Page 34 of Fourth Wall

“Is that okay?”

“Oh yeah. I guess I am just…surprised at how natural all of that was to you,” I confessed honestly.

“Shit, me too.” Quickly, he covered his mouth with his hand in feigned shock.

“You owe us a dollar for the swear jar,” Kelsie exclaimed before splashing him with water.

“Come on. I’ll get you girls dinner.”

The girls ran to grab their towels, and the hunk of a man who was just swimming in the pool with my two girls slowly walked out of the pool with water dripping from him. I felt like a cartoon watching him because my jaw must have dropped to the ground.

He moved swiftly toward me, and I held out a towel toward him. He leaned into my ear with the corners of his mouth turned up slightly into a smirk.

“Better close it because I’ll put something in it that is very much not in our friendship boundaries.” That snapped me out of my trance, and I swatted him away.

“I’ll barbecue,” he said mid laugh.

“No, I can serve them pizza.” He narrowed his eyes at me while walking over to turn the grill on.

“No.” This time, I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Let me contribute in some way, please.”

“Only because you said please.” This prompted an intense eye roll from me. “Make a side?”

“You got it, chef.”

That was how we spent the rest of the evening. Watching as the girls jumped in and out of the pool with their floaties on and sitting outside eating burgers that my very sexy roommate cooked.

“Say goodbye to Daddy,” I told the two girls when I finally tucked them into their beds as they were FaceTiming with their dad. I hadn’t spoken to him outside the courtroom, but we always let the girls call each other at bedtime, so I didn’t want to do anything to upset him.

“Wait, don’t hang up, Maeve,” Tyler said on the other line, and I shut Kelsie’s door for fear of what he would say in front of her.

I walked into the hallway and leaned against one of the walls.

“What, Tyler?” I asked pointedly, doing my best to control my emotions. He was trying to get a rise out of me. I had to keep reminding myself of this.

“Where are you guys?”

“I moved in with my boyfriend. I submitted the paperwork to the lawyer, who should have notified you of my new address as per our court order.”

“I need to meet him,” Tyler demanded.

“That is not in the order.” I could feel myself start to get worked up.

Breathe, Maeve.

“I should meet the man who's shacking up and playing family with my kids.”

I looked over at Christian, who had stopped on the stairs and was staring at me. I could feel the water start to form in my eyes. I looked between Tyler, who was berating me, and back at Christian. The world started to get quiet.

“Maybe you are just a fucking little slut who is making this shit up. You have always been a fucking good liar, Maeve,” Tyler spewed on the other line. We were still on FaceTime, and the last thing I needed was to let him see that his words were getting to me.

I looked over once again at Christian. He mouthed something at me.

“Get. Off.”

I shook my head.

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