Page 23 of One Night Seduction

“Well, hi, stranger.” She giggles before a hiccup slips out of her.

I lift an eyebrow as I stare at her. Kelly and Marissa have been getting into margaritas all day, and it looks like they finally caught up to her.

“Hey, Kel,” I say, casually moving my arms as far away from her as possible.

“I’m so glad you came, like, I genuinely didn’t believe you’d show up. Thought you were screwing with me or something.”

I shrug, not sure what to say. My eyes move around the firepit to see Melanie roasting a s’more while Brady taps away on his phone. Tom and Marissa are snuggling, and Tyson and Arianna are standing around the fire, deep in conversation. I hear her laughter, the sound echoing around the backyard, and I wonder if anyone else can feel her stealing the oxygen from the air around us or if it’s just me.

Goddamnit, I can’t keep doing this.

“What’s wrong?” Kelly frowns.

I look at her, shaking my head.

“I think Tyson is into Arianna. I’ll talk to him about it, though. Don’t worry.”

She scoffs, laughing softly.

“Why would I care? She’s a grown woman, she can handle herself, and Ty is a sweetie.”

Now, it’s my turn to laugh, albeit considerably less humorously. “Tyson is a playboy, and we both know it.”

Kelly shrugs. “Ari could use a little fun. She hasn’t had a boyfriend in years.”

“And you think Tyson is boyfriend material?” I ask dubiously.

“I don’t know, maybe. Who really cares?” she shrugs as she lifts a cup of what smells like straight vodka to her mouth.

Who cares? You should. You’re her fucking mother. How could you not care about your daughter?

Of course I say none of that, but fuck, I feel blindsided. I can’t believe I missed the true nature of Kelly and Arianna’s relationship for years. I always thought Kelly was a good mom, a little self-centered for sure, but what I’ve seen just over the last forty hours or so has me really reevaluating how checked out I was in our marriage. Or maybe how blinded I was by Kelly to notice the blatant disrespect she delivers to her daughter.

I should have paid better attention, intervened more. Arianna didn’t deserve to grow up being treated like that, and she sure doesn’t now.

My eyes naturally come to her, like I can’t stop them from doing so, as I watch Tyson lean down, whispering something into her ear that makes her grin up at him. He smiles down at her, and I suddenly can’t fucking stand it out here. Roughly, I push to my feet, cupping Kelly’s hips so she doesn’t fall, but once she’s on her feet, I’m gone.

I can feel my footsteps thundering against the grass until I reach the back of the house. I slip inside the kitchen, heading for the fridge, before grabbing a beer. I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe I should just pack up and go home.

“There more?” Tyson asks as he steps inside the house, shutting the back door behind him.

I pause for a moment, pointing my bottle towards the fridge, before taking a much needed swig. He slips by me,grabbing two beers. I don’t have to ask who the second one is for.

“She’s not old enough to drink,” I snap far more aggressively than intended.

“Uh, yeah, she is,” Tyson laughs.

I frown. Fuck, I guess she is. Otherwise, how would she have gotten into the club?

“I guess you’re right. Time flies.”

Tyson nods, an awkward silence settling over the room.

“What’s going on with you?” Tyson asks.

I realize I’ve been staring at a blank wall, and I blink quickly, shaking my head.

“Nothing, why?”

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