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PROLOGUE
FOUR YEARS AGO
REAGAN’S TWENTY-EIGHTH BIRTHDAY PARTY
BETH
“Joseph isn’t coming tonight?”
“Oh, um, no. He’s working.” I hate lying to my sister, but I don’t feel like talking about my breakup with Joseph just yet. It’s not that I cared very much about Joseph, it’s that Cassandra Blackstone Knight is a force of nature, and when she finds out the reasoning behind our breakup, she’ll never let me live it down.
What exactly am I supposed to tell her?Cassandra, Joseph has a foot fetish. I was cool with it at first, enjoying the extra attention showered on my feet. The care, the massages, the nail painting. It was nice to feel pampered like that. I never minded wearing sexy heels when we had sex. But finding out that he hires hookers so he can jerk off on their feet was my tipping point.
My sister will be relentless when she learns the truth. I’m looking at years of jokes at my expense. I mean, we were only together for a few months. It’s not like we were serious.
“I guess that’s the life of a surgeon.”
I nod as if she can see me through the phone.
“Beth, are you there?”
“Sorry. I’m here. Yes, surgery. That’s it. He has a surgery tonight.”
“Do you want Trevor and me to pick you up on our way to the party?”
“You don’t have to. I can Uber. It’s not far from me.”
“You’re on our way. It’s no big deal. This way you don’t have to walk in by yourself.”
I’m used to walking in places by myself at this point, but I suppose it would be nice to go with them. “Okay. Thanks. That would be great. My sitter will be here at seven. She’s new, so Luke will likely cry for a good fifteen minutes. Don’t come in. That will only make it worse.”
Luke is obsessed with Cassandra’s husband, Trevor. It will only make him more upset if he knows I’m with Trevor for the evening.
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll see you at a little after seven.”
“Okay. Bye.”
A few minutes before seven, I’m in my bathroom putting the final touches on my makeup. Luke watches on with rapt fascination. For some reason, my three-year-old son loves watching me put on makeup.
“Mama, you’re so pretty.”
I turn and smile at my mini-me, with his dark hair and light blue eyes. “Thank you, baby. Are you excited to meet Rose? I heard from Colton and Hazel’s mommy that she’s a lot of fun. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
His little lip comes out. Luke does great when I drop him at daycare in the mornings, but he struggles with babysitters. It’s always a bit of a nightmare, especially when they’re new. When it first started, I would immediately cancel my plans, afraid to leave him while he was upset, but now I know the tears eventually go away. It used to completely break my heart, but I’m trying to be a bit tougher. I just feel guilty leaving him when he’s sad.
Rose was recommended by my close friend, Giselle. She babysits for Giselle’s kids. I’ve never met Rose. I only know that she’s a fourteen-year-old from the local junior high who Giselle claims is responsible and great with her kids.
At precisely seven, the doorbell rings. Her being on time is a good sign. I take a deep breath. Here we go. I hate seeing my baby cry, but I know it’s coming. I warned Rose about it when we spoke.
I see worry hit his handsome little face and tears start to fill his eyes. I quickly open the door and smile at the adorable, young redhead before me. I hold out my hand. “You must be Rose.”
She smiles back and shakes my hand in return. “Yes, Ms. O’Connell. It’s nice to meet you.”
I open the door wider to introduce her to Luke. As soon as his eyes find Rose, they widen. “Are you Ariel?”
She bends so they’re eye to eye. “No, my name is Rose.”
“You look like Princess Ariel.”
