“No, but it speaks of his values as a man. He doesn’t give a fart in space about his family. He betrayed his wife’s trust and let her down.”
“Even the best dads can let moms down,” she said quietly.
Leo rubbed his chest, feeling the pain from her words. What more did she want? He came home every night, helped with the kids, and maybe he needed to pick up his housework a bit, but she seemed to handle everything fine. Realizing she didn’t want him to stay, he took his jacket from the hook.
“I’ll head out. If you need anything, call me. I’ll check in later at the hospital. Can I bring you anything?”
“No,” she said as her eyes became watery. “I’ll be fine.”
It took everything in him to walk away. But at 0500, he didn’t feel like starting a fight when the first of three kids might wake up any minute. He needed to address things, but he put it off. Partially because he didn’t want to hear what she wanted to do about the baby. Leo knew her pregnancy occurred because of his neglect, and although he felt bad, he wanted this child as much as the others. Leo wasn’t sure Kit Kat felt the same way.
CHAPTER 8
Addyson checkedher hair for the fourth time and smoothed the imaginary wrinkle from her shirt. She didn’t know why she felt skittish around Liam, but the butterflies in her stomach refused to settle.
Zeus whined from his bed while she stood before the mirror.
“What? Don’t you like this shirt? What do you suggest?” she asked as she turned to get a back view. “How do you feel about these jeans?”
Zeus grunted and rolled over.
“Some kind of help you are,” she muttered as she pet his belly. “Why do I feel nervous? He’s only helping me find a car.” Wishing she made a friend to talk to, Addyson made her way downstairs. Her eyes scanned the room, making sure everything appeared tidy and in its place.
Wanting to go outside, Zeus pawed at the door.
“All right, you big lug, we’ll go out for a few minutes. I’m going out today, and I expect you’ll be on your best behavior,” she chided as she grabbed the ball from the basket. When she stepped outside, she gave the ball a long toss, watching the dog gallop across the yard. A minute later, he brought it back, andshe threw it again. Zeus barked twice and sped to catch up with it as Liam came around the corner.
“Hey, I see you’re training your horse. If we don’t find a car today, maybe you can saddle him?” he said, grinning at her.
“You know, I almost think you’re jealous,” she retorted. “I bet your K-9 can’t do as many tricks as my baby.”
“You’re probably right,” he said. “Considering mine doesn’t do any tricks. He’s highly trained and professional.”
“I’ll have you know, Zeus can do more than tricks. He’s a great roommate, picks up his toys and doesn’t say sarcastic things about other dogs.”
Liam chuckled as he leaned against the fence. “I’m only teasing. I’ll admit he startled us the first time we met, but anyone can see you’re great at handling him.”
Addy smiled as she watched Zeus carry the slobbery ball to her. Reaching down, she grabbed it and called out, “Last time before we go in, do your business.”
Zeus ran about the yard and found his perfect spot before going and then returned to Addy. She threw it again and watched her dog retrieve it.
“Do you think we’ll find a car today? Sam always did a ton of research and asked a million questions. I don’t know a single thing about them,” she admitted. “I hate feeling this misinformed over such a costly item.”
“Do you have a budget in mind?” he asked as Zeus returned with his prize and Addy opened the back door for him to bring it inside and put it in the basket.
“I’ll open the front door,” she called as Liam made his way around the house. Filling the water bowl, she pointed her finger at her cherished pet. “No funny stuff today. We took a nice, long walk already, but when I return, maybe we’ll take another one.”
She entered the living room to welcome Liam and then grabbed her purse and jacket. “Do I need anything else?” she asked as she bit her fingernail.
“I think you’re good as long as you have your ID and insurance card. You’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Do you have a certain make or model you’re interested in test-driving?”
Shaking her head, she climbed into Liam’s SUV. “No, not really. Maybe I’ll stick to the old, tried, and true.”
* * *
Liam watchedas she nibbled on her nails. Addyson played the cool, professional nurse at the Winters Foundation, but seemed unsure of herself outside of the facility.
“How about this. When you envision your new car, what color do you see?” he asked, glancing at her as he backed out of her driveway.
