Page 74 of Pure Abandon

“Really, you think your job is more important than mine? Last I checked, I was the one paying the bills around here.” Gabriel knows I despise when he throws it in my face that he makes more money than me.

“You’re an asshole, Gabriel Monroe.”

“And you’re being unreasonable,” Gabriel says, placing his dress shoes in the bag. “I have no choice. My client is taking off for a few days so I can get into his office and go through every piece of paper he hasn’t shredded yet. This case goes to trial in four weeks.”

I storm around the bedroom, looking for something to throw. “How can you think it’s acceptable to tell me at ten o’clock at night that you’re hopping on a plane at six in the morning to head to Chicago? Do you comprehend how wrong this is? You have a wife and a baby. You can’t just take off on a whim!” I stop to catch my breath. I didn’t realize I was screaming.

“Kat, please, you know I don’t want to do this, but there really is no option.” Gabriel places two suits in a garment bag. “Besides, you have Carmen.”

He just doesn’t get it. I have to work late this week. I can’t leave Jackson with Carmen all day and all night. It’s not right.

The phone rings and I fall onto the bed. I can’t deal with whoever is on the line. I motion for Gabriel to answer it. I immediately know it’s bad news.

“Fuck!” Gabriel slams the phone down.

I shoot up from the bed. “What is it?”

“That was Carmen.” Gabriel runs his hands across his forehead. “Her mother is sick so she’s taking the train to Philly to tend to her. She said she’ll be in Philadelphia through next week.” Gabriel is now equally as pissed as I am.

Good, welcome to my world.

I fall back on the bed. Great, this is just what we need. No husband, no nanny, and I can count down the days until my event.

“What about your mother?” Gabriel suggests.

“My mother just left, Gabriel! She is not driving from upstate to stay with Jackson for a week.”

“Bring Jack up there, then.”

“No, Gabriel, I am not going a week without seeing my kid. “

“Well, Kat, you can’t have it all.”

Gabriel can be such a jerk sometimes. My feet find the ground faster than my mind can grasp words for a comeback. I storm out of the room and grab Jackson’s bag to pack. Ten o’clock at night and I’m driving upstate.

By the time I get back home, it’s almost four in morning. My mother insisted on talking about my argument with Gabriel. She, of course, took Gabriel’s side. The woman is in love with the man. If I didn’t marry him, I’m sure she would have.

As I turn into the driveway, I consider calling out sick. How am I ever going to get to the office on time?

I turn off the ignition and undo my seatbelt. Unplugging my iPhone, I open the center console and put the charger away. As I place the white cord inside, I feel something soft at the bottom of the compartment. I hadn’t noticed it when I took the cable out earlier. My fingers pinch the soft material and lift it out.

Just breathe, Kat.

In my hands is a black lace thong. What is this doing here? I own lace thongs, but the label inside, Agent Provocateur, confirms this lacey undergarment is not mine. Upon further inspection, I see the thing has a clasp at the bottom where you’d attach a garter belt. This is the kinky stuff you give your friends at their bachelorette party.

I panic and shove the thong back into the center console and close it. Whose could those be and why are they in our car? Like flashes from a movie, the scene plays before my eyes. That little tramp, Becca, buying underwear at Bloomingdale’s. She was on the phone, talking about some guy she met in the park.

My body begins to spasm as I punch the steering wheel in front of me with the palm of my hand. I am such a moron! I knew it. I absolutely knew something was up. But instead of saying something, I decided to let it go.

What I should have done was hired a private investigator. I should have had documentation of this little affair. I should have gotten a lawyer. I should be making him pay.

“Just breathe.” I attempt to say the words out load just as I have almost my entire life.

Well, not anymore!

I storm into the house, looking for Gabriel. Taking the stairs two at a time, I call out his name, but he’s not there. He must have left for the airport already.

What time was his flight again? I can’t think. I can’t breathe. My chest heaves. I place my hand over my heart to calm my erratic pulse. I think I’m having a heart attack. What is going on? Where is my husband? Why is there another woman’s underwear in our car?