Page 177 of Every Silent Lie

“Obviously,” I whisper, watching him, how uncomfortable he is. This isn’t boding well. It feels like he’s bracing himself to tell me something damaging.

“She kissed me.”

My back automatically pushes back into the couch, putting some space between us that I didn’t want a moment ago. “Did you kiss her back?”

“Jesus, no.” He looks horrified at the suggestion. “Never. But I know that woman. She will try to spin this and make you believe it was more than me being jumped and pushing her off. April walked in when she heard the commotion, and suffice to say, Chelsea barely made it out alive.”

I smile on the inside, mentally cheering April on.

“I’m letting my lawyer take over from here. He’s working on a restraining order for the time being to keep her away from us, but it will be in the hands of the family court and I’m well aware they could deem it in Albi’s best interests to have contact with his biological mother. She doesn’t want Albi. The money she took has obviously run out. My legal team are working on digging up what they can—where she’s been, what she’s been up to.”

“Why are we even talking about her?” I ask.

He withdraws a little. “I thought?—”

“You wanted transparency.” I smile. “I believe you are a good man, Dec. An amazing father.” I take his hand and squeeze.

“Just trying to be a good boyfriend too.”

“Have you cleaned your teeth, rinsed with mouthwash, and disinfected anywhere she touched you?” He was half naked.

He smiles mildly. “Scrubbed.”

“Then I take you back.”

He laughs. “Okay, good.”

“Chelsea doesn’t matter, Dec. Albi does. What did you say to him?” He must have been a little anxious wreck.

“Blaine took him to his treehouse at the bottom of the garden, so he didn’t see or hear anything, thank God.” He puts his face in his hands, brushing them down his stubble. “I told him the lady who stopped by was someone who works for me, and now I’m terrified he’ll hold it against me when he’s older. I never want to lie to him, Camryn.”

“You did what you had to do in the moment. You protected him.”

He nods, but it’s not a convincing nod. He’s questioning himself. It’s standard when you’re a parent. I don’t know how many times in Noah’s short life I beat myself up over one thing or another, questioned myself, argued with two parts of my mind that were conflicting. We do what we can, and we hope we do it right. I need to move this along. “What time did Albi go to bed?”

“Four.”

I laugh. “So, he’ll be up with the dawn chorus.”

“Possibly before that.” Dec shifts on the couch to face me. “He’s asked where you were non-stop.”

“Don’t make me feel guilty.”

“It’s not intended to make you feel guilty. It’s intended to show you how wanted you are. How loved.” He takes my hands. “We can never fix what’s broken. We can’t replace what you’ve lost, Camryn. But we’re here, and all we ask is that you love us as much as we love you.”

I soften, hating he needs confirmation of that. “I do.”

“Then we’ll be okay.” He leans in and captures my lips, kissing me down to my back, the cushions getting knocked off the couch. “Tell me we’ll be okay.”

I nod, fisting his hair at his temples. “We’ll be okay.”

“I love you.” His mouth moves across my cheek to my ear. “Bone deep,” he whispers, making me smile and shudder all at once.

“I hate to interrupt.” April’s voice drifts into the room, and Dec tears his wet lips from mine and scowls.

“No, you don’t.” He cranes his head to look over the back of the couch. “You said you’d leave us alone.” He helps me to sit up as she walks around the couch and places her grazing board on the coffee table, along with the bottle of champagne.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” she says haughtily. “And what do we do on Christmas Eve?”