Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
EVIE
It was the hammering at the door that woke Evie up. What the snickerdoodle?
She pried open an eyelid, then shot up in bed when she realized it was past ten o’clock. She never slept this late. Not even on a Sunday.
She collapsed back on the bed and huffed out a breath. It was probably Posy, impatient for Evie to spill the tea on her triple dinner date.
Which reminded her…
Looking around, there was no sign of any of the three men who had rocked her world last night. It was probably a good thing. Hadn’t she promised herself to only steal that one perfect night?
Except why, then, did she feel so damn disappointed?
The hammering continued, growing more insistent. Evie groaned and dragged herself out of bed, fumbling for her robe. Her head - and several other parts of her body - throbbed, a reminder of last night's indulgences. As she stumbled towards the door, a familiar voice cut through her fog.
"Evie! Open up! It's Adrian."
Her ex-husband's tone sent a jolt of adrenaline through her system. What in the name of Christmas cake was he doing here? And why did he sound so angry?
She yanked open the door, squinting against the harsh glare of morning light on the sprinkling of newly fallen snow. There stood Adrian, his face twisted in annoyance, with Brandi clinging to his arm, and Ollie gleefully kicking around snow in the background.
"Mommy!" her baby cried, launching himself at her.
Evie scooped him up, her heart swelling even as confusion clouded her mind. "Baby, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be on vacation with Daddy."
Adrian's scowl deepened. "Yeah, well, change of plans. Your son was too much for Brandi to handle. He’s done nothing but play up.”
Anger flared in Evie's chest, warring with the joy of having her little boy back for Christmas when she’d expected to be without him. She hugged Ollie tighter, breathing in his familiar scent and allowing it to calm her.
"What do you mean, 'too much to handle'?" Evie asked, her voice sharp. "He's five years old, not a wild animal, and he’s never been difficult in his life!"
Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a deep voice called from inside the house.
"Everything okay, Evie?"
Gabe appeared behind her, looking fresh and dressed in jeans and a cashmere sweater, meaning he must have gone home to change and used the back entrance, which was side by side with the rear door of the hotel.
Evie's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, memories of the previous night flooding back.
Despite Evie’s reticence, Gabe had no qualms in coming and planting a scorching kiss on her lips, momentarily shorting her brain. He held up an insulated travel mug. “Shepherd sent your favorite morning coffee,” he said mildly.
Evie’s mind whirled, and she glared at him. They hadn’t discussed this, and her son was right here!
Brandi looked between Gabe and Evie in disbelief, but it was Adrian whose eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his gaze flicking between the two of them.
Wait one goddamn minute! Evie felt her cheeks flush.
She might be irritated with Gabriel for moving too fast, but no way did her ex-husband get a say in anything she did.
She set Ollie down gently, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Baby, why don't you go inside and say hi to Gabe?
Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a minute. "
As Ollie scampered past her, Evie squared her shoulders.
“Honestly, Eve, do you really think this is appropriate?” Adrian spat. He didn't even try to lower his voice.
He shot a look at Gabe’s retreating back, then at Evie’s robe, his expression condemning her, even while Brandi was still looped around Adrian’s arm like a human designer bag.
Evie was suddenly hyper-aware of her tangled hair and the faint scent of sugar cookies and sex clinging to her robe. She could practically hear Iris, Marigold and Bee prepping a fresh batch of town speculation. But she squared her shoulders, refusing to let Adrian’s judgment settle in her bones.
This was the man who’d left her because saving fifteen minutes on his commute was more important than his wife and child. The one who'd promptly taken up with another woman before he’d even moved all his belongings out of their small apartment.
But Adrian was in for a shock. Evie was no longer the good little wife who ceded to his every dictate and settled for less than she wanted in a vain effort to save up for a future she never got to enjoy.
Standing tall and wrapping a cloak of composure and serenity around her, she said, “I’m not sure what’s inappropriate about two single people having coffee, but either way, it has nothing to do with you.”
“It has when my son’s involved,” Adrian hissed.
Evie folded her arms across her ample chest. “You mean the son you just took on holiday with your new girlfriend - the one who ‘couldn’t cope with him’, so you brought him home early?”
Completely oblivious, Brandi bobbed her head like a nodding Santa figure.
“It was awful!” she announced. “We couldn’t go to any of the bars or nightclubs. And Oliver whined nonstop whenever we went out for a shopping spree.”
Evie seethed. “He’s a child. You’re supposed to play with him, not drag him around designer outlets.”
“Brandi isn’t used to children,” Adrian argued, although he did look slightly chagrined as it became clear this was less about Ollie’s behavior and more about Brandi being curtailed by responsibility.
“Well, if you’re so concerned about your son, maybe your girlfriend needs to try fostering that relationship with him? Or was it too much like hard work to look after someone else’s kid?”
Adrian looked at her in shock. Evie had never been anything but compliant.
Or a doormat.
But that was when she’d been married to him.
“This is different,” Adrian maintained.
Ollie, oblivious to the tension, suddenly peeked around the doorframe. “Can I have a gingerbread man?” he asked, as if this were the only reasonable thing to say at the moment.
Evie wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She reached for her son, feeling her mother-defenses rise to the surface, molten and protective. How dare Adrian continue this double standard now they were divorced!
The next words out of her mouth were going to be either a well-aimed snowball or a string of sarcasm that would have made her grandmother proud. But first, she sent Ollie off to the kitchen. No matter how angry she was with his father, Evie refused to allow their son to watch them fight.
“Gabe will find you one.” She nodded to the man who appeared behind her little boy. Noted the way he took Ollie’s hand and led him out of earshot, all after silently asking if she was okay.
Then she turned on Adrian. “Of course it isn’t.
We’re divorced, and at least I had the decency to wait until the ink on the decree absolute was dry.
Ollie’s had time to get used to our new situation without any external influences to confuse him.
All he’s experienced from you is seeing you swap his mother for another woman, so you should think twice before you accuse me of being inappropriate! ”
If she wasn’t so furious, she might have laughed at the expression on her ex-husband’s face.
“Now, I’m going to get dressed. I need to be at the festival soon. Have a great Christmas.”
Evie closed the door and didn’t even bother to ask if Adrian wanted to see his son on Christmas Day. He hadn’t mentioned it himself, and honestly, she didn’t think he cared, either.
Well, that was his loss.