She opened and closed her mouth, looking angry and tongue-tied.
“Let me clue you in on something I realized a long time ago. Your words, your actions, are all fake. Helen, your entire life, every interaction, is nothing but lies and playing pretend. I left that world because I could and because I’m better than it. So if you thought anything you have to say means something, it doesn’t. Not to us. Not in this house. I would have to respect you first.” Her jaw clenched as I paused. “Which I don’t. You should leave now. My lawyer will be in touch.”
“Mommy? Linc?” Lou’s small voice rang out from upstairs, and I froze.
“Go get her, Soph. I’ll finish breakfast.” He paused, then lookedat Helen. “And I’ll make sure to take out the trash before Lou gets down.” Helen gasped, anger written in every line of her body before she turned on her heel and stomped out of the house.
“Thinking maybe we should try staying at my place for the next few days. Make sure we aren’t bothered by any other unwanted visitors?” he asked, looking both angry and concerned.
My first reaction was to deny it, insist we stay, but then I thought about how Lou would have reacted if she had come downstairs and seen Helen. Linc had already gone back to cooking, not pressuring me to answer right then. I enjoyed the view—him shirtless in my kitchen.
I could get used to waking up like this.
“Sophie? Babe, you gonna check on Lou?” he asked. “Are you upset about the hag?” He watched me closely with a smirk once he realized my eyes were focused solely on his shirtless chest.
“I think it’s a good idea. To go to your place for a few days. As long as Lou is comfortable with it.” A smile transformed his face as he pulled me into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
“That sounds like a plan. Now, go check on her before she gets her cast wet or one of the other 100 things you’re not supposed to do with those things.” Linc was such a worrywart, but he was right. I climbed the stairs quickly and found Lou in her room, the lights on as she tried to pull clothes out of her drawer.
“Good morning, sweetie.” I sat on the floor and pulled her into my arms, needing the hug more than she did.
“My arm is itchy. When can I take the cast off?” she asked. I sighed.
“It’s gotta stay on for a little while until the bone inside heals,” I told her, and she frowned. “But I have a surprise for you…” I teased. She perked up, looking curious.
“I’m listening.” It was a struggle to keep a neutral face as the familiar expression Pops used came out of her mouth.
“How would you feel about staying at Linc’s house tonight? As a special treat since you were so brave yesterday,” I told her, and her eyes got big.
“A sleepover? All of us? For how long?” she asked. I smiled.
“How about you ask Linc? He’s downstairs making breakfast. Let’s brush your teeth and hair, and then we can go down.” Before I had finished speaking, she was running for the bathroom.
“Pancakes!” Lou yelled once we made it downstairs. With barely-contained excitement, she went through her morning routines, eager to see what Linc was up to. She came to a running stop once she saw him in the kitchen, a plate piled high with fluffy pancakes next to scrambled eggs and some bacon.
“Morning, Lou. How are you, baby girl?” Linc asked, his eyes full of concern.
“I like my purple cast, but it’s itchy. Did you put chocolate chips in the pancakes?” Lou prattled off as she scrambled to climb into her chair at the kitchen table.
“Purple looks great. Of course there are chocolate chips in the pancakes. Duh,” Linc replied dramatically as he brought the maple syrup over and sat down at the table with us. Breakfast was perfect. There was a quiet current of comfort and support that powered the much-needed normalcy of the moment. As I watched Linc make a plate for Lou, my heart thumped in my chest.
“Is it true? Mommy and I are gonna have a slumber party with you tonight?” Lou asked, and Linc smiled.
“As long as it’s alright with you, squirt. I got a surprise I wanted to show you, and I thought it would be fun if we had a sleepover after. That way, we can stay up late watching the newHow to Train Your Dragonmovie.”
“Will Mimi and Gary be there?” she asked, and I had to hold back laughter at the names.
“I’m sure they’d love to stop by if you want to see them,” Linc replied warmly.
How did I get so lucky?Part of me wanted to hold back, stay cautious, but that felt unfair. Linc was giving all of himself, not just to me, but to Lou, too. He had embraced our lives in a way I could never have imagined. Keeping Linc at arm’s length wouldn’t benefit any of us. Not to mention, the idea of not having him in our everyday lives was becoming something unimaginable. I wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of us.
Chapter 20
Sophie
The darkest time of my life wasn’t finding out Max was cheating. It wasn’t the divorce. And it wasn’t seeing him move on. It was in the quiet after it all, when it was time to move forward and establish my own identity, that I faltered. My thoughts were consumed with fear and self-recrimination.
How could I have been so blind? How did Max trick me so thoroughly?Doubt, heavy and cloying, crawled up my throat whenever I had to make a decision. I didn’t trust myself or my instincts. How could I, when they had failed me so terribly? Memories played on a loop in my head as I tried to spot the cracks and stains I had missed. When you can’t trust your ability to distinguish truth from lies, everyday tasks are overwhelming.
