Page 116 of Reckless

The dirtbag had moaned loudly, shoving her down hard to distract her from my presence. In the moment, my rage deflated, and all I felt was resignation. He was an asshole. Her asshole. And she was welcome to havehim.

In the two seconds I stood there, all of the crazy I’d planned to unleash fell by the wayside. I didn’t need anymoreproblems.

But that didn’t stop me from slashing histires.

I clear my throat. “If he did that with me, how many other times has hecheated?”

“Motherfucker,” Ethan growls behind me, and my skinprickles.

“You little psycho,” Felicia wails. “You’re the one who vandalized hiscar!”

“Guilty as charged.” I hold up my hands and return my focus to Ethan. “I’m a lot of messed-up things, but I always cop to what I’ve done. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my driving record. At first, I thought you hadn’t done my background check because I was only supposed to be here temporarily while you found a real nanny through an agency. Then I hoped my sister had warned you. Because she does that. She cleans up my messes and gets mejobs.”

I swallow, knowing how badly I’ve screwed up. “But when you kept offering me your truck, when you told me to drive the kids, I got too afraid to ask what you knew. Too much time had gone by. Too many opportunities to tell you about my past.”Too many intimate moments.Tears burn in my eyes, and I swipe at them with the back of my hand. “I can’t explain how you looked at me, but for the first time, I wasn’t a screw-up. You didn’t see me the way my family does. A mess. A flunky. A basketcase. And I didn’t want to mess this up too. You and Mila and Cody were too important tome.”

Ethan’s expression is blank. “So tell me now. Tell me whathappened.”

“Are you serious?” Allison blows out a breath. “She’s endangered the lives of ourchildren.”

“No, I didn’t endanger your kids. I drove them once.Once. Under the speed limit for all of two miles, and Logan drove them home.” Angrily, I wipe at another tear. “Here’s the truth. I got a DUI my freshman year of college for driving my friends with open containers in the car. We drag-raced through some back roads we thought were empty, and they were empty, except for that state trooper who pulled me over. No one was injured, though.” Even though Jamie made it seem like I had run over a busload ofkids.

Awkwardly, I shift on my feet. “I had a few beers that night, but the breathalyzer showed that I was point zero five over the drinking limit. Plus, I was underage and drag-racing. All stupid shit on my part. I spent a night in jail. Lost my license for a while. Let my life fall apart. Wasn’t the last time, either.” I glare atJamie.

I wish freshman year had taught me a lesson. While I never drove under the influence again, I partied away most of college like an idiot. Partied and worked to pay off my attorney bills. You’d think one night in county would teach me, but it took getting screwed over by Jamie for me to take a long, hard look at my life and try to make some lastingchanges.

Allison moves close to Ethan before she narrows her eyes at me. “You need to leave.Now.”

Ethan looks shell-shocked. Like the news of me having an affair with his friend and my arrest have shattered his impression ofme.

With a trembling hand, I touch his chest. I keep my eyes pinned to the collar of his t-shirt. “I never meant to keep any of this from you, and I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve lied. That was never my intention.” Finally, I brave a glance in his raging blue eyes. They’re the color of the sky during a storm. “But I would suffer through all of that humiliation again if it brought me back toyou.”

Tell me you loveme.

Tell me we’reokay.

That we’ll get throughthis.

That you forgiveme.

He clears his throat and reaches for me, his touch gentle on my shoulder. “Tori,I—”

“Daaaaaddy!” Mila’s wailing, frantic, as she skids into the kitchen. “Daddy! Cody fell. He’s hurt re-re-real bad. Logan says it’s an emer-emer-gency.”

One minute Ethan’s staring at me with so much emotion in his eyes, I want to weep. The next, he’s gone, picking up his daughter and racing out the backdoor.

I watch it slamshut.

When I make sense of what just happened, that the baby is injured, I start to follow, but Allison grips my arm, digging her nails into myskin.

Her voice, toxic and bloodthirsty, is in my ear. “Get the fuck out of my house before I call the police. Unless you’d like another arrest on your record.” She rattles off things she could lie about. That I stole jewelry or hurt the children or diddrugs.

I’m standing there in stunned silence when two large hands grab me from behind and drag me down the hallway where I’m shoved out the frontdoor.

I land on my ass and gasp for breath because the wind gets knocked out ofme.

White spots dot my vision as I stare up at Jamie’s furious face, but I’m scrambling back toward my car. Ignoring the voices. Ignoring theyelling.

Although everything in me is screaming to check on Cody, he’s with his dad, and Ethan will know what to do. There’s no one better to take care of thebaby.

---