Page 5 of Starting Over with You (Beer League Belles #2)

CHAPTER

THREE

Kenni

My arms hold the boys while Stratford and his family look through the photos they’ve taken. Since Stratford is a big part of the community here, he has people coming up to chat and bullshit, leaving me to love on the boys just a bit longer.

Flint leans in and waggles his brows. “It’s time to live your Sagittarius era.”

I snort. “First, it was the Kenleigh Colburn era, and now, it’s my Sagittarius era?”

He just grins, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief, the same look I wore often as a young teen. “Just saying, you haven’t been living your wild-child self in a long time. It’s time to tap into that.”

Ash nods. “Yeah, Mom. It’s time for you to put socks on your door.”

Flint gags a bit and smacks his brother. I can’t help but laugh. “Bro!”

“What? Mom is a baddie,” Ash declares and then flashes me a lopsided grin that makes me think he’s eight and not eighteen. “You’ve lived for us, Mom. Go live for you. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Flint agrees. “We have each other.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, my voice shaking, and then they kiss my temples at the same time. “Instant best friends.” They smirk at me as I gaze up at them. “You’ll call and text?”

They both agree earnestly, and I see a glimpse of them when they were younger. When they weren’t off to college to do big things and ultimately make it to the NHL. When they were just my sweet babies.

Now, they’re men.

And all I can hope is that I did my job.

“Daily,” Ash promises.

“It’ll feel like we’re not even apart,” Flint adds, and my heart soars.

I smile brightly. “That’s how I want it.” I wrap my arms around them, and they hug me tightly. This almost feels unreal, like it’s not happening, but when we part, they both look down at me with bright-blue eyes full of so much love and excitement for me. “I love you two.”

They tell me the same before Layla and Pete pull them away for more pictures, leaving Stratford behind.

I watch the boys for a moment before shifting my gaze to the man I had planned to spend my life with.

When I met him, I was so enamored with his beauty.

He has the highest cheekbones, the darkest green eyes, and deepest brown hair that falls ever so perfectly along his brow.

I used to love how he made me feel so petite when I was in his arms and how he never ever said anything about my weight.

I think that’s why I was so obsessed with him.

I was always called fat by guys, but not Stratford. He loved my body.

And I hate him for making me feel safe when I wasn’t.

He looks at me, his lips curving up, and I’m instantly disgusted. How can he look me in the eye after all he’s done? His voice is full of such genuine adoration, I want to kick his shin as he tells me, “ You did good, Kenleigh. They wouldn’t be who they are without you.”

“I know,” I answer unapologetically.

His eyes widen at my bold statement, and then they narrow. “Are you okay?”

I don’t answer. I haven’t been okay in six years. “Can you walk me to my car?”

His brows pull in, but he agrees, and together, we make our way through the throngs of people.

All the happy, and unhappy, families coming together to celebrate their graduate.

It’s quiet in the parking lot; the only sounds are the birds and bees buzzing as the June sun shines down on us.

I love Wisconsin and I’ll miss it, but with my boys leaving, this place isn’t my home anymore.

When we get to my car, I reach for the door and open it as Stratford makes a noise behind me. “Kenleigh, what is going on?”

I pull the manila envelope from the passenger seat and turn to hand it to him. He doesn’t take it, his eyes moving from mine to the car and then back to mine. “Why is your car full of your things? What is that?”

I push my shoulders back, still holding out the envelope to him. “Divorce papers.”

His eyes widen as his jaw goes slack. His face drains of color as he sputters, “W-w-what?”

“My lawyer has drawn everything up. Given that we had a prenup, it’s pretty cut-and-dried since we didn’t reach the required twenty years of marriage and I’m not owed anything. Nor do I want anything.”

He blinks, his eyes searching mine. Silence stretches between us, neither of us moving as my heart pounds in my chest. So many times, I’ve thought about this moment.

I thought I’d be excited, but really, I’m just hurt.

I’d loved this man, and while I don’t love him anymore, it hurts that he ruined what I thought we were working for.

A life of love. When he doesn’t reach for the envelope, I raise a brow, and then his shoulders fall.

His voice is rough, full of emotion, as he whispers, “You know. ”

It’s not a question, and the tension between us thickens. I won’t let myself cry over this bastard. I did that enough. “About the two sons and daughter you fathered back in California? Yeah, I know.”

He looks away like the coward he is. He takes a deep breath. “Don’t do this.”

I can’t help it; I laugh. He can’t even apologize.

He isn’t sorry.

You’re doing the right thing.

“You have some balls, Stratford.”

His eyes snap to mine. “I’ll lose my trust.”

I knew it. I fucking knew it. “I don’t care,” I say, pressing the papers into his chest. “Sign them.”

“Please, we only have a year left. I’ll give you half.”

I’m already shaking my head before he even finishes his sentence. “I don’t want anything from you. I’d rather our boys have the trust than you.”

His eyes fall shut as he pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s overflowing with distress, and I almost feel bad for him, but then I remember he has a whole other family outside of the one we built.

