Page 96 of In This Moment

42

Elizabeth

“How was your day, Maddison?” Brenden asks as he places a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

She and Sean were thrilled when Brenden showed up at the door with popcorn, candy, and several Disney Movies he purchased for them. I love that he wanted to come over for a movie night with the kids. It means a lot that he tries so hard to win them over. Not that he needs to put out much effort. They’ve adored him since day one.

“It was great,” Maddison chirps, continuing to color with Sean at the kitchen table. “Momma said she’s planning a family vacation.”

“Oh yeah?” Brenden questions, and my stomach knots as he turns to look at me. Leaning back on the counter, he crosses his arms, his expression unreadable. “That does sound awesome,” he says to her, but his eyes remain on me as his eyebrows draw together.

I may have neglected to mention the vacation to him because I wasn’t sure how to tell him he’s not invited. This will be our first vacation since we lost Xander, and Sean’s first vacation ever. It’s a big moment for us as a family. Having Brenden there might be a little overwhelming, like I’d be giving them hope for a future that’s uncertain.

Brenden’s been in my life for seven months now, but we’ve only been dating for about two, and in the grand scheme of things, that’s a very short period of time. It’s too soon to be planning for the future, and a family vacation feels very long-term.

“So, what’s the plan?” His tone is still upbeat even though his features reflect his suspicion.

“I’m not sure yet,” I say, my voice sounding small as I shrug. “Maybe a trip to Gatlinburg.”

“The beach would be so much more fun.” He turns to the kids, his lips curling. “What do you guys say? Who wants to go to the beach?”

“I do!” Maddison squeals, her eyes bright with excitement.

Sean, who doesn’t know or care what we’re talking about, continues to color, repeating the word beach over and over again to his own melody.

My body heats, chest burning as anger courses through me. This is the first time he’s stepped out of bounds when it comes to my kids, but he’s doing it in a big way. Not only is he inserting himself into plans that don’t include him, but he’s also offering them something I may not be able to deliver. I don’t think I can handle such a big vacation on my own.

“I’d rather stay in Tennessee.” I cross my arms, my eyes slicing over to him.

“Oh, come on. That’s no fun. We need to leave the state. It doesn’t count as a vacation unless you cross at least one state line.”

My eyes widen at his use of the word we. He’s not getting it. My plans are not our plans. Explaining that is going to suck.

“Please, Momma,” Maddison whines. “We’ve never been to the beach before.”

“I don’t know, Maddie.” I do my best to school my features, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. “That’s a very long drive, and you know how much I’d worry about you guys in the water.”

“We can take turns driving,” Brenden offers. “Besides, if we both get in the water with them, they’ll be fine.”

I see he’s taking even more liberty with the we word. He shouldn’t be making these kinds of promises to my kids at all without checking with me first.

“Yay!” Maddison shouts, jumping up from her chair. “Does that mean you’ll be coming with us?”

“Of course, sweet girl. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He smiles so sincerely at her, and a lump grows in my throat as she runs over to hug him.

“Did you hear that, Momma?” She turns to me as she releases him. “Brenden said he’s going to come with us!”

“I sure did, baby,” I croak, my voice wavering. “Why don’t you take your brother and go pick out which movie you’d like to watch first?”

“Okay.” She bounces back over to Sean. “Come on, let’s go pick a movie.”

“Movie!” he exclaims as she helps him down from his chair.

Brenden’s eyes stay trained on me as the kids leave the kitchen, and my pulse races with dread. This isn’t going to be an easy conversation to have.

“All right,” he says over the sound of the microwave beeping once they’re gone. “What’s wrong?”

“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” I answer with a wave of my hand before clutching my necklace.

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