Page 64 of Loved By The Bad Boy

It’s not my job to make such promises, but I link my pinky finger with Asher’s. “Promise.”

That promise drags his attention to the TV. A new cartoon is playing, but none of us care for it. I need to check up on Ben, but I can’t leave Asher down here by himself.

“What’s your favorite thing about Benny?”

Asher smiles. “That he’s my brother, and I love him.” My heart flutters in acknowledgment. Ben is the best person ever, and I hope he knows it. Asher slides down my lap to sit by himself. Placing a hand on mine, he turns the question to me. “What’s your favorite thing about Benny?”

“That he’s my boyfriend, and I love him.”

“You stole my answer,” Asher says half-heartedly, his nails digging into my palms. I might have stolen it, but it also applies. He hides his face in my chest. “I don’t want them to fight. I don’t want them to break up. Benny says Daddy and Mommy broke up because they fought a lot.”

I don’t think that will happen with Josef and Maddie, but I don’t say anything to him. My gaze darts to the staircase. No Benny. I rest my jaw on his head, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

This will pass.

“I really like Josef, Tessa. He’s good to all of us.”

“They will be okay.”

Footsteps approach us. We look up as Ben stops behind the couch. He avoids my gaze, and the bells in my head go off. Asher jumps off me and launches himself at his brother. Ben carries him and whispers something in his ear. I don’t know what it is, but Asher grins so much that I do the same.

Maddie joins us soon after, and Josef follows. The first thing I notice is her eyes. They are puffy. Her makeup can’t hide the fact she has been crying. She hugs and thanks me again for coming like she did not come to pick us up from the airport. The second thing I notice is the distance between the couple. Maddie is standing close to me while Josef is sticking to Asher.

Ben is still avoiding my gaze. I take his hand, and he offers me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. If anyone notices the awkwardness hanging over us, none of us comments on it. Asher clears his throat and releases Josef to stand in the middle of the circle we formed with our bodies.

“Mommy.” Asher takes her hands to place them on his shoulders. “Are you and Josef fighting?”

So direct, so blunt. I like it. Josef and Maddie share a frantic look. “No,” they blurt out in unison.

They were definitely fighting.

“We aren’t fighting,” Maddie says. “We had a minor argument, but it’s over now. Right, Josef?”

Josef’s smile is forced. Maybe it’s my imagination. “Right. I’ll go get dinner.”

Dinner is awkward, to say the least. Maddie sits on Asher’s left and Josef on his right. I doubt this is the usual setting. Ben is deathly still beside me. We are both famished, but the mood has ruined our appetite.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Maddie asks.

“I guess so,” Ben replies.

Uncertainty leaks into his voice. I squeeze his knee to remind him he’s not alone, but he barely glances in my direction. We continue the rest of the meal in silence. The usual talkative Asher is quiet but is the first to finish his meal. Maddie goes after her last son, leaving Josef, Ben, and me.

Three of us share an anxious look. “It was nothing big,” Josef says, more to Ben. “It’s nothing.”

“It didn’t seem like that to me.”

We excuse ourselves without finishing the meal. After doing the dishes, we head upstairs. Once I close the door to our room, I guide Ben to the bed, and his whole body sags in defeat. I hate this.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I don’t know, babe. I think Josef is getting cold feet about tomorrow.” We are supposed to file a report tomorrow. The lawyer says the process is short. The rest of the proceeding will depend on Theresa’s response. The hurt in his eyes tears at my soul. “Maybe I’m not doing the right thing.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Benny,” I tell him, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. I slide onto his lap and straddle him. If the situation demands it, I’ll walk over to Josef and smack sense into his head. I don’t care if Theresa is his first and only daughter. The only place the bitch deserves to be is in a rotting cell. “You are saving a lot of kids from a monster like her, okay?”

“I guess so.”

“Benny…”

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