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“I was going to tell you that next.”
“Well, I’m all ears. Because the other lies don’t even matter if you don’t have a good explanation for this one.”
Alex felt sweat form at his hairline. One misstep and he was done for. Suddenly, his perfectly rehearsed speech evaporated.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
“I see,” said Mia. “Here, why don’t I help you get started? Who is Jennifer?”
Alex frowned. “Why do you keep bringing up Jennifer?”
Mia threw her hands up. “And why do you keep acting like she doesn’t exist? You get texts from her all the time!”
“Have you been looking at my text messages?”
Her cheeks fanned red. “Maybe. It was an accident at first. You were in the restroom and your phone was by me on the couch. It buzzed, I looked.”
“Now who’s been keeping secrets?” Alex barked a laugh. Oh, the irony. “Well, if you’dasked, Jennifer is my book editor, and she’s been on me for a week now to finalize our edits so my latest book can go onto the next round of editing.”
Mia hugged her midsection. “Oh.”
“Geez, Mia, did you really think I was seeing someone else? After all the time we’ve spent together lately?”
“I didn’t know what to think, okay? I’m not as trusting as I used to be. That’s what happens when your husband cheats on you.”
“Well, I’m not Greg. And for the record? I wasn’t eyeballing your phone every time you walked away from it.”
Mia turned from him, and Alex instantly regretted what he’d said. They’d both promised not to have any more shouting matches, and now both had raised their voices. He dragged a hand down his cheek and reined in his temper.
“I’m sorry I was out of line on that one.”
She shook her head. “No, I deserved that, I suppose.”
Dammit, he wanted her to look at him. To slide closer so he could hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he still had one confession to make. Would this one set her over the edge?
“Listen, Mia, I’m not seeing anyone else, okay? There is no one else out there that I would even want to see more than you. No one on the entire planet. There’s only one person I want to spend my days with, and it’s you. It’s always been you.”
She turned her face toward him. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I swear it.”
Her features softened. “Oh, Alex—”
The front door burst open, and Chief Brooks strode inside. “Stop! You’re making a terrible mistake!”
Mia jumped to her feet. “Dad? What’s going on? What are you talking about?”
He looked from her to Alex, and confusion twisted his expression. “Alex?”
“Sir.”
Chief Brooks shook his head. “I-I’m sorry. It’s just—” He shook his head again. “The red Land Rover in the drive—it’s yours?”
Uh-oh. Mia’s expression had cooled once more. “Yes, sir, it is.”
“Oh, I see.” The chief nodded. “I, uh, never mind. There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”
“Yes, those seem to be going around today,” his daughter said, her arms now crossed over her chest.
