“No running on the stairs,” Alex and I both blurted at the same time.
His glare intensified. “I’m sure you want to get back to your job hunt, Sue. Don’t let us keep you.”
“Oh, actually, I was just about to make Lily’s snack—”
“No need.” He blew past me. “I’ve got it.”
“Alex!”
He left without a glance back.
Is this how it’s going to be with him? Every day spent shouting at his retreating back?
“Excuse me? Mrs. Kim?” Mr. Layton filled my vision. “Do you have a moment?”
I dragged my attention off Alex and focused on him. “Yes?”
“It occurred to me that it’s rather silly for you and your husbands to have to go all the way to Lantana Day, pick up Lily, and drive behind me to your house, when I’m going to the same place anyway.”
My brows crumpled. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying,” he replied with a laugh. “I can drive Lily home from school on the days we have piano lessons.” Layton held up a pen and piece of paper. “All the administration office needs is for you to sign this permission and liability form.”
And why should I spend every day apologizing and chasing after Alex? He wants to talk about safety when he’s the psycho jerk who locked me outside with a bear? A fucking bear!
“Huh? What?” I was barely listening. “Oh, no, that’s okay. We don’t mind driving Lily home. Besides, if we stopped, all the married moms will lose their chance to ogle my husbands in the pickup line.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t mind—”
I’ll admit, it wasn’t right for me to tell him one thing, and then turn around and do something else, but I am not Sue. My apologies aren’t for show, so I’ll say sorry for what I did, and he can damn well do the same in return.
“Let me get your coat.” I snatched his coat up and tossed open the door, running through everythingIwas going to shout inAlex’sface. “Thanks for coming by. We’ll see you next week.”
“But I—”
I closed the door on his sentence, then marched through the drafty, dusty halls into the kitchen.
Alex’s, Micah’s, and Rhodes’s shadows moved across the hardwood, signaling me to start my rant.
“Al—!”
“Was that a kiss hello I saw?” Rhodes asked.
“Yep. Sue and I came up with a little side truce of our own, and now we’re fucking again.”
I tripped on air. Scream trapped in my throat, I pitched sideways and barely caught the handrail before my clumsy feet dumped me hard on the back stairs.
“What side truce?”
“Orgasms for good behavior. I got her to cum three times last night,” he said over my dropping jaw. “So that’s three days I’m matching her fake-nice act with one of my own. An act I won’t break even if she does.”
Rhodes’s voice was dry. “I see what she gets out of that, but not what you do?”
“Hey, we both know she’s got an ulterior motive for this happy-family scam she’s pushing on us.”
It’s not a scam!
“But if I’m going to play along, I want something for my trouble. And that something is pussy.”
