Page 116 of Sweet Thing

But she had told me she loved me. Brave, beautiful Adeline had spoken those words even when I made it clear it would never work. Still she forged ahead, speaking her truth. She stood between me and her father, ready to absorb his anger. I’d wanted to give her space to fly, but now I wanted nothing more than to claim her for myself.

I checked my phone. Why wasn’t she answering?

The doorbell sounded. Thank God. She’d managed to slip away and now I could tell her the truth.

“Hold up, Mabel. Back in a tick.”

I bounded to the door, feeling weirdly happy despite the fuckery of before. Kershaw knew, we didn’t have to hide anymore. So I was still the asshole screw-up who told Adeline I was no better than Sven. That might not have changed, but knowing my sins were public gave me hope I could now work on fixing it.

I pulled open the door, ready to tell Adeline I loved her.

“Hi, Lars. Happy Thanksgiving.”

Vicki had finally decided to show her face.

ChapterThirty-One

Lars

I didn’t thinkthe day could get any worse, but this dumb jock clearly lacked imagination.

“Oh, someone doesn’t look happy to see me!” She giggled nervously.

“What are you doing here?” I should have been asking if she was okay but after the events of the last couple of weeks, I’d run out of fucks to give.

“Now, Lars.” She stepped forward and I blocked her. “No need to be a dick about it.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Her brows angled down in confusion. “I took a break and now I’m here.”

“My lawyer has been trying to contact you. They even sent notices to your in-laws in New York.”

“We were on a cruise. Marriage rehab, you know how it is.” She made a face. “Didn’t work.”

As if I cared about her damn marriage. “And you think you can just waltz back into your daughter’s life after dumping her without a care?”

She had the audacity to look surprised. No one could be this obtuse. “I know it was a shock for you, Lars, but surely you can see it as a blessing in disguise. Aren’t you crazy about her?”

Not just about Mabel. All I wanted was to get rid of my daughter’s absentee mother and run to the woman I adored.

“Vicki, you abandoned your daughter in a bar with a complete stranger.”

“I told you. I needed the break. I needed a chance to save my marriage.” A sour look crossed her face. “For all the good that did. But I’ve realized that maybe he wasn’t the one for me. I did everything he asked, and he still made me beg—on my knees, mind you—and it made no difference. He just wanted to humiliate me.”

This made sense now. She’d tried and failed with her husband, and now she was here for Plan B. I pinched the spot between my eyes, trying to stave off an incoming headache. This was exhausting. Vicki was exhausting.

“Vicki, why are you here?”

“To see my girl. And you.” She moved back to her car, a Range Rover, and opened the trunk, which was filled with shopping bags. “I brought her some gifts. The cutest onesie you ever did see. Picked it up in Aruba during one of our port excursions.” She tilted her head. “Now where’s my daughter?”

Adeline

I satin Aurora’s kitchen, letting the French country chic calm me while she poured hot water into two cups of Earl Grey.

“Hob nobs, honey?”

“Is my name Adeline Kershaw?”

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