Page 64 of After the Vows

“Don’t be silly, dad. Kids don’t drink coffee.”

I start to slide out of bed before I remember I’m naked. This is the problem with Chloe. She makes me lose my mind. Makes me forget my priority is and always will be Natalia.

“Why don’t you put your clothes in the laundry room and I’ll get dressed and we can decide what to do for the day?”

“Where’s Chloe?” she asks instead of complying. “Chloe! Why isn’t she answering?”

“Maybe she’s still asleep,” I lie since I have no intention of explaining to my twelve-year-old what actually happened.

“I’ll find her.” She rushes off and I grab a pair of boxer shorts before hurrying to the bathroom.

“Chloe isn’t here,” Natalia announces when I join her in the kitchen fifteen minutes later. “I called her but her phone is switched off.”

Is Chloe hiding from my daughter? Not okay. She can’t act like Natalia’s mother and then disappear.

“Oh wait. According to the calendar, she’s working.” Natalia points to the calendar on the refrigerator. It has myshifts and Chloe’s working hours on it to help us better plan pick-ups for Natalia.

Hold on. Maybe Chloe didn’t run? Maybe she’s working? I glance at the clock. It’s barely ten in the morning. The brewery doesn’t open for lunch until noon on Saturday. It’s official. Chloe’s a runner.

“What do you want to do today, cupcake?” I ask as I pour myself some coffee.

“Can we go to the beach?”

“Didn’t you already go to the beach this morning?”

“But, Dad, I didn’t have my swimsuit.”

“Let me finish my coffee and eat my breakfast and then we’ll go.”

“Yeah!” She rushes to me and throws her arms around me. “You’re the best dad ever. Although, Piper’s dad is pretty cool, too. He works atMermaid Mystical Gardens.He can make the rollercoaster stop if he wants to. Why haven’t we gone toMermaid Mystical Gardensyet? Piper says it’s fun. They have rollercoasters and lots of rides.”

“I thought you wanted to go to the beach today?”

“Oh, right. We’ll go to the amusement park when Chloe has a day off. Then, we can go as a family.”

My heart aches in my chest. I know Natalia wishes Chloe was her mom but it’s not to be. As soon as the custody hearings are over, Chloe will be out of our lives. I ignore the way my stomach dips at the reminder.

I don’t need Chloe. All I need is a twelve-year-old girl who is not going to learn to surf anytime soon if I have anything to say about it.

We spend several hours on the beach, swimming in the ocean, throwing a frisbee around, and building elaborate sandcastles.

When Natalia declares she’s starving, it’s the perfect excuse to leave. We pack everything up and make our way home.

I frown when I notice Chloe’s bike is missing. She can’t still be at work. She was only planning to work the lunch shift today.

We enter the house and Natalia shouts for Chloe.

“She isn’t here,” she pouts.

Should I message Chloe? Nah. She’s an adult. She can handle herself.

My phone beeps with a message from Weston.

Your wife is drunk at Rumrunner.

Damnit. She better not be causing trouble.

We’re fighting over who gets to arrest her this time.

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