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I rounded the kitchen to find Hope and Lucky collapsed on the couch, turned toward each other, their eyes flitting back and forth between the tv and their daughter.
“Press play, press play,” Lucky wheezed. “One more time.”
You are a homewrecker. This is a sin.
“You ready, Tweetie?” Hope’s voice was throaty with laughter.
The tv screen sprang to life, a black and white YouTube video of Twist and Shout by the Beatles sounding over the speakers. Brayleigh began to dance. After about twenty seconds, she screamed along with the vocals, and Lucky and Hope clung to each other, their two perfect blond heads pressed together, laughing.
I stood frozen at the entrance, halfway between the kitchen and the living room. Unable to move forward, unwilling to go back.
“Okay, enough,” Hope finally said. “She’s going to hurt her voice.” She stood. “I’m going to boogie before your girlfriend gets here,” she teased with a shimmy of her hips in Lucky’s face.
He smacked her ass, laughing. “Get your fat arse out of my face.”
“Don’t say ‘fat arse’, you want Brayleigh to grow up with a complex?”
“Never. Get your skinny arse out of my face. Better?”
“Better.” She leaned down to kiss his cheek. It was on her way back up that she caught sight of my face, and hers fell.
Lucky looked up at her. “What? What is it?” He turned. As soon as he saw me his entire face lit up. “Baby! You have to see this!” He turned to Hope holding up one finger. “One more time? One more time so Minty can see.”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve seen quite enough.”
Hope had not moved throughout the entire exchange. She opened her mouth to speak, and I pinned her with my gaze. “Do not.”
Her mouth snapped shut.
Lucky spun round and took me in fully for the first time. “What’s wrong?” He took two steps toward me, but I held up my hand.
My voice dripped with ice. “If you have to ask, there are not enough letters in the English language to spell it out for you.”
I spun on my heel, ready to leave, when I heard a jubilant cry, “Sparky!”
I jerked to a stop, unable and unwilling to ignore the little one. I drew in a deep breath before turning to greet her. “Hello, dolly.” Startled by the endearment that slipped from my lips, I retreated a step.
Brayleigh held up a stuffed penguin. “Mine Pinwin.”
“Yes, darling,” I murmured. “That’s yours.”
“Mine Sparky,” she pointed to my necklace.
“No,” Lucky interjected harshly. “That’s Daddy’s.”
I looked up to find Hope twisting her hands together and Lucky glaring at me furiously.
“Now, now, Daddy. You can’t have every sparkly thing you set your eye on,” I said softly.
My furious gaze swung to Hope, and I softened. It wasn’t her fault. In truth, I had encroached on her territory. “I wish you all the best.”
I backed up quickly and spun toward the door. I had my hand on the knob when Lucky’s hand smacked flat against the door and he pressed his long, hard body behind mine.
“Step back,” I demanded quietly.
He dropped his lips to my ear. “Minty, please. You misinterpreted.”
“Did I?”
