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Her heart fluttered, the right corner of her lips pulling upward at the sweet childhood nickname as she sliced into the moderately burnt casserole with her back to him.
His soft footsteps penetrated her ear as he moved closer, his fingers grasping her waist with a small squeeze. Mitch’s breath met the delicate skin at the base of her neck as his lips pressed a kiss to her.
“My feelings for you have never changed,” he whispered. “And they never will.” With a sigh, he disappeared through the kitchen door, the smell of fresh coffee trailing behind.
Lauren gasped, her skin tingling where his lips pressed against her.What just happened?The knife in her hands clanked to the countertop as she dashed after him. In her slippers, she shuffled down the hall to the base of the staircase.
“Mitch...”
His feet stilled on the second-floor landing.
“I need you to tell me right now.” Tears burned behind her eyelids as she swallowed, fighting with the words threatening to rip themselves free from her heart. “Do you want a divorce?
His fingers trembled, the coffee cup shaking in his left hand as his head hung.
“Lauren...” he whispered, seemingly unwilling to turn and look at her.
The pit in her stomach deepened, the simplicity of her name driving the truth straight into her soul. Fighting back the bile clawing up her throat, she opened her mouth. “Yeah... okay, got it...”
Ripping her hand from the banister, she returned to the kitchen and picked up the knife, slicing away at the casserole with perfect, even strokes as her phone pinged beside her.
Eyeing the device, she wiped her hands on a dish towel before confirming brunch plans with her mother.
“Just get through brunch,” she choked out to the silent kitchen, swiping at the tears leaking down her cheeks. “Just get through brunch and then you can fall apart.” Lauren forced a smile on her face, slicing fresh fruit and baking muffins. She brewed coffee and scrubbed at the spilled cheese in the oven until the rack glistened again. “Just get through brunch...” she repeated, allowing the mantra to disguise the inner turmoil tearing her heart to shreds as she stood.
An hour later, Lauren laid the brunch buffet on the dining room table and fluffed the yellow tablecloth. A small dark stain in the center caught her eye. She cringed and dragged her finger over the blemish.
It’s fucking coffee. Dammit, Mitch!
She covered the stain with a vase of flowers, bringing the illusion of perfection back to the table.
Lauren swallowed and glared at the hidden smudge, the flowers, just a Band-Aid for the larger problem, the coffee woven into the fabric with permanence. With a sudden loss of control, a cry escaped her lips as the tears cascaded down her cheeks in rivers of pain, falling from her face like a waterfall—her marriage toppling over the precipice.
It’s over. Mitch is gone.
––––––––
“All right kid, youfirst.” John Templeton shoved a bite of blueberry muffin in his mouth and pointed to Mitch. “Favorite moment from the wedding yesterday?”
Mitch lifted his gaze from his father-in-law to the ceiling and grinned. “Easy... Great Aunt Millie squeezing my ass mid-way through ‘The Way You Look Tonight.’”
Josh choked on his coffee, coughing into the roar of laughter filling the room.
A rare, genuine smile of amusement blossomed on Susan’s lips as she reached for the coffee carafe. “I guess Aunt Millie is getting a bit frisky in her old age!” Dabbing at a tear in the corner of her eye, she nodded at Mavis. “What about you, dear? Favorite moment of the day?”
A wide grin consumed her lips as she leaned sideways into her new husband. “Saying,I do.”
Josh’s cheeks flushed as he wrapped his arm around her and pressed his lips to hers, his fingers toying with the new wedding band on her finger. “Likewise, Mrs. Templeton.”
Lauren brought a glass of water to her lips and gulped down the liquid, forcing her body to not react to the dewy-eyed love across the table. Mitch’s hand gripped the back of her chair, triggering disgust to ripple through her. Her gaze dropped to her lap as she picked at the chipped nail polish on her thumb.
“And how about you, kiddo?” Her father’s foot tapped against her toe beneath the table. “You know, you throw one hell of a party.”
Lauren grinned, the sweet compliment turning her cheeks pink. She searched her mind, willing herself to find an acceptable answer on par with the rest of them.
Mitch picked up his coffee beside her and brought the liquid to his lips. Her eyes followed him as her stomach twisted in knots.
You didn’t even dance with me.
