Family Dynamics (Pam of Babylon Book Five) by Suzanne Jenkins Read Free Book Online

hell? What kind of loving wife thinks such a thing?

    Carolyn suspected something was going on. They’d been faithful to one another for all those years, and suddenly he was critical and demanding of her. He’d hurt her feelings more than once, making unkind comments about her body in the middle of sex.
    “You need to tone up your thighs,” he said one night. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but they were swung over his shoulders, and he grabbed them and gave them a squeeze. It was too much for her. She pulled her legs down and rolled away from him.
    “You never need to touch my legs again,” she cried. “Fuck you!” And reduced to a screaming bitch, she’d launched into a tirade like she hadn’t had since they were in their thirties and he’d stayed out all night one night. “I’ve had it with you, Frank! What’s going on? Don’t blame it all on my thighs, either. You’re up to something!” It was a louder version of a repeated dialogue they’d had over and over again during the past months. She just felt it in her gut that he was messing around on her. No matter what she did, it was never enough. She’d lost weight and added a gym class to her already packed schedule, and he still criticized her body. After the thigh remark, she was sure they would never have sex again. She’d started hiding in the closet to undress at night when he’d commented on her underpants.
    “I’m not a big fan of those big, white old-lady panties you wear. Get something more stylish, why don’t you?” She was in the middle of pulling her jeans down when she looked at him, a frown on his face.
    “Since when do you care what kind of underwear I have on?” she asked. And then, sadly, he said the words that would break her heart.
    “Every time I look at you, I’m reminded of how old I’m getting.” He walked out of their bedroom after he said it, either suddenly mortified that he could say such a cruel thing to someone who had devoted her life to him or frightened that, since he’d found the courage to tell her how he really felt, he would back down. For months he would approach her for sex and she thought he wanted to show her how much he did really love her. And then when it was over, after he came, she began to worry that he was using her and not even thinking about her, that it was just better than jacking off.
    The coup de grâce was the thigh comment, but trouble came to a head when they went to the garden center together. They were standing in line at the checkout with garden supplies piled up in the basket when suddenly, out of nowhere, he pushed the cart into her side and left the store. The woman standing behind her grabbed her arm and asked if she was OK. It hadn’t knocked her down, but it knocked some sense into her. He hated her because he was held captive. There was no other reason. They hadn’t been fighting; he’d been cordial throughout the shopping trip, if not distracted. She composed herself and paid for their purchases, and when she went out to the car, he was waiting for her with the engine running. He popped the trunk latch when he saw her but didn’t get out to help load. She struggled with a fifty-pound bag of potting soil and a five-gallon bucket of weed killer, pulling them out of the cart and getting them into the trunk. She got a tissue out of her purse to wipe the perspiration off her face and any dirt marks off her hands. They were going to have to figure it out right then, not take it home where they couldn’t talk in front of the kids. She pushed the cart into the corral, taking her time so she could gather her thoughts. He was like lightning; if she didn’t choose her words carefully, they would end up in a screaming fight. Frank was probably getting pissed off at her for taking so long. Opening the door to get in, the blast of cold air rushed out at her, giving her goose bumps.
    Before he could yell at her, she spoke.
    “I’m sorry it took so long. They couldn’t find a price