Free Incandescent by River Savage Page A

we can help him sort through this,” I finish. Nix looks worried as he takes in my advice. Addison just looks bored.
    “I don’t believe my concerns are unwarranted,” I add before Addison starts to whine again. “You know yourselves something is not right. At the very least, I would suggest talking to him, encouraging him to open up, but if that’s something that you don’t think he will talk to either of you about, then the school counselor is going to be your best outcome.”
    “Book it in,” he agrees.
    “Nix,” Addison whines beside him.
    “Shut it, Addison. I told you to talk to him last week. I’ve tried talkin’ to him but he won’t open up to me. Far as I know, it could be somethin’ I’m doin’.” He looks to me again. “Book it in.”
    I nod, agreeing with his decision.
    “Nix, we can sort this out as a family.”
    “Family?” He looks to her like the idea of it offends him. “We stopped being a fuckin’ family when you stopped caring.”
    “Nix.”
    “Save it, Addison. Let's go,” he orders, rising from his chair.
    She huffs out a breath standing, and then storms herself out of the room.
    “Thanks’ for lettin’ us know. Appreciate it,” Nix mutters, still not looking at me.
    “No problem. I hope we can sort it out,” I reply, still waiting for him to look at me. Now that his eyes have left mine, I feel a sense of loss. He nods and then, without a backward glance, he follows Addison out, leaving me alone.
    Releasing a shaky breath, I lean forward over my desk and try to get my racing heart under control. I congratulate myself on getting through my first encounter with him. Granted, he was pissed we didn’t talk, but obviously something is going on with Z and that’s our main concern right now. I just hope we can sort it out and get him to open up before his behavior escalates. I’m glad that I got through the meeting. I just pray next time I see him, he will be over his anger, and we can carry on as if nothing has happened. I hope I can say the same for myself. Falling for a sexy hot biker is one thing, a parent to one of my students is another.

Chapter Eight
    Nix
    W alking back into her classroom, I slam the door shut. The loud bang vibrates the walls in the empty room. My anger is barely controllable. Between her and Addison, I need to calm myself, but I don’t know how. Her head comes up fast from her paperwork, and confusion washes over her face.
    “What?” she begins to say before I hold my hand up, cutting her off. I have no time for her fucking bullshit excuses. I’ve come back in order to say what I need to say.
    “You got two options here, Kadence. Shut it and let me talk, or have me bend you over the table and spank your ass for the shit you pulled the other night.” Her mouth closes fast, and my eyes are drawn to her throat, watching the movement of her swallowing. Great, I have her fucking attention.
    Once I walked Addison out, I gave her another wake-up call: either start helping me parent our child or I take sole custody. She left in a huff, annoyed that I was siding with Kadence. It’s not about taking sides. Something is going on with our son and I don’t know how to get through to him. Kadence is right; we need to get a handle on this. I hung back trying to calm myself before getting on my bike pissed. Between the piss-poor excuse Addison just showed as a mother and the uneasiness I’m feeling knowing Z is dealing with some shit, there was no way I would have been able to ride. Something is going on with my boy and knowing that he won’t talk to me guts me.
    When I first got the notice that Kadence called a meeting, a small part of me thought that she was playing her games again, a test of some kind. That theory went out the window when I saw her sitting there, uncomfortable beyond anything, while at the same time trying not to respond to me. Waiting five minutes did nothing to calm me, so I decide I needed to confront her. I needed to know why she