Page 113 of Gifts

She starts to take food to the pantry. “Well, I caught him in the halls today and told him to invite whoever he wanted.”

Fuck.

I can’t control the edge to my voice. “Keelie.”

When she comes out of the pantry, she has a sheepish expression on her face and comes right to me. Even in her heels, she has to lift up on her toes to reach my face. When her lips are close, she says, “He’ll only graduate from high school once. It’ll be fun.”

I shake my head and am serious as shit when I say, “No one better get pregnant.”

She presses her lips to mine. “Well, you do have a gun. I suppose you could use it if needed.”

I wrap my arms around her. “Thank you.”

“It’s just a bonfire, Asa. No biggie.”

“No. Thank you for loving my kids.”

Her face softens. “This is their home now. Even though Levi is leaving for Hopkins soon, I want him to have memories here.”

I drop my hand to her ass because when she’s this close, I can’t stop myself. “You’re pretty fucking great, you know that?”

She smirks. “I hope you still think that when you’re cock-blocking teenagers at the graduation party.”

I give her ass a squeeze and shake my head. “I’ll hang out with Saylor—she’s easy. You can be in charge of the teenagers.”

She leans up to kiss me quick. “Can you put this stuff away? My feet are killing me and I want to change.”

I give her ass a smack and move for the pantry.

When she’s almost up the stairs, she yells back for me, “Oh, I left my phone down there. If Danielle texts me, just tell her I’ll get back with her.”

No sooner do the words come out of her mouth does her phone go off. I sigh, grateful Keelie is patient with my ex-wife for my kids’ sake. I dig around her purse, finally finding it. I shoot off a text to Danielle. That’s when I see a notification saying there’s an unsent text.

I open it back up to make sure the message sent and it did. I have to scroll way down, but there it is, the error message for a whole slew of unsent texts.

To David.

What the fuck?

I grip the phone and feel my body tense.

Frowning, I open the string and quickly scroll through. The last message was sent weeks ago, but every single one of them is undelivered—and there’s a shit ton of them. There’s no way I can make myself look away.

—Thank God, he didn’t leave. And he loves me. Why does that feel good and hurt so much at the same time?

—He won’t leave. And he’s fucking sleeping with me. NAKED!

—I think I’m going to be sick. I told him to leave. I’ve never felt physical pain like this morning, leaving and knowing he wouldn’t be there when I got home. I’d rather be shot at all over again. Fuck, I’d rather you almost bankrupt me again over your damned gambling habits. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore, but seeing him getting stitched up was too much. He could’ve died. I’d never live through losing him. Not Asa. Not like that.

My insides tighten, but I read on.

—Brandon and Kyler didn’t die in an accident. They were murdered. I can’t believe it. Things are a mess and poor Emma is in the middle of it.

—How fucked up is it that Asa’s taking me to my therapist appointment that I go to because of YOU. Damn you. Some days I wonder why Asa puts up with me. There has to be easier women to be with. Who am I kidding? Anyone would be easier to be with than me. Makes me hate you even more. Why can’t I be a normal woman for this beautiful man who thinks he wants me?

And I hate Dr. Graystone, too. I mean, it’s not his fault, but I hate everything he stands for and why I need him. Or needed him to begin with. Do I really even need him anymore?

—I had sex. The best sex of my life with a bunch of orgasms. And I can’t wait to be with him again.

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