This has become our morning routine. We kiss. I hand her a homemade latte before we decide on what to eat for breakfast.
“Omelet, Bella? Or would you prefer some shrimp and grits? I know how much you love that.”
She gives me a genuine smile of appreciation, but she shakes her head.
“You can make that for me this weekend. I have a meeting.” She looks at her watch. “I’m running late. It’s about the shop.” Little liar. The shop is off the table. I made sure of it. There’s no meeting.
“You want me to come with you? I want to look around the place first. I know a thing or two about opening a business.”
“Oh.” She runs a hand over her head and takes a deep breath. I know her well enough to know that she’s giving herself a minute to come up with her next lie. “I’d love that.” I wait to hear what bullshit will spill out of her lips next. She walks to me and puts her hand on my chest. “But I want to do this first part on my own, and then you can come. I’m just touring it today so I can make a list of questions for the realtor. You can look over my questions and even add your own.” She pats my chest, but she won’t meet my eyes. “It’s important to me. This is my dream, and I want to be the one to bring it to life.”
I bend down and kiss her lips softly.
“Of course, sweetheart. I understand, but whenever you need me, I’ll be there.” I get close to her ear before I whisper, “Your husband isn’t going anywhere.” She shivers, and I’m not sure if that’s from my close contact or if she senses my deeper meaning. I pull her closer.
“The only thing better than last night was this morning.” I swallow her response with a deep kiss. I run my hand down her back and grab her ass. “I’ll miss you.”
She looks up and smiles into my eyes, and for a moment, I believe everything. I believe this is real and that she wants me as much as I want her. I believe she’s doing everything she can to make this marriage work.
“I’ll miss you, too.” She holds my stare, and I try to read her.
“Don’t go. Stay with me, and we’ll go look at the place tomorrow.” I put her hand on my heart. I see the diamond bracelet again, but I don’t comment on it. “Spend the day with me.”
She opens her mouth. “I,” she whispers, but no more words come out. Our eyes lock, and I stare into hers as if they are the entryway into her thoughts.
“You, what, baby?” I whisper after a long pause.
She licks her plump lips. If she confesses and asks for forgiveness, I’ll forgive and forget it all.
“Tell me,” I whisper.
Our eyes remain locked, and I see her unwavering. For a second, I’m hopeful, then her phone rings. Our stare breaks, and so does the moment.
Chapter 45
Cori
“Daxton!” I slam the door that connects to the garage with enough force to bring down the entire house, but there’s no sign of my husband. Not even that mongrel comes running to sniff me.
I slam my purse on the counter and run up the back staircase. The asshole is not upstairs. I check his office and my sewing room, and he’s not there. I slam the sewing room door shut, but something dawns, and I burst back into the room.
“Oh, no, no, no!” All of my fabrics are gone, along with the Bernina, but worse than that, my grandmother’s sewing machine is gone, too.
“You went too far now, you jerk!” I slam the door shut and dial his number again. It goes right to voicemail, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he blocked me. “Answer me, you jackass.” I dial again, and I get a recorded message that says the number is not available. “I’m going to find you, and I’m going to kill you.”
The words are in vain, and I spend the next hour driving through Shadow Cove looking for one of my husband’s cars. I’m so desperate that I call his mother.
“Hey, sweetheart. This is a nice surprise.” I take a breath of relief at her tone. Whatever Daxton is doing, he hasn’t turned his mother against me, and I’m relieved. At least for now. There’s no telling what that snake will do next.
“Hey, Momma Had. Um, have you seen Dax? He’s not picking up his phone, and I want to talk to him about Corine’s Creations. He promised he’d help me.” I make sure to sound pouty enough to concern his mother.
“I talked to him a few hours ago.”
“Did he say anything about going out of town?”
“Oh, sweetheart, he doesn’t tell me anything about that.” There’s something about the tone of her voice that makes me think she’s not being truthful, but I keep those thoughts to myself. I need to find this asshole now and ask him why he thinks he can humiliate me the way he did today. I don’t have time to question his mother.
“Okay. If you hear from him before I do, tell him to call me. But let’s do lunch soon. What’s your schedule looking like on Friday?”
