Page 77 of Unbreakable Love

To say that Dolly and Faye had fallen in love with my sister was an understatement. She slid right into friendship with them like she’d known them for decades and not minutes. Granted, Faye and Dolly were so welcoming I wasn’t sure how anyone couldn’t be friends with them.

“I went over to Gavin’s last night but only for a little while. Happy now?”

She squinted at me. “Not even close. But I’m going to assume he used that time to his advantage, so it’s okay. I can use my own imagination.”

She wiggled her brows, and I chucked a pencil at her. Whatever she could imagine was most likely, far more imaginative than what had occurred, but whatever.

What we’d done was more than enough. More than I’d ever enjoyed with a man before.

“Did you come in here to tease me or talk to me?”

“I came in here to vent because Max went to work today and told me he’d see us tonight.”

Hmmm. “And?”

“And he needs to go to his own home.” She pouted, but there wasn’t anger there. As I looked at her, truly examined her, I didn’t see anger. I saw fear.

That, I understood well.

“Isn’t this his week with the kids?”

“Yes. Which means he should be taking them to school and getting them from after-school care, and then going home, but instead, he walked out the door and said he’d bring dinner home with him and he’d see me later.”

I wanted to kick Max in the shins for putting that uncertain expression on my friend’s face. Unlike Gavin, I didn’t know exactly how far Max had gone with that girl in Vegas, and any cheating was inexcusable, so I understood where Faye was coming from.

Since I didn’t know him, I was team Faye all the way. But if Faye started considering giving him another chance, I’d support her in that, too.

“How are the kids handling this? Is it confusing them?”

“I made sure they understood Dad was only staying with us for Thanksgiving. We’d agreed to coparent together for the holidays anyway, so that wasn’t a stretch, but now I’m worried how they’ll handle tonight. It’s the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean Max needs to stay for all of it.”

“Maybe you should talk to him about that. If he sees it’s hard on the kids, would he step back?”

“I don’t know anything right now, except I like him there. He’s sleeping on the couch, and I desperately want him in my bed again, and that isn’t helping anything. But I don’t trust him, and he ruined that, so I don’t know…”

I pushed off my chair and went to her and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. I know it’s been hard.”

“And it’s been the easiest thing ever, which is what makes it so damn hard.” Faye dropped her head to my shoulder and sighed. “It’s stupid and this sucks and he’s an idiot.”

“He is.”

“He’s also Max. My Max. And I hate him for that, too.”

I held her while she got it all out, and when she pulled back and wiped tears from beneath her eyes, I gave her a tissue.

“Thanks. Boys are dumb.”

“They are.”

She winked. “Gavin’s not.”

I shot her a look. “Do I need to go back and remind you what he was like the first couple of weeks we met?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “And that’s enough for me. You’re figuring out your boy issues, and hopefully, I’ll figure out mine.”

“I’m always here if you need to vent. Or cry.”

“I know. I got that vibe from you the first day we met. That’s why I like you.”

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