Scream and be Free (Zac Hanson)

Chapter Nine

babies, anybody?

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Sitting with his back against the headboard, a game controller in his hand, Zac glanced away from the tv long enough to see his wife pass by the bedroom door. Brielle was carrying a sleeping Abe into his bedroom, while Junia scooted into her own. Arriving home to find the house quiet, Brielle's curiosity turned furious finding her husband sprawled out in bed, the effects of his afternoon with Jenna still lingering heavily on his senses. Once she had both children in bed, their day running later than Brielle had planned, she entered her own bedroom to find Zac still playing his game.

Her first cause for upset hadn't been that he was ignoring her, because that wasn't anything new, instead it came in the form of the empty beer bottles sitting on the night stand next to their bed. Pulling her hair up with an elastic she found on Zac's dresser, Brielle bit her bottom lip, her better judgment told her to drop the subject yet she continued on.

"Why do you have empty beer bottles in here?" Brielle questioned sitting on the foot of their bed. "And dirty plates?" she turned her nose up seeing the two plates sitting on the floor on Zac's side of the bed.

"I got hungry?" Zac smiled at her, his smile was bright and wide. Brielle knew the look well, it was the one he gave her in hopes to make his lecture a little lighter when he knew she would mad at him. Pushing his hair out of his face, which had escaped his pony tail, Zac focused back on the game.

"Zac, I'm not doing this with you tonight. Why does our bedroom look like a frat house?" Brielle shifted as she placed her hand on her hips.

"I." He began, before stopping, Zac wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea to tell his wife the truth. If he didn't, then Jenna would. "I got home earlier than I expected, so Jenna and I smoked a bit. No big deal."

Rolling her eyes, Brielle groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. She should have known. Jenna had been there long enough; it was only a matter of time before she brought out her favourite habit. Moving to stand next to the bed, Brielle leaned forward straightening up the spot on the bed that she'd messed up. Shaking her head and muttering about how foolish her husband and cousin had been she stopped when she noticed Zac's stare was directly on her.

"What?"

"Not like you haven't done it before." Zac spoke, his voice was even and his expression deadpan.

"Not in a house, where my children live." Brielle retorted.

"But you've still done it." Zac answered with a slight shrug. He didn't get the big deal. It wasn't as if they had sat at the kitchen table with a joint and passed it back and forth. They had been in a room, where the children weren't likely to go, ever, as long as Jenna was using it. To top it off, he and Jenna were adults.

Brielle shook her head, he was missing her point. Brielle didn't care if Zac stayed stoned five days a week, as long as he didn't do it in the house where his young children lived. Lord knew Brielle had done her fair share of it in high school and university, after that she just sort of left it alone.

"You promised me you wouldn't do it in the house, because of the kids." Brielle muttered pursing her lips together. As long as she and Zac shared a home Brielle didn't want things like that being done around his kids.

"The kids weren't home." Zac weakly deafened, it was the dumbest excuse he could come up with.

"You knew they would be coming home!" Brielle exclaimed glaring at him.

"No, I didn't. I don't know anything anymore, because you never tell me." Zac chimed in with a huff.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Brielle inhaled deeply. Swallowing hard, she stood inches away from the bed, her gaze still focused on her husband. Raising his brow at her, Zac returned the stare. Locked on one another for a moment, Zac suddenly remembered the game he had left, returning his attention to it. Moving around the room, Brielle dug out a change of clothes, her plan was to shower and then head to the den with a good bottle of wine. If she was a bit tipsy, then the sight of Zac wouldn't bother her as much. She'd deal with Jenna later.