Page 76 of Playing With Temptation

“Hey, Shay. Sorry again about cutting our conversation short yesterday. Got two big cases and they’re both breaking fast,” I told her. “And thanks again for letting me have the kids tonight.”

“You did me a solid and took them last weekend on short notice. So, no worries.”

I had, that’s why I’d picked them up on Friday after school, instead of my regular Monday switch off.

It had taken awhile, but Shay and I had sorted or shit and we figured out how to effectively co-parent. The last few years had been great, and I hoped like fuck what I had to tell her didn’t screw with what we had worked hard to achieve.

I decided the best course of action was to rip the Band-Aid off.

“I’m back together with Rainy Cross.”

The silence stretched long enough for a knot to form in my stomach. If Shay wanted to turn up the bitch, she could max out attitude like no other woman I knew.

I heard her soft laughter before she said, “I saw her at the hospital the day you were shot. So I figured as much.”

Okay, out of all the responses Shay could give, laughter wasn’t even on the list.

“Right. Rainy told me you were there. Already texted you my gratitude but I say it again, it was cool of you to check on me. What I didn’t get to explain yesterday when I asked to keep the kids tonight is, we’re going to Rainy’s mom’s house for dinner. We were supposed to go earlier in the week, but Barb had to cancel. It was tonight or wait another week until the kids were back with me.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

I didn’t know what that whisper meant. I was with the woman for five years and I couldn’t read her reactions the way I could Rainy’s. Especially over the phone when I couldn’t see if she was giving me a dirty look.

“I don’t know what to do with that, Shay,” I admitted. “You gotta give me something.”

More silence and the knot that had loosened pulled tight again.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Do I wish you would’ve called me, like I called you before I introduced the kids to Hunter, yes. But also, I recognize the situations are very different. You’ve known Rainy longer than you’ve known me. I know Rainy. It was from high school, but she was sweet and shy and kind then so unless she’s done a one-eighty and turned into a screaming lunatic I already know her, and you didn’t know Hunter at all. I also know there would be no Colson and Juniper if she hadn’t broken up with you. And I’m not bringing that up to be a bitch. It’s just factual. You’ve always loved Rainy. I came to terms with that a long time ago. So, really, there’s nothing to say. I knew when I saw her in the hospital this was going to happen. I knew she’d be meeting the kids. And really, you’re a good dad, you love the kids and I know if Rainy wasn’t Rainy you wouldn’t have brought her around the kids, because you never bring women around the kids.”

After that speech I didn’t know what to say. This was the Shay I’d met and grown to care for. Those feelings changed after we’d gotten married and she’d allowed jealousy to turn into bitterness, but I owned that. She had a right to be wary. Her husband was in love with someone else.

“I appreciate you being cool about this, Shay.”

“I’m happy for you, Jason. I’m not proud of how I ended us, and I’ll always regret cheating on you because you didn’t deserve that. It was a bitchy thing for me to do. You’re a good guy, always were, and you’re a great dad. Not so great a husband to me, but I was a shit wife. So we’re even on that. But I know you’ll be a really great husband for Rainy because she’s the one you’ve always loved.”

“Shay—”

“I’m not bringing up old ground, promise. That’s gone. We’re here. We have two really great kids and we’re raising them with love. That’s the only thing that matters.”

She was right. That was the only thing that mattered, our kids were loved and they knew it.

“I didn’t think you were bringing up the past. I wanted to tell you, the same for you—I know you’re gonna be a great wife for Hunter because he loves you the way you deserve to be loved. He loves our kids and treats them well, and they give that back to him and part of the reason why is because he loves their mom like crazy and they see that. So, you’re right, we weren’t good together, but we have great kids, we’ve moved on, and now all they get is love and support.”

I heard her sniff, then clear her throat.

“I would like if possible, to arrange a big family dinner—all of us. Not now, not even soon. Maybe in a month or two.”

Fucking shit, I wasn’t so well-adjusted I wanted to sit down with my ex-wife, her husband, and my woman for dinner. But the kids would love that.

“I’ll talk to Rainy and we’ll make that happen. But you also need to know, Rainy has a son, Lucas.”

“Lucas? Juni’s best friend Lucas?”

“Yes.”

Shay busted out laughing.

“Another Turner-Cross best friends crossover,” Shay sputtered.