Page 303 of Sin Bin

“Oh, baby,” Rosalie commiserated, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“So am I,” Meadow choked out, tears welling up again at the compassion in her aunt’s eyes. “I know he despises his father, but I never imagined he’d go so far as to sleep with his wife.”

Rosalie’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Is that why he did it? To get back at his father?”

Meadow nodded, trying not to break down crying. “He said Chantal came on to him and he was fighting her off. He insisted nothing happened, but he admitted that he let her kiss him because he wanted to hurt his father. How the hell am I supposed to feel about that?” she demanded tearfully. “Am I supposed to give him a pass because he was mad at his father? Does his need for revenge take precedence over our relationship?”

Rosalie studied her sympathetically for a long moment. “It was wrong of him to let his stepmother kiss him.”

“Damn right it was,” Meadow fumed, wiping her eyes with a knuckle.

“But under the circumstances, I can see how he let his emotions get the better of him.”

Meadow stared at her aunt in disbelief. “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

“Why? Because I walked in on my husband screwing another woman?”

“Well, yes! I would think you of all people would understand what it feels like to be betrayed.”

“I do understand, darling, and my heart is aching for you. Believe me, if Logan ever shows his face here again, he’s getting a blistering earful from me.” Rosalie’s voice gentled. “But as hurt and angry as you are right now, believe me when I tell you that Logan and Gibson are absolutely nothing alike. For starters, Logan isn’t a cheater. In a moment of weakness, he made a terrible mistake that he probably regretted right away. Unfortunately for him, the situation escalated out of control before he could stop it.”

Meadow said nothing, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

“You know the other big difference between Logan and Gibson?” Rosalie said quietly. “Gibson never loved me the way Logan clearly loves you.”

Meadow turned to look out the window again, silent tears sliding down her face. “Are you saying that men never cheat on women they love? If I forgive Logan this time, and years down the line I come home to find him in bed with another woman…will you still tell me that he loves me?”

Her aunt was quiet.

“I didn’t think so,” Meadow whispered.

The sound of falling rain filled the silence between them until Cam came bounding into the room.

“You’re awake!” he yelled excitedly.

Meadow’s heart squeezed when she saw that he was carrying the autographed hockey stick that Logan had given him. “Hiya, Bear.”

He leaped onto the bed, almost poking her eye out with the stick. “You took a long nap!”

“I know. I was exhausted.” She sniffled and brushed a knuckle under her eyes, then wrapped her arms around Cam as he nestled back against her. “Whatcha been up to?”

“Not much.” He sounded disgruntled. “It rained all day so I couldn’t play outside with my friends.”

“Bummer.” Meadow kissed the top of his head. “We can watch a movie if you want.”

“Okay!” He angled his head back to give her a hopeful grin. “Is Logan coming over?”

Her throat tightened. “No, he isn’t.”

Cam looked disappointed. “Why not?”

She met her aunt’s eyes, silently pleading for help.

Rosalie smiled cheerfully at her son. “Logan has to focus and get ready for the next round of playoffs.”

This seemed to satisfy Cam. He stared up at Meadow. “So are you staying here with us?”

She nodded and smiled.

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