shift—but he said he’d be back again this afternoon.
Which is why I’m confused by the knock at my front door. There’s no way it can be afternoon—I never sleep that late. But he’s knocking loud and the sun is bright. I force my eyes open wide enough to look at my phone. It’s a little after nine in the morning.
Why is he already back?
I toss the covers away from me and grab my nightgown. I shuffle to my bedroom door and open it, shielding my eyes from the brightness of the living room. I glance toward the window overlooking the front yard and immediately stop walking.
That’s not Saint’s car.
That’s Michael’s car.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
What is he doing here? Did he bring the girls?
I can’t even believe this.
They never come here when I’m writing.
Just as I’m turning toward my bedroom to make sure nothing of Saint’s was left behind, Chloe cups her little hands around her eyes and presses her face against the window. “Mommy!” she squeals. She backs away from the window, pointing inside at me. “Daddy, I see Mommy!”
Michael is looking through the window now. He waves at me. “Surprise!” he yells.
I walk as slow as I can get away with toward the door. I glance around me, hoping there’s nothing here that would reveal to Michael that I’ve spent the past week pretending I’m not married.
What have I done?
Saint is supposed to come back today. I need to text him as soon as possible and let him know not to show up here.
My hands are shaking as I reach for the lock on the door. When I open it, Chloe and Andi push past their father and they both wrap their arms around me. I hug them back, because these weeks I spend at the cabin are honestly the toughest weeks of the year for me, being away from them. But it allows me to write my books much faster so I can spend more time with my girls when I’m at home.
I kneel down and pull them in for an even better hug. “We came to surprise you!” Andi says, jumping up and down.
I glance up at Michael and force a smile. “I see that.”
He slips around us, just as I stand back up. He leans in for a kiss. “Sorry,” he mutters. “They insisted I not tell you.”
“It’s fine,” I say, hoping my reaction is convincing. “I needed the break.”
Michael is holding two bags of groceries. He sets them on the counter and heads back to the front door. “We’re going to cook dinner for you,” he says. “I’ll grab the rest of the groceries.” He walks back outside and I pry the girls away from me.
“Mommy needs to change out of her nightgown,” I say. “You two start putting away the groceries.”
They’re too young to know how to put away groceries. Andi is four and Chloe is five. Michael and I had them back to back, hoping it would be easier on us to go through the toughest years all at once.
Andi pulls a chair up to the counter because she’s not as tall as Chloe. They start digging through the sacks. I glance out the kitchen window and watch as Michael reaches his trunk. I rush to the bedroom and grab my phone.
I open my texts to Saint. I shoot him off a quick text.
Whatever you do, please do not come back here today.
I toss my phone on my bed and slip out of my nightgown. I hear the buzz of his reply come through just as I’m pulling a shirt over my head. I grab my phone and read the text.
Is everything okay?
I don’t want to lie to him. He’s never asked me if I’m married, so there’s really nothing for him to be upset about. Besides, he’s married, too. He’ll understand. He’ll probably even be relieved.
My husband and kids just showed up.
I delete all my texts from him and finish getting dressed. I slide my phone in my back pocket so Michael won’t be tempted to look at it. I walk out of the bedroom, just as Michael is walking into the kitchen with the rest of the groceries.
Chloe rushes over to me and holds her tiny hands beneath her chin. “Mommy, can we get in the hot tub?”
“Please?” Andi begs.
I nod and look over at Michael. “We’re getting in the hot tub. You want to join us?”
I’ll do anything to pretend I’m a good wife and mother, and not the terrible human