Page 62 of Just My Luck

I squawked. “What?”

Sylvie’s laugh filled the boutique, and she raised her hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Aunt Bug told me he needs to be there, and I am certainly not going to be the one to tell him that.”

“Well, why do I have to tell him?” I crossed my arms like a petulant child.

She grinned and shook her head. “He’s your husband.”

I chewed my lip. Abel was not going to be happy about this.

Damn it.

“Fair enough,” I grumbled. “I’ll tell him tonight.”

Sylvie came up behind me and gave my shoulders a quick squeeze. “Thank you. Now let’s find you something that screamsI’m a hot wifeso he doesn’t stay mad at you.”

Sylvie’s attention was drawn to a row of short white dresses nearby. I moved with her, hoping to ignore the ache that nestled itself into my chest.

“How about this one?” With wide, hopeful eyes, Sylvie held out the perfect dress.

It was a white mini dress in a fit and flare style that nipped in at the waist and flared out with a short tulle skirt. The top had a plunging neckline and had large, loose bows to tie the straps together. Small pearls along the bodice and skirt added a touch of romance and femininity.

The dress was an absolute showstopper.

Excited, I smiled and eagerly nodded and headed for the dressing room.

Once I stepped into the party dress, I stared at the woman looking back at me from the mirror. Sure, it was me, but she was somehow different.

I ran my hands across the delicate fabric. It fit perfectly and was a stark contrast to the sensible jeans and sweaters I’d adopted since becoming a single mom. I may have experienced luxury growing up, but making it on my own with two amazing kids relying on me was no easy feat.

Escaping life with Jared meant leaving everything I knew behind. I had never regretted it—not once. Still, standing in a bridal suite with a pretty white dress on, I felt like a little girl playing dress-up.

With Abel, I got to be a brand-new version of me. The version where my kids were the center of the universe, and he never questioned that. Instead, he acted as though pretending to be a partner in our day-to-day lives was the easiest thing in the world. He accepted my children, accepted me, without question.

Sure, Abel and I agreed that being husband and wife was nothing more than a business arrangement, but it was downright scary how much I was starting to like being his wife.

Later that afternoon,I’d gotten a text from Granddad that the pickup of Ben and Tillie from Bug had gone smoothly. They planned to get supper together, and I was eager to hug my babies.

Pulling down the secluded driveway to the Robinson property was eerie. It no longer felt like home. Instead, I drove past the burned-out shell of the farmhouse and relived the familiar ache of sadness and loss.

It was a very real possibility that Jared had either arranged for someone to burn down the farmhouse or done the dirty work himself. There had been no further sign of him, but I hadn’t let my guard down. Not when I had my two kids to worry about.

Pulling up to the cabin, I noted the excessive number of security cameras and chuckled. Apparently when Abel committed to something, he went all in.

Without knocking I opened the cabin door and entered. Ben, Tillie, and Granddad were sitting around the table with Uno cards in their hands. I paused, surprised to see Bug King sitting with them.

“Oh, hey, Bug.” I waved.

She smiled and nodded. “Sloane.” Then she triumphantly placed a wild card down. “That’s four, Bax.”

My granddad grinned at Bug and winked. “Ruthless. Just the way I like ’em.”

Wait. What is happening? Is he . . . flirting?

“Uh...” I moved deeper into the room. “Hey, chickens. Having fun?”

Tillie nodded, a smear of rogue chocolate still staining the corner of her mouth. “Granddad invited Ms. Bug to get hot dogs and ice cream down at the café. Then we came here and she is dominating at Uno.”

“Yeah, she’s not letting him win like you do,” Ben chimed in.

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