Page 100 of The Only Goal

“As they should! I’m your husband!”

“Who cheated on me!” I scream. “You were doing it in our shower!” My chest heaves as I try to control the burst of anger exploding inside me. I point up the stairs, my finger shaking when I realize Kai probably heard me.

I need to lower my voice and get control. I don’t want to scare him, but this blinding rage coursing through me right now is hard to counter. My eyes burn as I suck in a few short breaths and grit out, “If I hadn’t caught you, would you ever have mentioned it?”

His nostrils flare as he runs his hand through his hair and looks away from me.

“I thought so.” My voice is bitter.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt you.”

“Right.” My voice snaps off the T, stalking back to the counter so I can unpack the rest of the groceries.

“We need counseling,” he mutters. “You can’t hold this against me forever.”

“Which means you can’t get pissy that I ran to a friend when I was in need. Someone I trust. Someone who I knew would take me in no questions asked.”

Hudson’s mouth curves into a malignant frown. “You tell him about us?”

“About what you did?” My eyebrows rise. “Yeah, I told him.”

The anger pulsing off my husband right now is like a shock wave, and I step away from him. I’m not scared, I just don’t want to be near him when he’s like this.

But I don’t want him near Kai either.

“Maybe you should go for a drive or something. I’ll get dinner ready, and then when you get back, we’ll both be calm enough to have a pleasant meal. For Kai.”

Hudson grips the back his neck, still not looking at me. “Did you sleep with him?”

My blood runs cold.

“Did you sleep with Baxter to get back at me?”

I swallow and am relieved to be able to answer him honestly. “No, I did not sleep with him to get back at you.”

He snorts and shakes his head, thankfully snatching the keys and storming out the front door. It slams shut, and I flinch at the shattering sound.

My insides are splintered glass as I rest my hands on the counter and try to still my thundering heart.

I definitely misled Hudson with my answer, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth either. That malignant look on his face warned me that he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the news. How do I look him in the eye and tell him I slept with Baxter because he told me I was the only girl he’d ever wanted? He practically told me he loved me without actually saying it, and I had to be with him. I had to make up for that afternoon at the swimming hole… and then I wanted him over and over again because he made me feel things I never had before.

Then he told me to go back to my marriage and walked out the door.

My legs buckle and I slump against the counter, my heart fracturing in new places.

“Why, Bax?” I whimper and try to tell myself that if it weren’t for Kai, I’d still be in Nolan.

But would I?

Baxter told me to go back with Hudson.

He told me it was the right thing to do!

He let me go so easily. Does that mean he doesn’t really love me?

I don’t want to answer that question.

I snap my eyes shut, shaking my head and gritting my teeth. The point is, Kai does exist, and I can’t put my sweet little boy through some heinous custody battle and endless back-and-forth between his parents. It’s not fair.

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