you lost for words?"

"I-I'm not scared of you! Don't get cocky!" Xavier stammered, grabbing Jonas by the arm to whisper something in his ear. Clearly, he was hatching some sort of plan.

Yvonne picked up on the first ring, her voice cold and distant. "What do you want? Are you not happy spending time with your girlfriend? Why are you bothering me now?"

Her accusation made it sound like I was the one trying to stir up trouble.

"You've got three minutes to get back to the hotel. I'll send you the address," I said curtly.

She had a lot of nerve, dumping Xavier on me and vanishing like that. Did she think I was some kind of free babysitter? We had agreed to split responsibilities, one kid each.

Xavier's behavior was a product of her parenting—or lack thereof. And now, she was offloading her mess onto me.

"Why are you so harsh with her?" Lorraine asked with a faint smile. She hadn't said a word during the call, but I could tell she was pleased with how I had handled it.

"That was me being polite," I replied with a shrug.