Fucker.

“Does she know about me?” I ask, even though I told myself not to. He only looks at me, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, and while before, that used to turn me on, it does nothing but disgust me now. “She does.”

He nods. “She’s always known.”

I feel bile rising in my throat. “And she’s fine with a part-time father?”

He looks away, his throat working as he admits, “She knows about the trust, and I planned on asking for a divorce once the funds were released.”

I shake my head. I knew it. “Well, I set fire to that plan, huh?”

His eyes snap to mine. “Why are you doing this?”

I gawk at him, blinking. “You cheated on me. For years. You have a full-ass other family, Stratford.”

He shakes his head. “I knew he would tell you. ”

I bring in my brows. “What?”

“Flint. He told you, right?”

My eyes widen, and all I feel is uncontrollable anger. “You told our son ?”

Stratford takes a step back, his eyes full of confusion.

“No. He walked in when I was on the phone with Summer and heard her call me Daddy.” My stomach plummets.

Now I know they found out from him. “He asked me what was going on, and I told him the truth. I asked him not to tell you, but I see that didn’t work out. ”

I just stare at him. “You fucking bastard!”

“It isn’t my fault?—”

“This is all your fault,” I sneer, my face turning red with anger. “I’ve known for six years.”

He is speechless for a moment. “What?”

I laugh. “Yeah, Missy saw you out with your family at Disneyland when she and Skyye were there. She FaceTimed me, wanting to confront you, but I said no. That I would handle it.” I shake my head, wishing I could unsee him holding the blond woman from behind, rubbing her belly with his big hands as their two boys bounced beside them, waiting to meet Mickey.

Missy wanted to murder him right there, but I talked her out of it.

If my niece Skyye hadn’t been there, I don’t think my sister would have listened.

“So, I waited, and I’m glad I did because you were obviously using me.”

He shakes his head. “You’ll ruin me, Kenni, please. Just one more year. We don’t even have to live together. I’ll give you half—that’s way more than you were originally supposed to get.”

I let out a hollow laugh, my voice low and full of warning. “I owe you nothing. You broke my heart. For what? Sex?”

I notice his hands fist tightly as his nostrils flare. “No, it wasn’t the sex. It was the fact that she cares about me.”

I blink. “Stratford, I loved you.”

“No, you loved our boys.”

“Yes, I loved them too, but you were my heart.”

“I wasn’t,” he says, shaking his head. “You always chose the boys over me. It was when we were supposed to go to California for that retreat that I met Jackie. You were supposed to go with me, but the boys wanted you to go to that showcase. You chose them.”

“They were nine! They asked you to stay too, but you said the retreat was more important.”

He shakes his head. “No, they only wanted you. Everyone loves you more than me, and I was tired of it.” I stare at him in disbelief, but he’s not done.

“I am so much more successful. I am smart and a lot of fun. You are nothing, yet everyone wants to be around you. Not only the boys, but my coworkers, my parents. You steal all the air out of the fucking room, and I was tired of suffocating.”

I feel like he’s knocking the air out of my lungs. This man is a fucking piece of work. “Nine years, you’ve been cheating on me,” I say, needing the truth. “And you want me to give you one more?”

“I felt trapped,” he admits, his eyes pleading with mine, and I’m utterly disgusted.

“So, cheating and starting a new family would make everyone love you?”

His eyes are full of anger, and before, I would have tried to soothe it, but not anymore. “No,” he bites out, looking up at the sky. “I wouldn’t have cheated if the money weren’t involved. I would have just left you.”

“Well, this has all backfired on you, huh?” I say with a laugh, but there is no humor in the sound.

A tear rolls down his cheek, and I want to smack it off. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he says, his voice rough.

“What, me finding out?” I scoff, glaring at him.

“No, with Jackie. It just got out of control.”

“Yeah, God forbid you keep your dick under control,” I deadpan.

His eyes flash to mine. “I never meant to hurt you. I would have ended it way before if I didn’t need the money. You have to understand.”

“I don’t have to understand a fucking thing,” I snap, my eyes burning with tears. “You’re not sorry it happened, Stratford— you’re sorry you got caught. Yet you still haven’t apologized,” I remind him, my eyes daring him to look away.

“That goes unsaid,” he says so calmly, I want to throttle him. I confront him, and this is how he acts? Like I shouldn’t have found out.

I wasted years on him.

I shake my head, completely overwhelmed by this conversation and hating that my son heard him on the phone with his other family.

It doesn’t matter. Stratford is nothing to me any longer.

My boys will always be mine and will always love me.

I know that, deep in my heart. Just as I know this man will never be anything to me other than the sperm donor of my perfect boys.

Boys I raised.

I step into his space and hold his gaze.

“Well, this may go unsaid, but I’m gonna say it anyway.

” I slam the papers into his chest. “Sign the papers, continue being a good dad, and then do what you do best.” I shove the pen into his chest next, and with pure venom in my voice, I sneer, “Forget I was ever your fucking wife.”