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“Like what?”
He stood and walked closer to me, leaving his nail gun behind. “Like I had just stolen from him. He acted like you were his, always had been and always would be.”
Well, damn.
My throat was suddenly dry, so I lowered my face and shook my head.
“I think he knows I’m not legally twenty-one and freaked, given he’s my brother’s best friend.”
“You’re not?” His tone picked up, bordering on panicked.
I laughed. “One more month.”
“Oh. Then yeah, he probably did freak out.”
There was a sigh fluttering in my chest.
“So are we good?” I asked, and I was expecting maybe a nod or a knuckle bump, but he pulled me into a hug.
“Yeah, we’re good.”
I hugged him back. Not like I hugged Liam, more like that time Colson hugged me.
When he let me go, I waved to him and promised I’d be back tomorrow to help him.
On my way back to the car my stomach churned so badly I worried I’d throw up. That was two people I had lied to today, and while I understood the importance of keeping details to myself, I really didn’t like it. Lies always caught up with you.
That was something Blaire always said.
“Don’t bother dabbling in the dark, the sun always moves, and eventually shows what’s been going on in the shadows.”
* * *
There wassomething so soothing about having three little faces smiling back at me while I drove around town. We were on our way to school––the girls were rocking out to Taylor Swift––and the sun was shining in a bold attempt to stanch winter temperatures. We had a tradition now where every morning we picked up our “mochas”; theirs were just hot chocolates with whipped cream, and mine was a skinny vanilla latte.
I had a smile I couldn’t smother because I loved this feeling and I loved how the girls seemed to transform each morning I showed up to take them to school.
Regardless of Liam asking me to stay the night each night, I only gave in if the girls asked for a sleepover at Uncle Colson’s or if they were already in bed when I came over. I still arrived before breakfast each morning, whether I stayed overnight or not, to help them get ready, and Liam always managed to ravage my mouth in the pantry when I went in to grab the kids’ snacks. Or the garage…
One morning, he’d tucked me behind a tall tool chest, shoved my leggings down, and then with one swift movement, he’d entered me and fucked me right there.
I was still dragging my feet on all relationship-related things, feeling weird that we were hiding and sneaking around. But there was a part of me that felt so insatiable for him that I couldn’t stop myself from giving in. I was so selfish that I just didn’t want to give up the touches, or the secrets. After I dropped the girls, we were meeting again at the gym, and my legs clenched tightly together at the idea of what he’d do to me.
The brake lights in front of me brought me back to the present and the little slip of road where I parked the car so I could walk the girls to the front of the school. It was ten times faster than waiting bumper to bumper in the carpool line. We’d done it once and the girls said it made them late, so now I parked and walked them straight to the door.
We crossed the wet grass, each girl still wearing their heavy-duty boots and coats, then I hugged each one as they disappeared behind the front doors. Liam had said that Maddy was in fifth grade this year, and by sixth, she’d migrate to the middle school. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that she’d be a middle schooler next year. Even more so, I couldn’t fathom my place in her life at that time. Would I still be here? Would Liam and I still be sneaking around, stealing kisses?
My hands were tucked tightly against my chest as I walked back, my eyes on the wet ground at my feet, so when I approached my car, I startled when I saw a woman resting against it.
The woman had long blonde hair that kissed the top of her heart-shaped ass, her lithe form slightly hidden under a large brown leather jacket, and those blue eyes, those I recognized. I’d just watched three pairs of them in my rearview mirror from three beautiful little girls. My throat went dry as I slowly rounded the hood, standing a few feet away.
“My sister was right, you are cute.” She cocked her head to the side as she propped her arm against my car.
That confirmed my assumption that this was, in fact, Lacey, Liam’s ex-wife. My stomach churned as I stared at her.
The silence stretched as the sun dipped behind a cloud, and it began drizzling.
“He fucking you yet?” Her pink lips slung to the side while her nose scrunched.
