Chapter 19

He was lounging in the seat beside her, the absolute epitome of casual nonchalance, but Charley saw the tension around his mouth.

"Why?" she breathed.

His golden eyes flickered over her. "He upset you."

He upset her, "He’s my father," she snapped out. "He’s allowed to upset me!"

"I am your husband," he countered. "I am allowed to remove all upset from your life."

Charley threw him a look of burning dislike. "You upset me." Does that mean you’re going to remove yourself from my presence?

"Not while we are flying at ten thousand feet." He grinned—then stopped grinning and sighed instead. "Stop spitting hatred at me, Charlotte, and explain to me why your father believes he can treat you the way that he did today."

So she told him about her mother in a cool, flat, dignified voice, unaware that he watched every fleeting expression that passed across her face because she refused to look at him as she talked.

"So you see," she concluded, "he sees his worst fears for me materializing in our w