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“Sounds like a perfect Saturday morning. Just missing my baby girl,” I sigh.
“I know you miss her when she’s with Matt. But he’s a wonderful dad, and she’s thriving over there.”
“I know, I just miss her.” I stand from the bed and run my fingers through my hair. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”
Haley blows me a kiss as I leave the guest room. The hallway light is off, and I tread down the way I came, back to the stairs that lead to the kitchen.
Growing up, I never imagined living in a house like this. A house so massive, with floor to ceiling glass windows, and with a stairwell that leads to the kitchen, and a second one, at the front of the house in the foyer.
Not only is it the size and price tag of my home, it’s the fact that I rebuilt it from the bones. I renovated the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. I repainted the living room, added built-in shelving to the study, and I decorated it by myself. The pride I have for my home goes beyond anything I can describe.
Walking down the hall makes me giddy. I pass the picture frames on my right that are covered with photos of Charlotte from the time she was a newborn until her more recent photos. Photos of just her, some of me. Some of Matt and her. My favorite is the black and white of Mac carrying her on his shoulders when she was just three. I run my fingers over her face and then continue down the steps.
As good of a brother as Mac is, he is an even better uncle. Charlotte practically has two fathers, and I am so grateful.
When I step into the kitchen. Dom is throwing away paper towels, and the scent of my kitchen spray fills the air. Mac is sitting at Charlotte’s favorite spot, the last chair of the four on the island, sipping a beer.
“Thank you,” I whisper, smiling sweetly as I pass him and head for Mac. When I get to him, I punch him in the shoulder. “You don’t listen, do you? You’re always thinking with your dick. I don’t fuck your friends, don’t fuck mine!”
Mac rubs his shoulder, giving me a dirty look. “She came onto me! I said no, and she continued! Then she freaked out. I only kissed her for like five seconds.”
“Is that why her tits were falling out of her bra?”
“She took her top off and shoved them at me! You know I like nice tits. It’s my kryptonite. Haley is an adult. She can make decisions on her own, Andi.”
“Maybe so. But she is still my best friend, and it’s my job to protect her.”
“It’s her mother’s job.”
“She doesn’t have a mother, and you know that,” I snap. “Are you staying here?”
“I was going to, but I don’t feel like getting dry humped in my sleep and then harassed about how I’m an asshole when she’s the one who started it all.” Mac rolls his eyes and gets up from the island.
“Mac, I think these are the most words I’ve ever heard you speak. Usually it’s just grunts and growls.” Dom rests his elbows on the countertop.
“Wow. I’m really regretting inviting you tonight,” Mac deadpans.
“You can sleep in Charlotte’s bed,” I tell Mac. “Or I can set up the air mattress in the nursery.”
He cringes at the mention of the nursery. A room I designed for a second baby that Matt and I never got around to having. “I’m gonna head home. Thanks for the offer. I’ll be over Sunday for brunch. When do you get Lettie?”
“She’ll be here for brunch,” I promise.
Mac grunts back to his normal Neanderthal self. “Does that mean he’s staying for breakfast?” Mac refers to Matt, not Dom. When he drops Charlotte off on Sundays, my ex usually does it early enough that he stays and has brunch, or I pick her up after dinner later in the evening. If he has exciting plans, or they’re visiting his grandparents, it’s the latter.
Charlotte loves our Sunday family days though, and it upsets her to know she’s missing out on her uncle time. Beau is still in the Army, but he tries to come by on Sundays, since he is stationed in the area now.
I’ve brought our family back together in a way I never thought I could. Mom and dad always had Sunday brunch followed by a home cooked dinner. When dad died, the home-cooked meals stopped.
Mom remarried, but it was once we were all adults. They still live in Tacoma, Washington, but they travel to see us as often as their schedule allows.
I’m lucky Matt is so civil with me. In the beginning, he truly was a good husband, even if I wasn’t happy, and he still makes sure that Charlotte comes first.Despite his lack of common sense sometimes, he bounced back from his DUI, he managed to turn it around.
It helps that he loves my cooking and my family. But I do wonder what will happen if he gets serious with another woman. Will my Sunday brunches gain another woman? Or will I lose two of my family members every other week? In a perfect world, I’d gain someone, but I know I’ve already gotten just about everything I could ask for in the separation.
I couldn’t be lucky enough to have a cordial step mother too. At least I won’t hold my breath over it.
Mac sees himself out the back door in the dining area of the kitchen. I follow him and lock the glass door.
Once it’s done, I realize I’m alone with Dom again. I’m not sure exactly what to do next. Do I kick him out, too? It’s probably almost three in the morning now, and I should, but I also want to sleep next to him tonight.
He decides for me, when he meets me in the sunroom, and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. I melt against his chest, letting the alcohol keep me grounded. Sober, I would push him off, I tell myself. If I were sober, I would have more willpower. I wouldn’t let him hurt me again.
