Page 137 of For Your Consideration

As I pressed a kiss to her forehead as she laughed at something Quinn said, I made a silent vow to make sure nothing bad ever touched her again.

40

Sutton

“Did you need more yogurt?” I asked when Iris picked up the phone.

She groaned on the other end. “The texture is terrible, Sutton.”

I stood in the grocery store tapping my foot. “I’m aware but it’s a heart-healthy food—it’s on the list from the doctor that I put on the fridge.”

“It’s not on the fridge,” she said as I heard Sophie squawk on the other end of the phone.

“You didn’t think I’d notice you ripped that part off?”

“Clint is making me lots of salmon.”

I hadn’t met Iris’s “friend” yet, but I was pushing the topic now. She said she wouldn’t introduce him unless he was going to make an honest woman out of her and she didn’t think that would ever happen, mostly because she didn’t want to be married.

“Vanilla, raspberry, or peach?”

“Aargh! Can it be ice cream? It’s basically the same thing.”

“It’s not,” I replied patiently. “If you don’t want to pick, I’ll surprise you.”

“Raspberry,” she grumbled.

“Great choice.” I tucked the phone into my shoulder as I grabbed the tub. “I’m going to grab some diapers, syrup, and milk and then I’m on my way home. Do you need anything else?”

“I didn’t need anything to begin with.”

I laughed as I moved through the store. “I’ll be home soon!”

“Whatever.”

Quinn and I had to work late tonight, finishing off a quarterly report and a presentation for the medical school to let them know about the volunteer program we had set up for medical students.

Now I was heading home and Sophie, Iris, and I were doing breakfast for dinner. Asher was going to come over later. It was the first night this week we hadn’t gone to his house and I was pretty sure he was going to convince me to head over there after dinner.

I liked his house. Sophie liked his house. I just felt guilty leaving Iris on her own, so I made an effort to have dinner with her at least once a week. Even though she assured me she could just come to Asher’s, I told her that was unnecessary since I lived next door.

It was just before eight and the store was quieter, so I was in and out through the self-checkout quickly with the few things I needed.

This wasn’t my normal store, it being a little out of the way and part of a strip mall, but it was on my drive home and we needed milk for the pancakes.

The parking lot was quiet. The lights had turned on but they were those weird blue-purple ones that didn’t really light up much. I reached into my pocket, digging around for my keys, trying not to drop the diapers tucked under my arm.

“Sutton.”

The voice stopped me in my tracks.

The wrong reaction? Absolutely. But what else was I supposed to do when he stepped out between me and my car?

“What are you doing here, Ben?” He wasn’t much taller than me, and his blonde hair was longer than when I’d last seen him. His clothes looked like they didn’t fit well, like he’d lost weight.

The last I’d heard from Maya was that she was waiting for the judge to set a court date. She told me she hadn’t gotten anything else from his lawyer. I definitely didn’t expect to see him in Calgary, standing in front of me.

“Thought it was time we stopped talking with lawyers. It’s getting a little ridiculous.” He shook his head, taking a step closer to me. I glanced around the parking lot. It was fairly empty and I didn’t see anyone close by.