Ex with Benefits (sequel to Roommates with Benefits)

Strike One

This chapter came out a little odd, and I'm not entirely sure I'll keep it, I might delete it in a few days, not sure, depends on how it feels once I'm awake enough to think about it lol

Meanwhile, enjoy :)

CHAPTER 26 - STRIKE ONE

LUKAS' POV

"So ... why are you doing this, again?"

I sighed, cursing myself for having never attended a freaking woodworking class at school. "Bunny, I told you why. Now just pass me that damn piece." Ugh, did I say Tara went gentle on me? Forget it. I didn't consider just how damn complicated could it be to build a home library.

I thought, what's so hard? I'll just go to the store and buy all the stuff needed. Easy breezy, right? Ha! No. According to my evil ex wife, I can't buy already built shelves, I gotta build them up on my own, so I've spent the whole freaking Saturday trying not to kill myself while mounting the highest shelves. On top of that, my daughter keeps nagging me to understand what's going on. I can't even tell her, because Tara doesn't want the kids to know about the list. Ugh.

Gloria huffed, but did as asked nevertheless. "I just don't get it." She repeated for the third time. "You guys are divorced, right? You should be parting ways or something, then why have you rented the house across from ours? Why have you been hanging around so much? And why the hell are you building this freaking home library for her?"

I rolled my eyes. "You done with the third degree? I thought you'd like having your dad closer."

She snorted. "Oh, please, as if you were doing all this for me ..."

I turned to her, arching an eyebrow. "No, I'm doing this to go to Heaven instead of Hell." She chuckled. "Are you serious, Gloria? I'm up here nearly killing myself. And it's definitely not for myself, you know. I'm not much of a reader."

"Well, neither am I. The only reader here is your ex wifey, who kinda has you wrapped around her little finger, admit it."

I'll admit I do like my daughter's sass, she definitely took that from her sister, but I can't allow such talks, can I? "Gloria, please, do speak of your mother properly."

"What? I only said the truth."

I smirked, staring at her. "If you mean that I'm a sucker for that beautiful face as much as you are for Elise's, then yeah, your lovely mom has me wrapped around her little finger. And I kinda like that."

"Seriously?"

I turned back to my horrendous job. If not to do it for me, I'll have to pay someone to at least guide me through the steps, damnit. "It's called love, Bunny. Love makes us all stupid."

"So you're seriously still hoping she'll take you back, huh?"

Technically she has, or almost, given that list, but again, I can't tell that to my daughter. The boss commanded me not to speak, you know. "I'll hope she'll take me back till she actually does, Bunny. Like I said, it's love."

"Mmh ... it's a huge mistake, if you ask me, but whatever." She propped against the window, cracking a small smile. "I do like seeing you more, dad."

"Great." I growled, finally finishing the first shelf up. "Then if you like seeing me alive, too, lend me a hand here." I extended my hand to get the next piece.

"Did she ask you to do this, or are you only sucking up to her?"

"Gloria ... ugh, damnit, I don't have the patience to correct your language, too. Just shut your mouth and hand me the pieces."