Page 11 of The Guilty One

Catching onto my joke, his head cocks to the side, and he gives me a patronizing look. “Daaad.”

I laugh, rubbing my hand over his hair again. “Just kidding, bud. Guess that means the tooth fairy is finally going to bring you the money you owe me for that candy at the store the other day, right?”

He hesitates. “Well…”

“He’s kidding, Fin,” Celine tells him with a playful eye roll.

I approach Ryker from behind, staring at him in the mirror. “How was your day, kiddo?”

“Fine,” he grumbles, mouth full of toothpaste. After spitting it out, he turns to face me. “I need your help with my math homework.”

“You’ve got it. Let me take a quick shower, and I’ll meet you in your room after, okay?”

“Yep.” He turns back toward the mirror while I face Celine.

“I’ll be right back.”

She grins. “No problem. I left your dinner out, too.”

“I saw it, thanks. I’ll heat it back up after I help him with homework.” I squeeze her shoulder gently as I pass her and head for our bedroom. In our bathroom, I strip out of my clothes and turn the shower on, peeing while I wait for the shower to heat up.

I’m exhausted, my body sore and my mind overworked. Work has been brutal lately, and then I’ve had all the recent extra stress on top of it. I just can’t seem to catch a break.

Once my shower is done, I step out, wrapping the towel around my waist before combing my hair. In the bedroom, I’m dressing when the door opens and Celine walks in.

She lies down on the bed with a sigh, running her hands over her eyes. I pull my shirt over my head and lie down next to her, massaging her thigh gently.

“Rough day?”

She turns her head to look at me with that same deliriously happy look that’s almost always on her face. It never gets old when she looks at me that way, when I know I’ve caused it. “No, I’m just exhausted. How was your day?”

“Fine.” I run my hand up her leg, over her hip, and up her side, stopping at her shoulder to twist one of her dark curls around my finger. “Sorry I was late.”

“It’s fine. Gave me just enough time to send my boyfriend home.” She winks, and I drop my jaw in feigned shock, digging my fingers into her waist to tickle her.

“What did I tell you would happen if I saw him around here again?” I tease as she squeals.

Fighting for breath, she wrenches my hand away. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell him to stay away for good this time.”

“You’d better.” I run my nose over hers, brushing her mouth with my lips.

“Anyway, better late than never.” She leans into my lips, letting her mouth linger on mine for a moment longer than necessary. I put a hand on the back of her head and tug her flush against me in a single move. Pressing a hand against my chest, she pulls back. “Easy there, tiger. Ryker still needs your help with his homework, and I need to do the dishes and read a few more chapters of The Wild Robot with Finley.”

“Ah, right. Life still exists out there. How could I forget?” I chuckle, running a hand over my face before adjusting my pants. I prop up on one elbow. “I can do the dishes,” I tell her.

She stifles a yawn and rolls onto her back, looking over at me. “Are you sure?”

“You look exhausted.”

A snort escapes her. “Gee, thanks.”

“Beautiful.” I lean over and kiss her forehead before standing up from the bed. “But exhausted. Go read to Finley while I help Ryker, then I’ll eat and finish the dishes. You should get some rest.”

She looks like she might argue but decides against it. “Okay. Thanks.”

With that, I squeeze her knee gently and leave the room.

Ryker and I are nearly done with his math homework when the door opens and Celine peeks inside. She crosses her arms with a grin, but it’s different. Distant. Tired, maybe, but still unsettling. “How’s it going in here?”

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