Page 40 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“How did you like your surprise?” Mel asked the next day as we sat in lounge chairs by the lake. The kids were playing around in the shallow beach area that was roped off to keep the swimmers separated from the boaters.

“Which surprise?”

Mel twisted to look at me. “Well, now I’m curious about how many surprises there were.”

“Coming to Juniper Lake was the first. The cabin we’re staying in all week was next. My mother is here with a nurse, which is an amazing accomplishment. You and the kids are here as well.” I sighed and turned to stare into my friend’s eyes, but they were growing blurry with tears. “It’s all so much.” I managed to mumble out despite the emotions that suddenly overwhelmed me. “And he told me he loved me, too.” I blubbered as Mel “Awed” and got up to come sit beside me. She wrapped me up in her arms and held on. “He shows me in all the best ways, so I should have known, but I didn’t trust myself anymore, Mel. There’s this part of me that feels like I don’t deserve good things, especially with you here.”

“Aw, honey, you make me want to murder Rich in more creative ways than I've imagined. I hate the damage he's done to you.”

“No, it’s worse for you, maybe I should be the one to commit the murder, so you don’t have blood on your hands.” Even my murder plot included blubbered emotional words.

Mel giggled as Braxton moved in behind me and pulled me back into his chest. “I don’t think either one of you are in any condition to carry out a murder, so how about you tell me what your plans are, and I’ll do the heavy lifting while you sit back and dictate how it should go.”

“I see what you mean, Avi. That’s definitely love, right there.”

Brax’s arms tightened around me before releasing so he could pull a towel from my bag. He used it to wipe my face before handing me a napkin that I could blow my snotty nose into. “Seriously, what’s all this about?”

I couldn’t answer since I was too busy being unattractive while I honked all the slime from my nose.

“She was telling me about all the surprises yesterday. I didn’t realize you managed to get her mom to come along. That was incredible, Brax,” Mel informed him. “Avi just needed a reminder that she deserved all the love you’re showing her and that I am all for it. It makes me incredibly happy to know that you two have one another.”

“But, you don’t…” I cut myself off because I didn’t know how to finish that sentence and not sound like an asshole.

Mel giggled. “I have two of the best friends a person could ask for and two children who keep me wildly entertained with a third on the way. Trust me, I have my hands full with exactly the kind of love and support that I need right now. If there’s someone out there waiting for me in the future, then I’ll embrace that when the dust has settled, I’m officially divorced, and I’m not a walking zombie from all the sleepless nights with a new baby.”

“I hadn’t thought about the sleepless nights that are coming soon,” I admitted before turning to look over my shoulder at Brax. “You sure you want to saddle yourself with me, considering?”

“Aviva, I knew exactly what I was signing up for. I was there for more nights with Gwen when she was a baby than Rich was.”

That caused one of my eyebrows to go up.

“I had the baby blues and Rich was always working. Brax would come over after work and give me a few hours to take a nap because he knew Rich wasn’t helping with any of the nighttime stuff. I was basically going nonstop all day and night, getting no rest, and the baby blues made it all feel a million times worse. I went through all the same things with Gavin when he was a baby, but without the baby blues, it felt manageable even if I was perpetually exhausted.”

“Well, we can share Brax on daddy duty, so you still get some help, too.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Brax asked.

“Of course not. Someone has to help Mel. She has two other children to take care of, too.”

“See what I mean about having my two best friends as a support system?” Mel mentioned. “Never doubt your worth to me, Avi. You’re incredible and I am one lucky lady that my soon-to-be ex-husband decided to have an affair with you. Sucks that you got dragged into it, but I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, all things considered.”

“I guess, in a weird way, he did us both a favor by bringing us together,” I admitted.

“We’re not giving that asshole any credit, ladies. Fuck him!”

“Fuck him!” We both echoed Brax’s sentiment.

After spending a few hours together down on the beach, Brax and I made our way back to the cabin for a mid-afternoon nap while Amelia played what seemed to be an exhilarating round of Bridge with my mother. Mom gave me a salacious wink on my way that had me blushing from the roots of my hair down to my bare feet.

“Are you okay to climb these stairs, or do you need me to carry you?”

I gave Brax a side-eye as I started up the stairs. “Even if I was worn out, I wouldn’t want you to carry me up a set of stairs.”

“Why? You don’t think I can do it?” He flexed his biceps, then made a show of kissing each one to show that he was teasing me. I rolled my eyes at his antics.

“I have no doubts that you could take care of me in all the ways, but I have plans for you when we get up there and I don’t need you throwing your back out before we get to the good stuff.”

“And here I thought we were just coming in to take an innocent little nap.” His voice dropped to a lower register that held a hint of lusty gravel in it.

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