Free Everything I've Never Had by Lynetta Halat

change.” I gasp and spin around. Bonnie starts laughing hysterically.
    “What? You want me to change my dress? What's wrong with it?”
    “First off, it's not a dress. It's a t-shirt pretending to be a dress. Second off, I just saw the bottom of your ass when you bent over. Go change. Now.”
    I take a deep breath, but even with my effort to try and calm myself, I feel my eyes shooting sparks at him. Bonnie slaps the countertop, diverting our attention. “Well, with that telling, yet Neanderthal, comment I'm going to go. Garner is picking me up in a little while.” She moves around the bar and kisses me on the cheek. “Have fun tonight! Tell Bradford hi for me. And do everything I would do.”
    I give a stilted laugh despite my anger, “Love you, Bonnie. Thanks for your help. I'll call you tomorrow.”
    Bonnie turns to Adrian and whispers something in his ear. I see his eyes widen a bit, and he gives an impatient little laugh. She squeezes his arm and then throws a mischievous little smile at me.
    After Bonnie shows herself out, I finally feel calm enough to address his command, “I'm not changing. I temporarily forgot not to bend over. It won't happen again. I promise.”
    He folds his arm across his chest. Is he trying to intimidate me? “You're damn straight it won't happen again ‘cause you're changing.”
    I grit my teeth and keep my voice contained since the boys are in the next room. “I'm NOT changing. And you have no right to tell me to change anyway. You have no right to anything about me. And while we're on the subject of rights and wrongs, I really don't like the way you've been talking to me lately. You're either mean like you were at the park, distant like you've been every other time I've seen you, or overbearing like you are now. I don't like it, and you need to remedy that immediately.”
    He just stares at me for a minute like I've lost my mind. “You are clueless. Do you have any idea how many men are going to try and have a go at you?”
    Of course he ignores my comments about his behavior. “That's ridiculous. No one's going to mess with me. I'll be with Bradford anyway.”
    “Exactly what I'm worried about. Don't you care what he thinks of you? What's he going to think of you looking like that?”
    My mouth drops. No he did NOT just go there. I open my mouth to respond but he abruptly walks past me to enter the hallway. “Where are you going?” I'm spoiling for a fight now.
    “Let's continue this conversation somewhere else, yeah?”
    “Oh, yeah, let's,” I agree vehemently.
    My heels click-clack as I stomp after him and follow him into the laundry room. I enter the room and spin to see him closing the door behind us. “Celeste, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just telling you that that 'dress' is gonna get your ass in trouble. If you had any idea...”
    I narrow my eyes at him. “Any idea of what?”
    “Nothing.” He rearranges his face to a more pleasant look and gives me a little smile. “I guess I went about it the wrong way. Let's try this...Celeste, will you change your dress before you leave?”
    “No.”
    His face falls from his patronizing little smile. “No?”
    I give him a slanted smile and raise my eyebrows. Fighting with him is fun. I don't know that I've ever fought with anyone except Bonnie. “Yeah...No.”
    He runs his hands through his hair and places both his hands on his hips. “No,” he repeats, seemingly in awe of my refusal. He's probably used to us women just doing whatever we're told. I laugh a little at this realization. I've had my fill of being told what to do. “There's nothing to laugh about here. If you only understood that I'm trying to protect you. This is for your own good.”
    My blood boils at this comment. “If you had any idea how often I've heard that line , you'd never say that to me again.”
    “What do you mean?” He furrows his brow in concern.
    “Everything that anyone's ever done for me or to me has been for my own good,