My heart is hammering, my stomach a tight ball of knots as I walk into the kitchen and find my boys tussling.
“Enough!” I quickly shout.
They spring apart as if I’ve just fired a gun into the air, their eyes all wide as they quickly assess me and try to figure out my mood. Thankfully, I’m saved the hassle of pretending to be in full control when Zander backs me up.
“Right, guys, upstairs, grab the last of your things. Make sure you’re all ready to go. If you forget something, we’re not coming back for it.” The boys scramble to their feet, and he continues to call after them as they race up the stairs. “Help each other out and do a gear check for each other!”
“Got it, Daddy!” Olly yells down the stairs, then gasps. “Hi, Mommy!”
An instant smile curls my lips, yet I feel like crying as I call out to my precious boy. “Hey, bud.”
“We’re going to the airport!” Aw, bless, he’s so excited.
I try to brighten my voice. “I know! So fun!”
His feet thump on the stairs and I start to relax until Zander’s hand curls around the back of my neck and gives it a light squeeze. He then trails his hand across my shoulders, and I can feel each muscle tensing under his touch.
Why?
He’s my husband!
I love his touch.
Some days I crave it.
Yet right now, all I can think about is Davis’s slimy lips pressing into mine. The way he boxed me in against the lockers.
A shudder ripples through me.
“You okay?” Zander’s voice is gentle, soft… yet there’s still a hard, underlying gruffness.
Something has upset him between our afternoon lovemaking and me going off to the gym.
I turn to face him, knowing I need to fix this because we can’t have two stressed-out, grumpy parents at the airport. But time is not on our side. We’re due to leave in ten minutes.
“Yeah.” I smile and really hope it reaches my eyes. “I’m good.”
I’ll tell him about Davis later. Once we’re settled in Nolan and someone can watch the kids for a few minutes. Zander’s going tohave to process what happened to me, and although it was just a kiss, I still feel totally violated. Zander is going to hate that.
“Where were you?” He lightly brushes his finger along my hairline. “I messaged you a couple of times.”
“Oh, sorry.” I turn, digging out my phone, my shoulders slumping as I skim his texts. Shit, I’m gonna have to lie for now. He’ll understand when I explain things later. “I got caught up with some stuff after my workout. I was trying to rush to get it done and then hit one obstacle after another. You know how it is. I’ll give you all the deets once we’ve reached Nolan. I don’t want to make us late.” I shove my phone back into my bag. “Are we good to go? Give me a status update.” I switch into Mommy mode, because that’s easy. It’s safe and…
Zander sighs, his expression buckling with a frown.
“What is it?”
He scrubs a hand down his face. “I just got into it with Zoey.”
“Why?”
“Did you know she has avalentine?”
The way he spits out the word makes me blink, my stomach forming an even tighter knot. This isn’t some cute little card we’re talking about here. Zander wouldn’t be this upset over some cardboard. Something must have happened that?—
“Some guy drove her home, and then shekissed himgoodbye. I was standing at the window, watching the whole thing!” Zander points across the kitchen to the large window.
“What?” My fingers start to shake, so I curl them into Zander’s hoodie, needing something to cling to. More guys crossing lines? And with my daughter! Oh, I am going to kill that little shit. “Who?” I snap. “Who kissed her?”
