Eligible Ex-husband - Marie Johnston Page 0,5
leaning over her chair to drape across me. I should take us all home, but I can’t leave my mother’s side, even if we’re relegated to the waiting area.
I rest my head against the wall, debating on taking another cafeteria trip, when Maddy jumps out of her chair. “Daddy!”
Simon rushes in, looking the same as I saw him this morning. He’s been wearing that suit all day with nary a wrinkle in sight. For what it cost, it should iron itself, but still. How can he look impeccable? I have on jean capris and a pink Under Armour T-shirt, and I look like both me and the clothes sat in the dryer for a few days.
He swoops Maddy up and I swear my ovaries have no idea how mentally exhausted I am because they implode. Abby runs to him as if she didn’t just see him this morning. I want to do nothing but fall into his strong arms. I remain seated, but can’t fight my relieved smile.
“Hey, Mads.” He gives Maddy a kiss, then Abby. His voice is the balm my frayed nerves need. “How’s Nana?”
“She fell and hit her head,” Maddy answers with the authority of an ICU doctor.
He looks at me and his brows furrow. “I thought she collapsed.”
“I guess she’s been fighting pneumonia and not taking it easy. She got lightheaded and lost her balance. Her head hit the floor.” Did my voice sound as tired as I must look?
He winces and sits beside me, turning Maddy to sit on a knee. “Did you know she was sick?”
“She told me she wasn’t feeling well. But you know them. They forget to tell me about their health scares.”
“You mean like when your dad didn’t tell you that he had a hunk of skin cancer carved out of his forehead?”
“Exactly.” We share a quick smile, but I rip my gaze away. It’s too familiar, makes me want too much. “So, your trip was fast.”
“I don’t get what Graham was playing at, but I got him to back off.”
“Just like that?”
His face clouds over, but his anger quickly evaporates. “I think it was his way of testing me, vetting me as Liam’s namesake. As if I wouldn’t make sure that my brother would be proud of what I’d built.”
What we built. I’d thought of the company as a joint venture. Until it was clear it wasn’t. Simon has too much to prove to everyone else, taking on so much work himself until I was relegated to various assistant duties.
“His way of forgiving his former friend?” I ask quietly.
“Something like that.” He bounces Maddy on his leg and she giggles. Abby used to love it too. Does he realize he hardly ever sits with them like he’s doing now? “It’s behind me. Anyway, I tried to call my mom to see if they could come out, but she and Dad are touring Europe for the month.”
As if his parents would lift a finger to help me. They might offer to take the girls on a world tour, but not if it benefited me at all. I don’t expect an offer from that end. They’ll stay away and hold out hope that Simon finds someone worthy of them.
“Do they ever get to see…” We don’t talk much about it around our girls. Living a thousand miles apart makes it hard to get close to their only cousin. Abby’s old enough to remember her cousin Chloe, and old enough to ask why she doesn’t get to see her at all anymore.
“Once in a while. Not like before.”
We’re separated by armrests, but I’m tempted to lean into him. To let my head drop on his shoulder. Then he’d put his arm around me, tell me it’ll all be all right, and I would believe him. Because he’s Simon.
But I don’t. “Do you mind if I go in Mom’s room now? I’d like to sit with Dad for a while before they kick us out.”
“Give me a call in the morning. I’ll just go back to my plan of working from home for a day or two.”
I don’t know what possesses me to say the next words. He’s offering to work from home. He says it like it’s not a big deal, but it’s huge. He hasn’t missed going into work for years. He didn’t even make it a day during the week he was supposed to work from home with the kids.
But my impulsive idea makes sense. Really.
Except it could undo months of