Page 20 of Moore to Love

“Shit.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ll figure something out, okay?”

“You better. Because Benjamin isn’t going to give you the same kind of greeting our daughter just did. He’s two years older and all too aware of how many promises to them that you’ve broken,” I warned.

He stepped closer, getting almost nose to nose with me. “You’d better not be turning my kids against me, Ellie.”

“I wouldn’t need to, even if it’s what I wanted, which it isn’t.” My laugh was full of bitterness. “You’re doing a fine job of it all on your own.”

“I have Honey Bunny,” Madison cried as she raced downstairs.

“Where’s your brother?” I asked.

“Gettin’ his stupid video game thingy that he never wants to share with me,” she grumbled.

I crouched down to her eye level. “It’s not stupid just because he likes it. And he doesn’t have to share because you broke his old one, remember?”

Her bottom lip puffed out. “Yeah, but I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “That’s why I didn’t make you pay for the new one out of your piggy bank.”

“I no have enough money in there, silly Mommy.” She giggled and shook her head.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing it was just an accident.” I straightened and looked over her shoulder as Benjamin came down the stairs at a much slower pace. “You all set, buddy?”

“I guess,” he sighed.

“I got those popsicles you like,” Thad said. “The red, white, and blue ones that look like rockets.”

“I don’t like them anymore,” Benjamin muttered. “The ice cream cones with the chocolate in the bottom are my favorite now.”

Thad looked at me, and I offered, “I’ll take a picture of the box and text it to you.”

“Thanks.”

“C’mon, Daddy,” Madison tugged on his hand. “Let’s go,”

Watching Thad get them buckled into their car seats in the back while Penny glared at me from the front passenger side just about killed me. I wasn’t sure what the girl had against me when she was the one who stole my husband, but as long as she didn’t upset my kids, I was fine with pretending I didn’t hate her.

I pasted a smile on my face and waved until I couldn’t see the car anymore. Then I went inside, grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured myself a large glass. I didn’t feel like cooking for just myself, so I made the dino-shaped nuggets and macaroni and cheese I’d been planning to make for the kids. As far as comfort food went, it did the job. Especially since I drank another glass of wine to wash the meal down.

Then I went upstairs and took a bubble bath…while polishing off the other two glasses in the bottle. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur, but at least I didn’t have far to go to crawl into bed.

I woke up the next morning with a headache from drinking too much wine—one glass seemed to be my limit nowadays. So guzzling down a whole bottle hadn’t been my best idea.

To add insult to injury, I hadn’t even slept in since it wasn’t even seven thirty yet. The thought of spending the weekend in this too-quiet house had me pulling the blanket over my head with a groan. But ten minutes later, I was still wide awake.

Rolling over, I grabbed my phone off the bedside table and scrolled through social media. That distracted me for a few minutes, and then an ad for today’s adoption event at the clinic popped up on my timeline. Remembering how much fun we had playing with the animals last weekend, I rolled off my mattress to pad into the bathroom. Then I took a quick shower and got ready to head out, only stopping in the kitchen to gulp down a cup of coffee with a few ibuprofen and a piece of dry toast.

I was a mess as I drove to the clinic, but when I pulled into the parking lot and saw him through the windows lining the front, a part of me eased. In the two weeks since I’d started working for Finn, this place had become a safe zone for me. I’d grown confident in my tasks and enjoyed the people I worked with. Especially my boss.

When I walked inside and realized it was just the two of us, I finally admitted—at least to myself—that Finn was the reason I’d come to the clinic today. I’d thought that spending some time with him would help pull me out of my funk, and I’d been right. Just seeing his sweet smile and kind eyes lessened the blow of missing my children. He was the best distraction in the world, with or without the puppies.

And when those dark eyes of his filled with concern, and he asked, “What’s wrong?” I couldn’t hold my pain quietly inside any longer.

“Thad picked the kids up last night with the woman he cheated on me with in the car, and Benjamin was not happy about going. It’s just all such a mess, and I miss them so much. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Finn moved close and pulled me against his chest. “It’s okay, Ellie.”

“But it’s not.” I sniffled, shaking my head as tears streamed down my cheeks, soaking his shirt. “Nothing has been okay in a long time, and I don’t know how I can fix this for me or my kids.”

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