“To forest?” She smiled sweetly, running a tiny finger down the scar on my cheek.
“Sure.”
Matilda was happy and bouncing around again by the time we got to the ice cream shop. The customers loved her. Grinning at anyone who’d look at her, she twirled to show off her dress and the pink unicorn charms dangling from her new bracelet.
Erin hadn’t smiled once.
She was putting on a brave face, keeping her head held high and glaring at Jeremy every time he dared to open his mouth, but underneath, she was rattled. He was so close. Her fingersknotted in her cardigan, and she clung to my side as Matilda hopped along the freezer choosing ice cream flavors for her cup.
“Matilda have choc—”
“No, princess,” Jeremy interrupted. “You say, ‘I want,’ when you choose something.”
She nodded, jabbing her stubby finger at the glass. “Matilda want choc chip and strawberry and—”
Erin bent down and whispered, “Just one scoop, okay?”
“Two.” Matilda’s bottom lip popped out.
“It’s a special treat,” Jeremy urged Erin. “Let her have two.”
I took a step forward, ready to bark at him for overruling her like that, but Erin stood tall. He hadn’t shaken her.
“One,” she repeated to Matilda, ignoring the moron next to her. “But you can choose a topping or some candies to sprinkle on top.”
Matilda bounced up and down. “Marshmallows?”
“Sure.” Erin grinned at me. “Even though I know we’re absolutely going to regret her having all this sugar later.”
Grinning back, I was about to tap my card to pay for everything, but I slid a reluctant glance at Jeremy. “You getting one?” I asked him.
“I’m watching my macros…” he muttered.
My eyebrow lifted. His…what?
He tossed back his hair and leaned his hip against the counter. “I’ll grab a flat white,” he purred to the barista. “With almond milk.”
He winked at her as he flashed his platinum card, and my head just about snapped off because I whipped around so fast to see if Erin had caught his obnoxious flirting. Nope. She was too busy hustling Matilda to the booth in the corner.
“Here to win back your wife, huh?” I mumbled under my breath as I headed over. “What a load of shit.”
There was no room left beside Erin for Jeremy to squeeze in. She’d boxed herself into a corner, Matilda next to her, and furry critters were appearing out of Erin’s bag for Matilda to play with. The only spot left for Jeremy was next to me. The prospect of his ass next to mine for however long this shitshow lasted thrilled him to no end.
He glowered at me as he sipped his coffee. “Isn’t this nice?”
Erin’s spoon stabbed into her ice cream. “No.”
Jeremy sighed.
She put down the spoon, folded her arms, and stared at him. “What? Let me guess,” she said. “Everything’s different now? You’ve changed? It’ll never happen again?”
Jeremy didn’t respond with words, but he shifted his weight and tried to mask his discomfort by propping his ankle on his knee.
“Sorry,” Erin added. “Was that not what you wanted to talk about?”
He reached over the table to cover her hand with his. “I love you.”
I grunted.
