“We always celebrate with Mommy,” Ethyn whined and looked at me. “Can I stay home with you?”
“What did I say?” Carter’s voice deepened.
Ethyn’s pout vanished as he scrambled out of bed, away from his father. Elle kissed my cheek and hopped out of bed to get dressed.
“We will celebrate this weekend with Grandma,” I promised as they left our bedroom.
“I reserved a spa day for you. It begins at nine and ends at one. I can have a car for you if you don’t want to drive. After I take the twins to school, I’m headed to practice.” He folded his arms again, his biceps bulging from underneath his short sleeves. “If you don’t want to go to Napa with me, we can pretend we went. Maybe you can get a suite, and I’ll stay somewhere else.”
I sighed, wishing we were in a better place and that neither of us had doubts. “No, I want to go with you. Think we need time to be away from here and talk about everything.”
Carter’s shoulders dropped slightly as he nodded. “We do. I’ll text you the details for the spa, and I’ll meet you at the airport by two.”
“Thank you for the trip and the spa. I thought you had already left for practice. This was a pleasant surprise.” I forked some of the eggs in my mouth.
“I couldn’t leave without wishing you a Happy Birthday, and the twins would’ve been mad since they’ve begged me to let them cook you breakfast. The kitchen is a mess, and I need to clean it. I can’t have you washing dishes on your birthday.” We never hired a maid or a cook and only used help when we hosted a rare party or the house needed deep cleaning.
I leaned forward and started to reach for his hand. Instead, I clenched my own, which he noticed. “I really do appreciate your effort to make my birthday special after what happened Sunday.”
As he stepped back, his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Know that your happiness is important to me, too.”
“Yours as well. Have a good practice.” We would usually tell each other that we loved each other. This morning, those words didn’t seem right.
“Okay.” He waved two fingers, and I watched him as he strode away.
I sank back against my headboard and pulled out my cell. My heart fluttered.
Can’t wait to see you.6:30 am
Why now? Why is Grey back now?Pressing the phone against my chest, I moved the tray to my bedside table and slid back under the covers. More sleep and seeing Grey were the only answers to my tumbleweed of emotions.
