I slowed, wanting to hear how this panned out.
“I mean, he has a reason to be upset,” Dad said. “Thisismostly your fault. And Holden’s.”
“Hey!” Holden shouted.
I grinned.
The others chuckled.
“No loyalty whatsoever,” Ford grumbled.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, bro,” Dad said, “But you got bumped further down my loyalty list every time Clem gave birth.”
“Seriously?” Ford said.
“He’s my offspring,” Dad shot back, likeuse your head.
“More like your evil spawn,” Ford grumbled.
“M’kay,” Dad said, signaling it was over.
James’s head snapped up when I was five feet away. With no smile, no joy, just that permanent grief behind his eyes, he opened his arms. He, Willow, and I shared a three-way hug.
“Griff,” he whispered. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.”
Okay, add insensitive, selfish, unfeeling, World’s Worst Brother to the list, right behind Top-Tier Terrible Husband.
“I missed you, too,” I said. “A lot.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
JULIETTE
Juliette
The early morning Virginia sun was bright enough to fry my retinas. Oh, how I wanted to sleep in—but DoubleTake wasn’t going to build itself. So I cracked my eyes open and blinked at the ceiling.
“Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” a deep, familiar voice drawled to my right.
I shrieked, sat straight up, and came face to face with…
My husband?
Was I dreaming? I blinked.
Nope. Still there.
My heart stuttered. After three long months,he was here.
Holy crap, he was hot.Bright green eyes blazing, jaw locked, shoulders straining his T-shirt.
“Hi,” I said with too much joy. Which was embarrassing, frankly, given that I’d filed for divorce. I cleared my throat and righted my attitude. “I told you not to come. What’re you doing here? What about the fire in South Dakota?”
He scowled, not looking nearly as happy as I felt. Disheveled and like he’d spent the night on a redeye flight, yes.But not happy. “Funny you should ask.” He slapped a stack of folded papers in my lap.
I swallowed as I smoothed them flat. The words COMPLAINT FOR DIVORCE stared back at me. And, like every day since I’d filed, I felt like throwing up.
“I think there must’ve been a mistake. The woman I married made a vow. For richer, for poorer,” he recited, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “In sickness and in health, etcetera.”
