Page 35 of Be My Traitor

The question took me aback. Now I thought about it, it actually wasn’t all that obvious. “Well, he didn’t want to spend the day with me.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m not with him right now!” I was so frustrated I could have cried.

“But you said he did ask if you wanted to go along, right?”

I nodded.

“What exactly did he say?”

“That I deserved to have a break from Amber and put my feet up.”

Ivy sucked air in between her teeth. “I hate to say it, Mills, and you know that I’m not exactly Lucas’s biggest fan, but maybe he really did think that you might like to have a day off from parenting. I mean, Amber’s adorable and I love her to bits, but she can be a handful. Lucas might have expressed himself badly, but it is entirely possible he was just thinking that it would be nice to spend some time bonding with his daughter while you got to relax.”

“You really think so? Why?”

“Did he have to invite you along yesterday afternoon?”

“No. We’d agreed he could have Amber by himself.”

“Right. So he asked you so that you could have that family time together and let you know that Amber was safe while she was with him. I bet he didn’t plan for you to spend the night. He’s probably feeling as confused as you are by what happened and needs a bit of space to clear his head. But hedidask you if you wanted to go with them. Much as I completely understand why you’re feeling the way you are, I think you ought to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least this time. Yes, it was rushing it to fall into bed with him so quickly, but I don’t think anyone can blame you for needing a bit of sexual relief. You’ve been living like a nun for the past few years!”

I smiled. “Not quite. There was that one guy a couple of years ago…”

“What, the one who lasted five seconds, rolled over, farted, and fell asleep?” We both laughed at the memory, frustrating as it had been at the time. “I don’t think he really counts.”

“You really think I should give Lucas a chance?”

“I think you should at least talk to him,” Ivy said gently. “See how he’s feeling and what he wants. He might be regretting last night – or maybe he also thinks it was the best sex he’s ever had. Maybe he’s even as stunned as you are by what happened and he needs a bit of time to get his thoughts together and he thought it would be a nice gesture to take Amber out for the day so you could have some space. It’s not like you can have any serious discussions with Amber running around. I agree he’s handled the situation badly, but then he never was much of a diplomat. I’d wait until you’ve had a chance to talk about things before coming to any conclusions about his motives.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this about my ex-husband, but I genuinely believe that he was actually considering your feelings by giving you a day off from Amber. Lucas is doing his best to be the good guy. He just hasn’t had much practice, so he’s bound to make a few mistakes along the way.”

I thought about what she said, nodding slowly. “This is why I needed to come and see you,” I said. “I knew you’d be able to give me a different perspective on things. You’re right. I should give Lucas a chance to explain himself.”

“That’s my girl.” Ivy smiled. “You deserve this, Mills. Even if it turns out you just had a night of mind-blowing sex and you both go your separate ways, that’s got to have been worth it, wasn’t it? I mean, it was mind-blowing, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yes.” I could feel myself getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it. “I can’t believe you never slept with Lucas while you were married. You really missed out!”

“Lucas isn’t my type. Besides, three men is more than enough for me, thank you very much. I’ve always thought the two of you would make a cute couple though. I always felt that Lucas had a crush on you but he was too afraid of my father to do anything about it.”

“Really?” I couldn’t keep the tone of disbelief out of my voice.

“Oh yes. I saw the way he looked at you when he thought no one was watching. I wasn’t surprised to hear he seduced you during his short visit back to King Town. The only shock was that he hadn’t done it sooner.”

Chatting with my best friend worked wonders on my mood and by the time Ivy called for one of her drivers to take me home, I was feeling really positive about the future. When Lucas brought Amber back, I’d ask if he wanted to stay and help put Amber to bed. After she was safely tucked up, I’d offer him a drink and we could talk about what happened and what we wanted from each other.

I daydreamed all the way home, imagining what life would be like if I was in a relationship with Lucas. I pictured us sipping champagne in my hot tub, enjoying some adult time after Amber was in bed after another day filled with family activities. Lucas would step up to his parenting duties and I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.

By the time I got back to my house, I’d created this entire fantasy around being with Lucas. Okay, I’d let my mind run wild and I knew it would be better to take things slow, but for the first time in a long time, I felt positive about my life.

All that changed when I walked through my front door to find an envelope lying on the floor. There was no stamp, so someone had hand delivered it, and someone had written my name in block capitals so I couldn’t get a clue from the handwriting who might have sent it.

A puzzled frown wrinkling my forehead, I tore open the envelope to reveal a short note with four simple words written on it:

Lucas is hiding something.

Chapter 15

Slowly, I walked over to the sofa and sat down. I read the note again, turning it over to see if there was anything else written on the back, but there was just that short sentence in capital letters.

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