Bonus Chapter
Marshall
Entering through the open back door I pause and look around the kitchen. Lexi and Adley are instead with the kids, watching them play video games and the noise coming from the living room indicates they are enjoying themselves.
I start to walk in their direction in search of Jillian when the bathroom door opens and she collides with my chest.
Reaching out to steady her she looks up at me and that same terrified look fills her eyes.
“What’s with that?”
“What?” she stammers. “With what…what?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “That.” I wave my finger over the length of her face.
“The wild look you get in your eyes whenever we lock eyes. The way you always stay a few feet ahead or behind, making sure you’re on the opposite side of the yard or bar than me.
Then whenever we end up sharing any kind of words at all, you stutter and trip over yourself. ”
“I don’t, I…” she pauses and I chuckle.
“You do,” I tell her, leaning my shoulder against the wall to get directly in her line of sight. “Jake and Kiera, that has nothing to do with you.”
Her eyes widen a bit when I mention her brother and my ex.
“Stop with this game of running from me,” I tell her with a grin and she opens her mouth like she might argue, then closes it quickly. “Me and you, we’re good. We aren’t the bad guys.”
I back away still watching her.
“Also stop taking Lily and Rose to that cracker vet in Montgomery.”
Her eyes widen in surprise because I am not supposed to know that, but Hudson is small. I know when there is an animal that doesn’t come to me for their care.
“I’m right here and to be honest, I’m kind of offended that you’ve kept them from me over the fact that you blame yourself for something you had no control over.
So Justin slept with my wife, then he ran off with her and now they are married.
He kind of did me a favor, the girl was a pain in the ass and we never should have been married in the first place. ”