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EASON

“Hey,” I breathed, catching Jessica’s arm as she tiptoed out of the nursery

“Stop, Eason I’m not in the mood”

She was never in the mood And not the kind of h, coincidentally, she was never up for that, either

I gave her arm a warm squeeze “Come on You have to talk to me”

“No, I don’t!” she yelled, spinning around to face me

Bracing for war—and defeat—I silently shut the door to our daughter’s bedroom “Quiet or you’ll wake her”

“You don’t have to reot her to sleep in the first place while you were out in the garage, pretending to be Billy Joel on that fucking piano”

Yep She was absolutely right Though, I was actually trying to be Eason Maxwell and force lyrical blood froether a damn chorus that would allow me to keep our home out of foreclosure

“There is no winning here, Jess If I spend all day trying to create even the biggest pile-of-shit song that I can sell to keep us afloat for another fewall the ti to help you with the baby, we lose the house and you hate me What am I supposed to do?”

Her eyes flashed wide, her dark eyebrows jue, I had enough experience to knohatever was about to co to be the God’s honest truth as she saw it I also kneas going to hurt like hell

“You’re supposed to be able to support your family!”

Yep TKO

Willing my temper into check, I closedbreaths—broken and rasping just like our ”

“At what point is trying not good enough anymore?”