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“It’s Twelfth Night!” She reached to hug him. “I’m so sorry, Chris. I know I’m giving you a hard time.”
“No, you’re not at all. I knew you’d have questions and concerns. The problem is the unknown. Hopefully, she’ll get wise counsel and make a decision, and then we can all move on. I feel sorry for my sons.”
“Evidently, Christmas sucked because of the upheaval with Kirk leaving like that. Cindy didn’t want the boys to tell me Kirk left, so they got through it alone. She’d managed to put the tree up after Thanksgiving even though she didn’t feel that great.”
“We were getting engaged while she was struggling alone,” Annie said. “That makes me feel sorry for her.”
“Look, we can get on with our lives, but in the meantime, I’ll keep checking in with my boys and if they need me, I’ll take a ride to Mobile.”
“What will happen when they go back to school?”
“Ben goes locally, so it should be okay. I’ll talk to Cindy soon about not expecting too much from an eighteen-year-old.”
Wishing they could move on, Annie made it an act of her will to be positive. “I’m ready to paint! Can we change topics? Let’s drop Stevie off at his father’s place for the weekend so we can start our day. Better late than never, I always say.”
“I agree. Painting it is. Justin is going to stop by after he’s finished at the vet clinic today, wearing his painter’s clothes so we’ll have help.”
“I hope Maggie doesn’t mind,” Annie said. “She’s complained in the past about the amount of time Justin is away from home. It’s a toss-up between her wanting him there and him suffocating her.”
“Ask her to come.”
“I don’t think I will. We are childless this afternoon and I want to keep it that way.”
Maggie and Katrina’s babies had never been an issue for Annie, but today, she felt like she needed to keep the upper hand, and that meant focusing on Chris, hearing what Justin had to say about Cindy, and then being able to move on without interruptions.
“So, unless he brings her on his own, is it a deal we won’t say anything about making it a party today?”
“Deal. And you’re right, we need to keep on the paint job so we can move in there before I start my new job.”
“Chris, can we get it done in a week?”
“I can stay with you if we’re not finished, can’t I?”
“Of course,” she said, cozying up to him.
He smoothed her hair back and kissed her, moaning when it was over. “Can we come back here for a little while after we drop the kid off?”
She knew what he wanted, able to feel evidence of his ardor for her as he held her close.
“We can come back,” she said. “Frankly, I don’t see us getting much done over there today unless we get moving soon.”
Laughing, Chris rocked her back and forth. “Pack his bag so we can hit the road.”
“It’s all packed.” She pulled away from him and swooped up the baby. “Come on, kiddo. We’re going to see your father.”
Twenty minutes later, they returned home and headed right to the bedroom. All thoughts of Cindy melted away once Annie was in Chris’s arms. Lovemaking was restorative; there was no doubt about it.
When they were finished and were lying in each other’s arms, she’d successfully put all worries about Chris and his ex-wife out of her mind. Whatever Chris had to do, she’d support, as long as he didn’t go back to her. That thought had creeped in when Maggie was telling her the news. What if Chris decided he had to be with Cindy at the end of her life? Maybe it was an idea that needed to be explored, just in case. But not now.
“I guess I’ll hop in the shower,” she said. “You want to join me?”
“No, actually, I want your scent on me. It will remind me of what we did this morning while I’m working.”
“Oh God. Well, at least wash your face.”
“No way, man. That’s the best part.”
She laughed and swatted him before getting out of bed. Standing at the sink afterward, reapplying makeup for the second time that day, Chris came in to tell her he was ready to leave as soon as she was.
