Page 51 of Iron Secrets

Sam was almost out the door when a thought stopped her in her tracks. Kelly was a brunette.

Her stomach dropped to her feet and a cold chill raked up her spine. Turning slowly, Sam saw Mike Weaver step out of the closet followed by a blonde woman that was also familiar.

“Rachel?”

The school secretary waved casually before running her fingers through her long, pale tresses.

“I, uh, um…” Sam stammered, her lips parting and closing without making any intelligent words.

Mike stepped forward while Rachel stayed behind him, making herself presentable. “Look, Sam, there’s no reason to tell Kelly about this, right?”

Sam just stared at him.

“Sam? You’re not gonna say anything, right?”

“R-right,” she whispered, her heart breaking for her coworker, a woman she considered a friend, having been betrayed.

“Hey,” Mike said, his brows furrowing as he became serious. “Don’t say anything. It would ruin Kelly. She doesn’t need that.”

Sam didn’t disagree. Kelly didn’t need that. She needed a good man, a loyal husband, and someone to care for her and treat her well. It was just unfortunate that the man wasn’t Mike.

“It’d be a shame if she found out,” Rachel offered, adjusting her bra. “Think of her children.”

Sam felt like she’d been punched in the chest. Kelly had two young kids, Evelyn and Peter. She remembered seeing their photos on Kelly’s desk. Bile rose in her throat and Sam swallowed hard.

“All right,” Sam conceded, dropping her eyes to the floor. Guilt settled like an anvil on her chest, but she couldn’t imagine being responsible for ruining Kelly’s life, or those of her children. She was lucky enough to have been raised by two parents who loved each other, offering a wonderful example of marriage to Sam and her brother. Sam didn’t want to take that from the Weaver kids.

“Good girl,” Mike said, giving Sam a smile that made her insides crawl. “Have a good night.”

Sam nodded, picked up the box she had dropped, and backed out of the teacher’s lounge. Before she realized it, Sam had walked to her classroom, unlocked the door, and flipped the light switch. She sat at her desk, face buried in a pile of fake leaves and tulle, breathing deeply.

Cheating was not something Sam had any experience with. Her relationships, the few she’d had, were brief and never seemed to make it past the first few dates. Her friends were either single or happily married with families of their own.

She couldn’t suppress her smile as she thought of Gemma. Her husband, Zed, all but worshiped the ground she walked on, and their babies were the center of his universe. Sam knew, having spent a lot of time with Zed before and after they started their family, that he would rather cut off an appendage than hurt Gemma, even accidentally.

Blaze and Evie, another couple belonging to the Iron Dragons Motorcycle Club, set an ideal for marriage that Sam could only ever hope to have. Not that their life was perfect, but they had such devotion to and respect for each other that it made Sam’s chest ache when she saw them fawning over each other or their kids.

Sam sighed. Why cheat? Wouldn’t it be easier to just walk away? To end the relationship honestly rather than wound your partner so deeply, ruining their ability to trust in the future? Many of her student’s parents were divorced, and she could see the difference between those who parted amicably or at least attempted to co-parent and those who used the children as pawns in a way to exact power or control. The kids always paid the price.

Sam sighed heavily, a faux maple leaf tickling her cheek and prompting her to sit up.

A yelp escaped her at the sight of a large figure silhouetted in the dark doorway of her classroom.

“Sam, it’s me.” The deep voice was familiar, calming her panic. Aero stepped into the room, the single row of fluorescent lights she’d turned on revealing his concerned face. “What’re you doing in here?”

Sam shifted uncomfortably in her desk chair. “Um, I was putting some decorations away.”

They stared at each other, suspended in the moment, the air growing tense between them as Aero considered his next action, and she toyed with the idea of telling him what she’d seen. Neither spoke.

“I—”

“We—”

They started at the same time, then stopped.

His lips twitched in amusement and Sam giggled, watching his broad shoulders relax slightly as she did so.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to the trick-or-treating thing,” Aero said, staring down at his boots.

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