CHRISTOPHER
“Why didn’t you tell us that Lynley has Grafton Reynolds’s support?” my father demands, shooting me a vicious glare as he paces the length of his office. My mother is perched on the settee, a glass of wine clutched in her trembling fingers, her eyes glazed. I’m pretty sure she popped a pill when my father wasn’t looking, but that’s not my problem.
“I would have told you if I knew,” I tell him, resting an ankle over my knee, acting unaffected. “She has kept that fact pretty quiet. Not surprising, because it doesn’t look good, does it? Divorcing her husband and jumping into bed with his boss. Everyone thought she was a gold digger when she married me. Now she’s just confirmed it.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” my father demands loudly. “She doesn’t need him for his money when she’s basically hung you out to dry. And you let her!” His last words are a roar, but I stare back at him unblinking.
“Luckily, our money is tied up,” my mother mumbles. “He could have destroyed us all.”
My father’s cheeks are red, sweat dotting his forehead. “He still might, Francine. We never should have?—”
“We need to rescue the children!” My mother suddenly sits up, her glass tilting and wine sloshing all over the rug under her feet. “We cannot leave them with her!”
“For God’s sake, Francine,” my father snaps back. “Let it go!” He turns to face me, his scowl damning. “You need to fix this,” he says, voice lowering. “We need to keep our heads down so he doesn’t decide to come after us, and the first step means removing every connection from his family to us.” The look he levels on me is meaningful, and I blow out a breath.Angelica.
“What do you want me to do about her?”
His mouth presses into a flat line. “I don’t care, but Christopher…There can be no baby between our families. We cannot have that kind of tie between Grafton Reynolds and us.”
A wail comes from the couch. “I forgot about that.” My mother dramatically stands, stumbling from the room.
My father watches her go before shaking his head, looking back at me. “Clean it up, Christopher,” he says lowly, “before we end up buried under it.”
With that, he leaves me stewing in his office, storming off in search of my mother.
***
Twenty minutes pass,and when neither reappears, I decide to get out while I still can.
I’m numb as I head away from my parents’, carefully avoiding any streets that will take me near the house Ishared with my wife, the large For Sale sign already hammered into the ground outside.
Lynley never has been like the women who surrounded me growing up, or the type my parents expected me to marry. I knew going into our marriage she would expect a level of fidelity from me, so I made sure she never had to confront the facets of our marriage that she wouldn’t like.
When she suggested moving our family to Sterling fucking Creek, I didn’t fight her on it. The distance between our home and my office seemed like the perfect situation. I could keep my proclivities, and my wife would remain content and unaware. It gave me the space to keep everything separate and my life just as I wanted it, but I miscalculated. I didn’t take into account the reduced distance to Lynley’s fucking family.
I pull into the motel I’ve been staying in, unable to bear the idea of shacking up at my parents’—the cost of it be damned. Before I even get anywhere near my room, I can see the shadow of a slight figure hovering by the door.
I pause, keys jangling in my hand, too tired to play the avoidance game. As I step into the flickering light outside my room, the person turns to look at me, a sharp gasp coming from them. They step forward, and I bite back a groan as the light falls onto Angelica’s face.
She looks young, her eyes wide and lips swollen, like she’s been chewing them to bits. She’s wearing a short skirt and a midriff top, showing off inches of her stomach, and a wave of exhaustion rolls through me.
“Angelica,” I say through gritted teeth. “Now is not a good time.” I don’t even know how she knew where I am staying, because I definitely didn’t fucking tell her.
“Chrissy!” she chirps, eagerly throwing herself into myarms. “I’m so glad you’re back. I was starting to get worried.”
I stiffly grip her arms, remembering everything my father said earlier, and push her back from me. “What are you doing here, Angelica?” I ask through gritted teeth. “Now is really not a good time—” My eyes drop, locking on the luggage at her feet, my eyes bulging.
“I thought it was time for us to move in together.” She grins, something calculating flashing through her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ve already started looking for the perfect house.”
“What are you talking about?” I growl out, frustration bubbling down my spine.
“Your divorce is official now, right? So we don’t have to hide anymore.” She pulls back, eyes wide and shining as she touches her flat stomach. “We can finally be together…as a family.”
***
Mase crosseshis arms over his chest, scowling down at his feet. “I don’t want to go.” He kicks his sneaker into the ground, making sure he doesn’t look at me—something he hasn’t done since I arrived. “Grafton and I have plans today.”
He might as well have punched me in the gut, and I blow out a heavy breath. “Look, Mase?—”
