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Luke glanced over at the kids, she followed. Seeing the smiles on her kids’ faces made her feel like shit feeling what she was, knowing what it meant to her kids. She heard Scarlett first, braced when Luke turned around, a curious look on his face.
“You made it,” Justin said. “My dad surprised us.”
Luke’s attention lingered on Gage before he turned it to the girls with him. Glancing back at Tilly, she swallowed the lump and offered hoarsely.
“This is Gage Sutherland and his daughter Scarlett and her friend Rachelle.” Tilly finally looked at Gage, hated what she saw looking back. She tried to wordlessly apologize before she added, “We met them earlier at the pool. The kids are planning on sharing some hair-raising adventures tomorrow in the park.”
“I can’t wait,” Ashley said, looking over at her two new friends.
Luke looked back at Gage. “Luke, Tilly’s husband. It’s nice to meet you.”
Gage sucked in a deep breath through his nose, stuck his hand out and regretfully offered, “Gage.” When Luke took his outstretched hand, he wanted to pull him in and punch him in the fucking face. But he held in his anger and glanced to Tilly. He couldn’t accept Tilly’s silent apology behind her eyes because in that moment, a million instances flew through his mind. The chances of bumping into Kenny, a man she now worked with, he brushed off. Now, her husband showing. Was she playing games with him? Was he nothing more than a fuck toy?
Gage removed his hand from Luke’s, thought about wiping it on his jeans before he turned to Tilly, his voice tight. “It’s great your husband showed. We’ll let you all enjoy a family dinner.” He turned from them, his voice firm when he called, “Girls.” They both turned and when he got their eyes he told them. “Come on, let them have some family time.” He watched as both girls’ shoulders slumped even as they nodded.
Tilly wanted to call him back, but she didn’t. She was still trying to process the fact that her husband was there. He never paid attention to anything, but now he chose to become aware. She was pissed, pissed at him for giving a shit. Saying that, it was wrong, but it didn’t stop her from feeling it. Or the pain that sliced through her from the look Gage had given her, a coldness in his eyes she’d never seen before. It took everything to stay where she was, to not follow him and demand he share what was going through his mind. She knew if she did, Luke would see right through her, would see just how much the man walking away from her meant. Part of her wanted to do it. To let the cat out of the bag and let the chips fall where they may, but not in front of her kids, not in front of his daughter and her friend, so instead, she just stood there, her husband taking her hand as if he knew her thoughts, while she watched as the man she’d come here for disappeared down the hall.
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The next morning, Gage woke from the two-hour sleep; the sun had not even risen yet. He hadn’t heard a word from Tilly since he left her and her family in the lobby the day before. Quietly, he packed up his bag and did the same for the girls. Woke them and lied to their faces as he said he had an emergency at work and they had to leave. Neither questioned him as they stumbled from their beds and right into the truck, only to fall back asleep only minutes down the road. Gage didn’t know how he made it home that day because he felt like his breath was stolen from him, never able to take one deep enough. His body was on autopilot, numb and drained. His head hurt from all the thinking he’d done throughout the night. So when he pulled into his driveway and exited his truck, he said a prayer to the man upstairs for their safe arrival.
His wife came rushing out the back door. “Wha—” She halted her words when he held a finger to his lips, shushing her and pointing to the back of the cab where the girls were still sleeping. When she spoke again, she was quieter. “What are you doing home?”
He took in his wife and lied to her, “I missed you, wanted to come home.” But he did miss her. Missed all that they once had. The laughs. The smiles. The deep love. And even as his wife walked into his arms, he held her tightly, needing what she was giving him. He just wasn’t sure it was the right woman’s arms wrapped around him.
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Tilly woke early on Sunday, slipping from her room to text Gage, but instead, she walked to the lobby and used the house phone to call his room. No answer. She looked around the lobby, checked the pool, before going back to the phone and calling him again. Nothing. She pulled her phone from her pocket and texted him. Waited. But he didn’t respond. Her body went numb, her mind going all over the place. They had plans today, but she didn’t really expect him to follow through, not with Luke there. But she did want to talk to him, needed to make things right, needed to get that look from him out of her head. She hadn’t been able to eat, hadn’t slept. Her family was together, her children happy, but she couldn’t be happy until she knew that Gage was okay, that they were okay. And she didn’t want to think too long on that because she knew it was wrong on so many levels. Walking to the front desk, she waited for the girl to finish with the person in front of her, before she asked, “Can you tell me if Gage Sutherland checked out? He was in room 653.”
The girl didn’t even need to look at her computer. Her expression changed, becoming a bit dreamy. “Mr. Sutherland.” She practically purred. “Oh yes. He checked out early this morning.”
Tilly didn’t move, just stared at the girl as she processed that information. He left. He checked out and left and didn’t text her, didn’t call. He was upset, she understood. In his shoes, she’d be too, but he left her. Her eyes burned as she walked from the counter. She didn’t want to go back to her room because she felt the tears and knew she wasn’t going to hold them back. So she walked to the pool, sat in the chair she’d sat yesterday and let it out. It wasn’t just pain that had the tears rolling down her face. She was angry too. Angry that he left without a word. Whatever he was thinking, they were in this together. Luke showing up, that fucked up her world, too. She refreshed her messenger, but no response. She almost called him, but held back. Was feeling too much, feared what she would say, making it worse than it already was.
She spent an hour pulling herself together. Then she grabbed breakfast for her family and spent the day with them. Luke was the most attentive he’d been in a long time, affectionate even. She laughed and she smiled, but part of it was for show, because inside, her heart was breaking as the hours passed with no word from Gage.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“No,” Gage yelled to Kyle.“Over there.” He pointed to the other side of the front porch. Gage took another step back, taking in the layout on the front gardens he had come up with the night before.
Dom came up next to him, handing him a bottle of water. “That looks better.”
Gage tilted his head, left then right. “Something is off.” He told him and shouted. “Kyle, move the crepe myrtle out of the bed for a second.”
“Dom nodded. “That was it.” He patted Gage on the shoulder and said, “Looks good, good job. Now, since it’s just us and Kyle, guess we need to haul ass.” He chuckled, took a swig from the water bottle, and walked to help Kyle start planting everything.
Gage turned and was making his way toward his truck while draining his own bottle of water when he heard tires screeching around the corner. When his head swung in that direction, his feet stopped, his body froze.
Dom grumbled from his distance, “What the fuck?”
Gage’s arm moved slowly when he pulled the bottle from his mouth as he watched the scene in front of him.
Tilly slammed on the brakes, threw the car in park and didn’t even bother turning it off before she flew out of the driver seat. Her focus burning holes into Gage as she stormed across the street to him.
“What the fuck!” she screamed, her blood racing through her veins. “Two fucking days, two days and nothing. What the fuck is going on? You think you can just get rid of me. Is that it? Got too complicated? Two fucking days.” She was panting when she reached him. Stopping right in front of him, she tilted her head back to look into his bewildered expression. “You want to explain yourself?”
Gage’s head whipped left then right, making sure there were no onlookers. But if Tilly kept up her shouting rage, there would be in no time. “Calm down, Till,” Gage grated evenly through his teeth.
“Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down,” she hissed, getting up on her tiptoes and roaring. “It takes two. You want out, I deserve to fucking hear it from you. I have just as much at stake as you do.”
