The last time they had sex, she’d given in to his advances, not really feeling it because she was tired. She’d made sure he got what he wanted and fell beside him, unsatisfied and blaming him for it, when really it was her fault.
She’d just wanted the chore over.
Making love to her husband shouldn’t be a task on her list.
The kids’ schedule shouldn’t be an endless loop of chauffeuring them around and keeping them busy because she didn’t know what to do with herself if she wasn’t doing something for them.
Rex was right. Something needed to change.
She needed a change.
Chapter Eleven
Heather sat Hallee on her play mat in front of her tower of toys then answered the door. She smiled at the resolute knocks from her sister, and the two other little pitter-patters from the boys’ small fists.
She turned the knob and swung the door wide, loving the smiles on all three of their faces as they held their hands up mid-knock. “Hello, munchkins. Was that you pounding on my door?” She gave them a mock angry face, but it only sent them into a round of giggles. Heather found her sister’s eyes were full of mirth, too. “Hey, sis.”
“Hey. This place is so cute. Away from the road, and you’ve even got a little white picket fence with the flowers blooming along it.”
“Thanks. I got lucky when I found it.” She held her hand out toward the living room, hoping her sister didn’t see it shaking. She didn’t know why she was nervous. Okay, she did, but she shouldn’t be. “Come in. Hallee is playing with her toys.”
The boys raced past and fell on their knees beside Hallee, quickly picking up toys and engaging her. Heather took a second to watch them and enjoy the moment, seeing her little girl with the boys.
She closed the door behind Sierra, who stood in the tiny foyer checking out the living room and through to the small kitchen and dining area.
“It’s so you. Boho chic with a touch of elegance.”
Heather didn’t have much, but she made the most of her little space. She loved the wood-framed daybed with the colorful pillows she’d added in green, blue, and a pop of dark pink. They picked up the vibrant colors in the rug. Gauzy white drapes covered the window. Intricate woven baskets hung on the wall in a cluster as art. A simple wood oval coffee table served as a place for Hallee to play with some of her toys and Heather to prop her feet.
She’d added the elegance in the pretty antique chandelier-style lighting. Crystals gleamed and sparkled in the light. A collection of mercury glass candle holders lined the fireplace mantel.
Sierra touched her arm. “I love this place. It seems so perfect for you and Hallee.”
“It’s just what we needed. Her room turned out so great. I found this beautiful chandelier with golf-ball-sized crystals and she’s got a sleigh bed crib that she’s growing out of way too fast. I’m going to have to get her a big girl bed soon. I painted the walls a pale lavender and hung these cute butterflies from the ceiling.”
Sierra took her gaze from the room at large and focused on her. “The kids seem happy. Show me.”
Heather led Sierra on a tour of her house that didn’t take more than a few minutes. They ended up in the kitchen where Heather had left two wine glasses on the counter next to a bottle of Moscato.
Sierra stared out the back window. “What a cute little patio. I love how you hung the lights and wrapped them around the tree. It gives the garden you planted out there a magical feel.”
“I want Hallee to have a place that feels warm and inviting and fun at the same time, where she can touch things and run around without worrying that she’ll break something. And if she does”—Heather shrugged one shoulder—“so what. She’s missing something in her life, but my hope is that she’ll always feel at home here and know she’s loved.”
Sierra’s eyes went soft. “Isn’t there any chance that her father will be a part of her life?”
“No.” Heather’s heart broke for her daughter. She deserved to have a wonderful father in her life. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Heather had been selfish, threw caution out the door, took what she wanted, and her daughter paid the price.
At one time, Heather thought it would work out in some