Read Online Her Old-Fashioned Husband by Laylah Roberts - Free Book Online
Authors: Laylah Roberts
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very, very wrong.
Of course something is wrong, idiot, she berated herself. You spent last night drinking and partying, you didn’t answer your husband’s phone call, you fell asleep in these god awful clothes, probably smelling like a brewery and you didn’t even wake up when your husband got home.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t awake when you got home,” she said, trying to gauge just how angry he was. His face remained impassive, although she swore she saw his eyes flash. Damn, she wished her head wasn’t trapped in a slowly closing vice.
“Really? Out of all the things you could apol ogize for that’ s what you’re going to go with?” he asked coolly.
Frankie bit her lip as she sat. She rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain.
Tom rose and walked into the bathroom. He returned with a glass of water. He passed it to her, as well as some painkillers before returning to his seat.
“Thanks,” she murmured, tears welling in her eyes. Had she behaved so horribly that he couldn’t even bring himself to hug her?
“Where were you last night, Frankie?” he asked. “I called you. Heath came around to check up on you. I was awake all night worrying and it seems you were off partying and having a good time.”
She winced . “I’m so sorry,” she began. “I went out for dinner with some friends from work and one thing sort of led to another and we ended up at a nightclub. ”
“I hope you had a really good time, sweetheart,” he interrupted. “Because that’s the last time you’ll be out partying for a very long time.”
Frankie swallowed heavily. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you are grounded, young lady. For two weeks. No meeting with friends, no going out for dinner with them, no talking on the phone or messaging them. No computer. I want you home each night at 5.30pm, understand me?”
Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Grounded? You’re joking right? I’m twenty- seven years old.”
“And you’re behaving like a spoiled teenager. Do you realize how terrified I was, Frankie? Wondering where you were? If you were hurt? If someone had attacked you? Raped you? Killed you? What were you thinking? How hard would it have been to answer your phone or hell, send me a text to let me know you were okay?”
Guilt raged as she listened to him scold, still in that awful flat voice, his disappointment in her clear to see.
“I know, you’re right, but—”
“No buts, no excuses. You were already in trouble for hanging up on me. Then you blatantly disrespected me and our relationship again by disappearing without telling me where you were going . Without even sending me a simple text so I didn’t worry. I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust you to be by yourself anymore, Frankie. In fact, I don’t think I can. I can’t leave you, knowing you might foolishly place yourself in harm.”
“I wasn’t harming myself, ” she said tearfully. “ I was with friends, I was safe.” She wasn’t sure why she’d done it. Tom held up a card. She gulped as she realized it was the one that man had given her last night.
“Where did you get this from, Frankie?” he asked, his voice deadly.
She swallowed heavily. “I-I—”
“Think very hard about your answer, because it had better be the truth. You’re already in for a severe punishment on top of being grounded; you don’t want to add to it by lying. Now, I suggest you start at the beginning, tell me everything, including where you got those atrocious clothes from.”
Frankie stared at him, realizing he’d never been so serious with her. He’d been angry at her before, but he’d never been like this—so very tight and controlled.
And so Frankie told him everything. Her night out, her borrowed clothes, the nightclub and the ride home.
Tom just stared at her for a long time when she was finished, the right corner of his mouth twitched; unfortunately she knew he wasn’t holding back a smile.
“ So let’s get this right. You went out for
Of course something is wrong, idiot, she berated herself. You spent last night drinking and partying, you didn’t answer your husband’s phone call, you fell asleep in these god awful clothes, probably smelling like a brewery and you didn’t even wake up when your husband got home.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t awake when you got home,” she said, trying to gauge just how angry he was. His face remained impassive, although she swore she saw his eyes flash. Damn, she wished her head wasn’t trapped in a slowly closing vice.
“Really? Out of all the things you could apol ogize for that’ s what you’re going to go with?” he asked coolly.
Frankie bit her lip as she sat. She rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain.
Tom rose and walked into the bathroom. He returned with a glass of water. He passed it to her, as well as some painkillers before returning to his seat.
“Thanks,” she murmured, tears welling in her eyes. Had she behaved so horribly that he couldn’t even bring himself to hug her?
“Where were you last night, Frankie?” he asked. “I called you. Heath came around to check up on you. I was awake all night worrying and it seems you were off partying and having a good time.”
She winced . “I’m so sorry,” she began. “I went out for dinner with some friends from work and one thing sort of led to another and we ended up at a nightclub. ”
“I hope you had a really good time, sweetheart,” he interrupted. “Because that’s the last time you’ll be out partying for a very long time.”
Frankie swallowed heavily. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you are grounded, young lady. For two weeks. No meeting with friends, no going out for dinner with them, no talking on the phone or messaging them. No computer. I want you home each night at 5.30pm, understand me?”
Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Grounded? You’re joking right? I’m twenty- seven years old.”
“And you’re behaving like a spoiled teenager. Do you realize how terrified I was, Frankie? Wondering where you were? If you were hurt? If someone had attacked you? Raped you? Killed you? What were you thinking? How hard would it have been to answer your phone or hell, send me a text to let me know you were okay?”
Guilt raged as she listened to him scold, still in that awful flat voice, his disappointment in her clear to see.
“I know, you’re right, but—”
“No buts, no excuses. You were already in trouble for hanging up on me. Then you blatantly disrespected me and our relationship again by disappearing without telling me where you were going . Without even sending me a simple text so I didn’t worry. I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust you to be by yourself anymore, Frankie. In fact, I don’t think I can. I can’t leave you, knowing you might foolishly place yourself in harm.”
“I wasn’t harming myself, ” she said tearfully. “ I was with friends, I was safe.” She wasn’t sure why she’d done it. Tom held up a card. She gulped as she realized it was the one that man had given her last night.
“Where did you get this from, Frankie?” he asked, his voice deadly.
She swallowed heavily. “I-I—”
“Think very hard about your answer, because it had better be the truth. You’re already in for a severe punishment on top of being grounded; you don’t want to add to it by lying. Now, I suggest you start at the beginning, tell me everything, including where you got those atrocious clothes from.”
Frankie stared at him, realizing he’d never been so serious with her. He’d been angry at her before, but he’d never been like this—so very tight and controlled.
And so Frankie told him everything. Her night out, her borrowed clothes, the nightclub and the ride home.
Tom just stared at her for a long time when she was finished, the right corner of his mouth twitched; unfortunately she knew he wasn’t holding back a smile.
“ So let’s get this right. You went out for
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