The nurse couldn’t stop laughing, even while she went over Avery’s discharge papers. “Oh, you guys have been so much fun. Avery, you behave yourself on the way home.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Avery retorted.
Blessedly, Avery fell asleep as soon as I pulled out onto the road.
23
Avery
The first two days after my surgery were a bit of a blur, but by the fourth day, I was feeling much better. I was even able to help Mom get the kids ready for school, which hadn’t happened since the school year started.
Once they were out the door, I made my way back upstairs to take a shower and get dressed for the day. It was the first time I’d felt human in weeks and I planned to cherish every second of it. With my hair dried and flat-ironed and a touch of makeup on my face, I went downstairs geared up for a productive day.
I opened up my laptop and started working on the logo design for Jackson Security. I was almost finished with it when Kellan knocked on the front door. He’d been coming by to check on me at least twice a day since the surgery and he usually stayed for a few hours each time.
I walked to the door with an extra pep in my step and pulled the door open with a wide smile on my face. “Good morning,” I said before realizing the person on my porch wasn’t Kellan. “Can I help you?”
The beautiful woman smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, actually, you can. I would find it extremely helpful if you would stop fucking my husband.”
I gaped at her for several moments before my brain processed what she’d said. “Excuse me?”
“Are you deaf or stupid?” she spat.
“You need to leave,” I said and started to close the door.
“No, you need to keep your dirty snatch away from my husband. Kellan is and always will be mine!”
Complete and utter devastation ripped through me like a hot knife. I clutched my stomach and took a stumbling step back. Kellan was married? I was the other woman? The other woman carrying his baby?
My hand automatically dropped lower to protectively cradle my unborn child. Her eyes followed the movement and she added, “You can get rid of that thing, too. I won’t have it looming over us for the rest of our lives.”
“Kelly!” Kellan roared. “What in the absolute fuck are you doing here?”
“Introducing myself to your whore,” she sneered.
Kellan said something I couldn’t hear into his phone before shoving it into his pocket. He came to a stop between his wife and me. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but it won’t work.”
“Judging by the look on her face, I’d say it already has.”
“You both need to leave,” I said and was proud of how strong I sounded despite how weak I felt.
Kellan whirled around and took a good look at me. “I promise it’s not what you think. Give me two minutes and I’ll prove it to you,” he said softly.
She laughed cruelly. “Are you still showing those fake divorce papers to your little playthings?”
A quick chirp and a flash of blue lights caught my attention. I looked past Kellan and his wife to see two police officers exiting their vehicle and approaching us.
“Savior, what’s going on?”
“This is my ex-wife, who is not welcome here and refuses to leave. She pulled the same shit at my place of employment a few days ago,” Kellan said.
“Is this your home?” the officer asked.
“It’s mine,” I chimed in.
“And you are?”
“Avery Parker,” I said at the same time Kellan said, “My woman.”
