Page 25 of Playing With Fire
I feel an absurd amount of disappointment. Maybe someoneshouldget the wrong idea. And maybe I should make it therightidea to wake her husband up to what he has and what he stands to lose if he doesn’t start giving this woman what she craves.
I almost dry-heave on the sand.
Who am I kidding?
I don’t want anyone to touch her. Especially her sleazy, condescending husband.
“Hud, is everything okay? You’ve barely touched your food. Did I overcook the chicken again?” my sister asks from across the table.
“No, Mon, you did great. I appreciate you cooking for me tonight.” I actually feel like shit for not cooking forhersince she’s still getting the hang of being back on a work schedule, but ever since that day on the beach when little Serafina fell asleep to the rhythm of my heartbeat, I’ve barely been able to function.
“Thank you for picking Camden and Ally up from daycare on your way home from work. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She chokes on the last two words, reminding me how important it is that I stay on my new route.
“You know I’m happy to do it.” My voice sounds monotone even to my ears.
“Hudson, what’s wrong?” she asks again in a tone telling me not to feed her any bullshit as she grips my hand under the table.
I nod at the kids. “After bedtime.”
We finish dinner and I clean up while Monica gives the kids their baths, and then we put them to bed together. At first it felt weird, like my sister and I were parents of the same kids, but it’s become normal, and I want my niece and nephew to have a consistent male presence in their lives to make the sting of missing their dad a little less. When they’re older, I’ll tell them all kinds of stories. My brother-in-law was awesome.
Hence the reason he was my best friend before he hookedup with my sister. Although, I was elated when he fell in love with Monica. I used to tease him all the time and tell him he really fell in love with me since she and I are so much alike. He’d throw his head back in laughter and say,If you suck dick half as good as she does, I wouldn’t say no.
The memory brings a smile to my face, and Monica catches it.
“Your mood seems better. What’s got you all smiley?”
“Just thinking about Will.”
“I miss him.” She sighs.
“Me too, Mon. I could really use his help right now.”
Phoenix, Knox, and Jake would all help me in a split second, but I fear their judgment, and honestly, theyshouldjudge me. Even though I’m ninety-five percent certain they’d have my back, I’m just not ready to verbalize it to them quite yet.
“I’m a poor substitute for my wise husband, but why don’t we open a bottle of wine and you can tell me what’s on your mind?”
I follow her to the kitchen and grab two glasses while she chooses the bottle she’s in the mood for. I’m not really a wine drinker, but I’d drink cat piss if that’s what she wanted.
She pulls a bottle of red and gets to work on the cork. “I know it’s still hot out, but this one was aged in bourbon barrels. I thought you might enjoy it a little more.”
“That’s thoughtful, Mons.”
She rolls her eyes at my use of the nickname which honestly just slipped out, out of habit. “On second thought, maybe I’ll pour you a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.”
Speaking of cat piss.
I smile and hold out the glasses. “Whatever you want,Monica,”I tease.
We take our drinks to the front porch along with the baby monitor. The low hum of the highway in the distance creates a nice background noise so the silence doesn’t make this worse than it is.
“Okay, talk,” she says.
“There’s a woman on my delivery route,” I start.
Monica sits up straighter, her eyes alight even in the darkness.
“Oh, do tell.”
