Page 65 of SALT

The not intruding part is off. She is definitely interfering yet again, but the part about him taking away her key might be worth it. That's news to me. It's something that should have been done a long time ago, but the fact that he did it at all is a step in the right direction. It's the cutting of yet another tie that bound them.

"What is so important that it couldn't be handled over email or text?"

She's quiet for long seconds, and I can't be sure since there's no way of seeing her or him, but if I were a fly on the wall, I'd imagine their eyes are locked in some kind of stare down. Everett hasn't placated Moira for some time now. He's been kinder than she deserves, considering he caught her cheating, and it's obvious she doesn't like the new Everett. The one that no longer pushes himself aside to serve her. I can't help but wrap my hand around his calf and give it a light squeeze in support.

"We talked to Elijah and Parker about my visits to Texas and Chad Hailsop. They know about the pregnancy."

Moira's pregnant! I never put too much thought into why Connor was an only child, but Everett knew that name when Parker flung his accusations around at the game, which makes me wonder if he's not a fertility doctor. Maybe early on in their marriage, they tried for more children, but it never happened. That has to be why he knows the name.

His chest visibly inflates, and then he says, "How did they take it?"

"I'm not sure. If you ask Kipp, he thinks it went well, but Elijah and Parker have never been my biggest fans. I believe that's why they latched onto you when I married Kipp. It was their form of silent protest. Taking a side, if you will. They saw me as a homewrecker. It didn't matter that their mother was dead." I hear her heels softly pad across the floor. "You can tell me I'm wrong all you want, but the fact that Parker was so quick to assume the worst of me confirms I'm right. They don't trust me with their father's heart."

"Moira, I've never spoken a word about?—"

"I know you haven't, Everett." She sighs heavily. "I wasted no time remarrying after our divorce, and everyone who knew us in high school probably assumed I'd been cheating on you our entire marriage."

He draws his foot back and sits a little straighter. "I never did understand your decision to move forward with him so quickly. I don't fault you for it. I've just never been able to wrap my head around why you would move so fast, knowing how everyone assumes the worst. Waiting a year could have lessened the judgment and scrutiny surrounding your relationship. You may not have had to carry the weight of that scarlet letter."

"I'd already waited so long. I don't mean to be cruel in saying that, Everett. You have to know I love you. I'll always love you, but I was in love with him. It was always him. If he could have saved me, he would have. We all knew there was no other option that night when Craig threatened us at the bonfire. It was you and the power of your family or the abuse. We had no choice..." She trails off as her footsteps near the desk. I've heard rumors about this night, but I've never heard anything from the source. Moira and Everett were a power couple for years. From the outside looking in, they had a perfect marriage, and depending on your idea of perfect, maybe they did. If money, success, and status equate to happiness for you, then they were that, but on the inside, their marriage was fruitless. They were roommates, not lovers. Once the news of their divorce started to spread, so did the rumors. This topic is one of them. Everett was forced to marry his best friend's girlfriend. It's the why that's always been hazy, but it all makes sense now. Moira's uncle-in-law, Craig, was a dirty police chief who eventually got caught and spent his last days on this earth behind bars himself. She must have been one of his victims, and since Everett's father was a district attorney back when all of this would have gone down, his name held power. By marrying Moira, he could protect her. "I knew how things would look, but when you have the right person by your side, the rest falls away. At the end of the day, the only person who mattered was the one I was going home to. I couldn't waste any more time."

"And the baby?"

I can't be sure what he's asking, but I hear a faint ache in his tone all the same. Everett can wear indifference like a second skin, but apparently not on this subject.

"I'll be sixteen weeks at the gala. We plan on telling close friends and family then. I just wanted you to know. Last time we talked, Elijah and Parker weren't aware, and seeing as how you are Parker's coach for the season, I thought you should know what's going on at home so you have an idea of what's going on in his head out there." I hear the sound of metal clanging off the top of the desk, and I assume she must have picked up one of the knickknacks on top. "That's all I had to say… well actually, have you talked to Lauren, or better yet, Stormy? What's the story?"

"I have an important email I need to get out for the law firm before practice. I can give you a call on my way home."

"You know what, don't worry about it. I think it's time me and Lauren had a chat," she says as she makes her way to the door. "Lauren Rhodes shows up after twenty-two years and starts working for my son while her niece lies to my ex-husband to get a job. We're long overdue." I hear her stop, one heel sounding against the tile floor. "You'll be at the gala, right? When I brought up the date change, you weren't too happy about it. I'm not ignorant to all the reasons we moved the event to fall. I hope you understand why I had to pull it up."

Quick math, she'd be thirty weeks pregnant if they held it in November, as they have done since my parents' accident. Being older and therefore high-risk, I'm sure she didn't want the additional stress that comes with throwing a charity event that far along in her pregnancy.

"I'll be there, Moira."

"Good. Maybe this year you'll bring a date. Perhaps whoever was warming your bed the last time we spoke."

"It's a possibility." Why do those three little words give me an ocean full of hope? She must nod or smile but since I can't see, I'm unsure. Then he grabs her attention. "Moira?"

"Yes," she answers.

"Lock the door before you leave. I don't need any more interruptions."

"Sure," she says without missing a beat, like he's asked that of her countless times before.

When the door clicks shut, Everett scoots his chair back, and I crawl out.

"Are you okay?" I ask, knowing that the conversation was somewhat heavy.

"I've been better. It's not every day your ex-wife walks into your office while your new girl hides under your desk."

"New girl?" I question because I'm not letting that go, especially after he said maybe in regard to bringing a date to the gala.

His hands swiftly push up the armrests of his chair before he pulls me onto his lap. I fall into him clumsily, the move catching me off guard. Everything with him feels so new. I've never seen him this way with Moira, or anyone, for that matter. His hand pushes a piece of hair out of my face before he says, "Cameron, you know I'm not with anyone else. You're all I want. If it's not you, it's not anyone."

"Everett—"

"Shh," he purrs as his lips find my neck. "I know we need to talk, but right now," his hands find my hips as he rocks his hardening length against my clit, "I'm going to need you to finish what you started."

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