Page 38 of Better Daddy

Lo startles, her attention darting to the door, and upon seeing me, she says, “Got to go.”

Bugger. Would have been nice to know what she was wearing without having to outright ask Lo and put her in the middle.

“Sloane?” I ask innocently as I step into the room.

She nods as she watches me line up a yellow elephant and a green giraffe on the edge of her desk. “Cal or T.J.?”

“Both,” I admit.

She chuckles. “T.J. will love the noises they make when he rips them off, but you may regret giving Cal more things to throw at you.”

I wince. I hadn’t considered that he’d use them as ammo. But I’m too distracted to care about these damn fidget toys now.

“What’s Sloane up to?”

Lo glances away, not meeting my eye. “You know. Shopping. Her favorite.”

I hum a nonresponse and wait. Lo babbles when she’s nervous, so all I have to do is be patient, and I’ll get the information I need.

“She’s worried because her clothes are getting tight, and she wants to look good for the Higgins, Smith, and Dodge Christmas party.” She swallows, still not looking at me. “She’ll look great in anything. She always does. But you know how she gets.”

“That I do.” I could let this go, but Sloane and I have a tradition that I have no intention of breaking. “What’s she wearing?”

She taps her desk, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, then snags the green giraffe. Instead of playing with the bubbles like Brian, she sticks it to the desk and pulls it away again, then again.

“Lo?”

Attention still fixed on the toy, she mumbles, “You know she’s going with someone else…”

My heart lurches. I’ve been afraid to even mention the Christmas party since the day she received the invite. That night, just before we stepped into the flat, I risked her wrath and gently grabbed her by the elbow.

“Sweetheart,” I said.

She hummed but didn’t meet my eye.

“I’d love to take you to the Christmas party. If you’d like.” I tacked on the last few words as if I wasn’t dying to go with her, trying my damnedest to be nonchalant.

Sloane nodded quickly, though she wouldn’t make eye contact. “I’ll, um, I’ll let you know.”Then she rushed inside. I stayed out in the parking lot for a few minutes, composing myself. I’d seen her lack of interest. And I’d felt in my bones that she might already have a date. That or an interest in going with someone else.

Every inch of me rebels at the idea of my wife dating another man. Not this weekend. Not ever. But I keep my mouth shut. Yelling at Lo won’t get me what I want.

Yelling and growling have become my default over the last couple of years, but I’ve promised myself that I’ll do better.

I clear my throat, willing the ache in my chest to subside. “Since the first event Sloane and I attended together, I’ve made it a habit to rent a necklace to match her dress.”

Sloane should always feel like the most treasured woman in the room, and I’ve always loved spoiling her with jewelry from the finest designers. Almost as much as I love watching her expression when I slip the necklace around her neck.

Lo finally looks up at me. “You’ll do that even though she’s going with someone else?”

The pain in my chest flares. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

Lo’s eyes widen like she’s surprised by the intensity of my statement.

Good, because I mean every damn word. And if I thought it’d do me any good, I’d crash the damn party to win her back from the jackass she shows up with.

“I see you will be taking matters into your own hands. What a lovely plan,” a husky voice says from behind me.

I whip around, startled, and find Madame E beaming at me.