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“While Mommy and Uncle Cory argued,” Cole adds. “Then we came here.”
Displeasure swirls around me for more than one reason. The fact that they were close enough to Cory to call him their uncle makes this entire situation worse. Chase wasn’t the only one betrayed by someone in this entire fiasco. Secondly, arguing in front of kids is poor taste no matter the situation.
“It’s a good thing that we brought Mike’s then, isn’t it?” I say, my lunch the smallest of sacrifices I’d make for these boys.
I do my best to keep the anger I feel for her out of my voice, but a little bleeds through.
She opens her mouth to speak to Chase, but he once again walks right past her on his way back to me.
Her eyes narrow, filling with that jealousy only women seem to be able to detect.
It lightens my mood some. I no longer feel less than because of her. Her faults, the ones I’ve been tallying in my head since I saw how nervous the boys were to leave with her, just keep multiplying.
“I’m going to need to speak with her and then get their seats back in the vehicle. Do you mind taking them to the room?”
“Not at all,” I tell him as I hold the bag of food up. “We’re going to go have lunch.”
He grins, ruffling Cole’s hair when he gives an excited yip.
It should be endearing to see him with his son, but what he did was the very exact thing he did to me when I confronted him about missing the school dance he agreed to. Childhood suffering threatens to rear its ugly head once again.
I step in closer to him, lifting up on my toes in an effort to beat it back, and also to gain the upper hand where Emily is concerned.
I press my lips to his, aiming for a quick kiss, a show of unity. As quick as I was to refuse to lie in court, I sure have no problem lying to Emily. If anything, I reason that she deserves a little kick to the gut for disregarding the boys so easily today.
When I go to pull back, Chase follows after me with his mouth. His warm hand clasps me at the waist and holds me in place.
I get one moan-inducing sweep of his tongue before he pulls back, his eyes locked on mine as he licks his lips.
“You taste like lemon blueberry tea. Delicious.”
My heart races as I spin around and urge the boys to the elevator.
“Madison,” he calls no sooner than I can get a few steps from him.
I swallow hard as I look back at him to find him holding the cardboard envelope with the room keys in it.
“Forgetting something?”
“Where was my head?” I whisper as I close only enough distance to snatch the envelope from his fingers.
What started as an effort to gain back control ended with me losing more than I had to offer the man.
The only thing keeping me standing upright as I face the front of the elevator after climbing in the car is the absolute hatred in Emily’s eyes as she glares at me.
The boys don’t even bother to say goodbye to their mother, and that speaks a volume loud enough to bust eardrums.
“Did Daddy order the honey plate?” Cale asks, his mind still on the food.
“Hummus,” Cole corrects as he lifts his chin and begins sniffing the air. “And I know he did. I can smell it.”
I huff a laugh at their silliness.
“I say we dig in the second we get inside,” I say as the elevator dings on our floor. “Can you hold this?”
I offer the handle of the bag to Cale, causing Cole to frown.
“And you can hold this,” I say, handing over the now-empty tea cup.
