Page 10 of Good and Gone

When I finally arrive home, exhausted and drained, it isn't my mother who greets me, but Tyler.

“Oh, Jesus, Hailey,” he says, eyeing me over. His expression shifted from shock to concern. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for hours.”

I grab my cell phone out of my purse. It is as dead as a doornail. “Sorry. I forgot my charger this morning, and I didn’t have time to stop at a store and buy one.”

He smiles wanly at me and shakes his head. “You couldn’t have borrowed one?”

Maybe I am just tired, and maybe I am being a little too defensive, but I can't help it. My tone is defiant when I answer, “Why?”

He stares at me for a moment in disbelief that turns into hurt feelings and embarrassment—so quickly it is hard not to regret what came out of my mouth. “Because I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Because I was worried.”

A thousand responses fight for space in my mind. But he looks and sounds so genuine that any snark that might have come out of my mouth dissolves. As usual, I am putty in his hands. “Where’s Mom?”

“I sent her home,” he answers with a sheepish grin that makes him look exactly like the boy I fell in love with. “She was on one of her tangents, and I knew you’d be tired.”

I gesture toward the apron he’s wearing. It’s mine, and it doesn’t suit him.

He smiles. “I made you spaghetti carbonara.” He takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen, where he hands me a glass of wine.

“Wow,” I say, doing a quick scan of the kitchen and living room. The house is relatively clean and it smells amazing, and if this wasn’t exactly the kind of move my husband would make, I’d swear I was dreaming.

He closes the gap between us and lifts a magazine off the bar, handing it to me. My eyes widen. “This is the October issue?”

“Yep,” he says, flipping to the exact page ofFitness Todaythat he wants me to see. He stabs a finger at it. “You look gorgeous, by the way. Perfect, in fact.”

My brows raise. “I forgot it was out today.”

“I didn’t.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

I have to admit; he isn’t wrong. I look pretty good. I worked so hard for that shoot. I’d come down with a stomach bug the night before, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the spread. I look better than I ever have. Even pre-kids.

I set the magazine on the counter and sip my wine. “Where are the kids?”

He smiles. “Having quiet time.”

“Is that a thing?”

“It is tonight.”

“What a day,” I say, sighing dramatically. I lean against the doorframe to watch him cook. “My car is still at the gas station…”

He stops stirring and looks over his shoulder at me. “Your car is at the dealership,” he tells me with a shake of his head. “I had it towed there.”

“How’d you know where it was?”

His head cocks to one side. He’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You texted me. You didn’t want to deal with being on hold with roadside assistance…”

“Oh. Right.” I kick off my shoes and walk them over to the mudroom. “It wasn’t that I didn’twantto deal with it, Ty. I literally didn’t have the time. Like I said, it’s been a long day.”

“How’d your meetings go?”

“Great,” I say, watching him return to his cooking. “You need any help?”

“I’m good. It’s almost ready.”

“I think I landed them both.”

“That’s my girl.”

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