Page 52 of Nothing to This

The kids persuaded her to go to the batting cage with them in the afternoon.Well, JD invited her to join them when the conversation came up over lunch.She’d told the twins that was their quality time with their daddy.JD chose that moment to explain to the kids how Mommy was scared she wouldn’t be able to do it.Ha!A challenge.Didn’t take much to be goaded into it.

In the end, she wasn’t sorry she’d joined them.After an afternoon out with the kids, they’d gone for burgers, then come home to get ready for the week ahead.Both exhausted kids struggled through bath time and went to bed without a fight.

She got ready for bed, then returned to the hallway to peek around each of the kids’ bedroom doors.Both were already in slumber.Music drifted from elsewhere, so she drew Sky’s door over without actually closing it and went toward the sound.

In the living room, JD scrolled through the tracks in her digital library.“You’re quite the rock chick, Siren,” he said, leaving the stereo to go sit on the couch.

A glass of wine was on the table beside the rest of the bottle.

“I have to get up early for work tomorrow,” she said, sinking onto the couch and curling her legs underneath her.“I don’t want to be late.”

Sitting with her, JD handed over the wine and picked up his lemonade.Were they up for a repeat of last night?

“I promise not to dock your pay.”

“Do that and I’ll raise your rent,” she said, sipping the unknown wine, nice, light, sweet.“This is amazing.”

“Two thousand dollars a bottle, it better be.”

She almost choked on her next mouthful and barely managed to catch a drip of wine on the edge of the glass without spilling it.“Two thousand… what?”

He laughed.“I’m kidding, babe, relax.”

“Idiot,” she said, shoving his shoulder.“I could’ve choked to death.”

“Would it have been worth it if it had been two thousand dollars?”

“Maybe,” she said, holding her glass closer.

“It’s peanuts to us, babe, either way.If you’d let me, I’d show you.”

“My life is just fine as it is, thanks.My kids are happy.”

Which was the main aim of her existence.

She wouldn’t pass up another conversation with him.Before their discussion the previous night, laughing was a distant dream.Funny how people got stuck in their routines and forgot what they were missing.Awake until the wee hours, they’d explored all kinds of topics together.Trust between them was growing.She trusted him with the kids, but this was different, interesting, and unrelated to their offspring.

“Are we going to talk to the daycare tomorrow?”

To put him on the list?

A knock at the front door interrupted the chance of an answer.

Finishing her mouthful, she put down her glass and stood up.“Bren has this book she wants me to read.”She descended the stairs to the kitchen.“I thought she’d give it to me at lunch tomorrow.Guess she decided to bring it over.”

“What book?”he called after her, remaining on the couch.

Opening her arms, she lifted them above her head in an exaggerated shrug.Brenna was a law unto herself.Maybe JD’s sister wanted to see what they were doing since a text exchange earlier revealed she wasn’t staying with Baxter.

Brenna would be desperate to know what happened, though she hadn’t expected her friend to just show up.

Throwing her head forward, she laughed to herself when messing up her hair.Just before reaching the door, she slid down the strap of her nightdress and chewed her lips a little.If Brenna wanted to believe she’d interrupted something, she’d get a show, and, later, a ribbing for falling for the prank.

Deepening her breathing, she took a big gulp of air and pulled open the door with a panting breath.Except the moment she saw who was on the other side, all of her deflated.

“Baxter?”

From checking out the hallway, he turned, and did the same to her.Shit.