27. Ada
The good thing about sleeping with Joe, besides the orgasms, was that I felt too guilty to face Collin. It made the next three weeks strained, but I just kept pushing them into more family time and made sure there was always a kid to act as a buffer. The bad thing was that I was keeping my distance from Joe so that meant he didn’t have my constant badgering to hang out with Kendall. So he wasn’t. I was eaten up with guilt over that, too, but I just kept telling myself that everything was going to work out just fine. Joe would see his brothers falling in love with being dads and he’d join in.
I kept my weekly coffee dates with Jules but we met at her house. I never told her about sleeping with Collin or Joe because I didn’t want her to see me as a stereotype. We joked about our jobs and she kept me up to date about what was happening in the rest of the neighborhood. Which meant I learned all about the problems plaguing upper class Lake Dun. It was weird.
I started talking to my parents daily because without talking to the guys, I was suffering from a lack of adult conversation. Of course, I didn’t tell them everything, but they knew there was more that I was keeping quiet about. I was pretty sure Mom knew what it was but she let me keep my secrets.
As it turned out, the final week of the kids’ first camp of the summer was full of performances and parents’ days to show off what the kids did so far. Kendall had a play later in the week but the twins had their big day first. They’d gone to a science camp and had done their own experiments and it was their time to show off what they’d found. I knew they wanted Collin there but the longer I waited for them to invite him, the more worried I got that he wouldn’t make it. I left it in the boys’ hands, wanting them to make the effort for their dad, too. He needed to see they wanted him at their events, that they loved him so much.
When I arrived at their camp, though, I looked around for Collin and frowned. Finding the boys, I knelt in front of them. “Where’s your dad?”
Avery shrugged. “We didn’t tell him.”
“What? Why not? We agreed that you were going to invite him.”
Alex picked at his thumb. “He wouldn’t have wanted to come anyway.”
I frowned. “We’re going to talk about this later. Stay here and get ready to impress. I’ve got to make a call.”
Outside of the Murphy Science Center I dialed Collin’s number and hoped he took my call. When he picked up on the first ring, I stammered for a second before figuring out what I wanted to say. “Hey. I need you to come to the boys’ camp. They have this exhibit today… It’s parents’ day, basically, and you should be here.”
Collin was silent for so long that I started to worry he’d hung up on me. “You’re at their parents’ day?”
I winced. “Yes. I wanted to come and support them. They were supposed to ask you last week, Collin, but-”
“You’re not their mother, Ada.” He sounded harsh but I could hear movement on his end. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
I spoke quietly to try to calm him down. I just wanted him to get there for his boys. He could be angry at me all he wanted. “Just get here, Collin. You have time.”
“This is bullshit, Ada. You pressure me for weeks to be better for my kids and then you manage to not tell me about parents’ day? What the hell?”
“I’ll see you when you get here, Collin.”
“You can leave.”
Okay, that was too far for me. “Shut up, Collin. You can be pissy at me all you want but you can’t make me leave. I told the twins I’d be here for them and I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry they didn’t tell you about today but if you hadn’t disappointed them for so many years, maybe they would’ve told you. God, I was having a good day and I’m not going to let you ruin it. Just get here so we can smile and watch the twins do science. Jerk.”
I went inside and leaned against the back wall of the small auditorium where the presentations were being held. I waved to the boys and watched their faces swivel to the door over and over again. I also got to watch how they lit up with pure happiness when Collin walked in. He smiled and waved at them before scanning the crowd and spotting me. His lips turned down and he made a point of sitting about as far away from me as he could.
I tried not to let it bother me. I didn’t matter. Only the kids mattered. If he was mad at me, that was fine.
Just before the presentations started, I watched Collin stand up and make a beeline for me. I also noticed multiple heads turning to watch him. Of course, he looked amazing in a bespoke suit. I crossed my arms over my chest and tipped my chin up, determined to remain calm and unbothered.
Collin stopped right in front of me and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
Calm and unbothered flew out the window. I gasped. “What?”
He frowned. “Don’t make me regret saying it, Ada.”
I reached out and picked imaginary lint off his shoulder. “So, what exactly are you sorry for?”
“I don’t understand how someone who looks so sweet can be so damn evil.” He caught my chin and tugged my face closer to his. “I’m sorry I was an ass. I’ve been trying so fucking hard to be better with my boys, Ada, and I hated the reminder that I’ve been so shitty. I shouldn’t have been such a dick to you.”
Something came over me, stupidity probably, and before I knew what I was doing, I leaned forward and kissed him. I’d barely touched my lips to his, though, when my intelligence came back on and I pulled away and cleared my throat. “I think it’s about to start. Go sit down where the boys can see you.”
Collin studied my face and then shook his head. Grabbing my hand, he nodded at the seating. “Come on. They’ll want to see you, too.”
He held my hand all the way to our seats and when we sat and I tried to extract my hand, he grunted and held on. I shot him an exasperated look and he leaned in close to whisper in my ear.
“You kissed me, Ada. You have to let me hold your hand now.” His smirk was punch-worthy but I didn’t feel the same urge I usually did.
I sighed and refused to face him but I stopped trying to get my hand away from him. Even when his thumb stroked along my inner wrist and I shifted in my seat because I found myself getting turned on, I didn’t pull away.
Then, Alex and Avery were presenting their experiment and I watched in awe as they transformed in front of my eyes into two professional little men who spoke perfectly and sounded brilliant. I didn’t even realize I was clasping Collin’s hand tighter and tighter until the boys finished and I jumped up to cheer for them.
People stared at me but I didn’t care. I was so proud of them. When they left the stage, I sat back down and turned to Collin. “They were amazing! Did you know they could do that? They were-”
Collin slid his hand into my hair and kissed me. It was softer and sweeter than I would’ve ever expected from him and it took my breath away because of it. He pulled back slightly and stroked my cheek. “You didn’t breathe the entire time they were up there.”
I laughed and gently eased myself out of his hold. “I was in awe. Collin, they’re brilliant.”
He blinked a few times and nodded before turning back to the stage. “Their mother never cared for them the way you do. She left to chase bigger things when they were young and I was happy to see her go. Having a woman they care about celebrating them is nice. Thank you for staying. Can I drive you home?”
“I have a coffee date with a friend after this.” I saw his shoulders stiffen and had to fight the urge to assure him that it was with a woman. I was terrified of what we’d just done and I didn’t think it was a good idea to keep it up. I looked at the clock on my phone and stood up. “Actually, I’m running late. Tell the boys I’m so proud of them, okay?”
Before he could protest, I got myself out of there.