shouldn’t have asked. Perhaps the question should’ve been why you chose to spend the last two days with Jackson instead of your husband?”
Xavier’s open hand landed with a thump onto the table, and he raised his brow, glaring at Nick. “Nick, do you need to do this now?”
Kinsley pushed her plate away and made direct eye contact with Nick. Placing both elbows on the table, she clasped her hands beneath her chin. “Don’t worry, Xavier. If Nick wants answers, he’ll get answers. What do you want to know Nick?”
After sitting through most of the meal avoiding conversation, Mia cut in. “Xavier, this has been a wonderful meal. Can I bring dessert out? I made a cheesecake.”
Nick glanced at the three of them and huffed as he stabbed into another piece of steak. “The hell with it. I don’t want to know. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Let’s forget it ever happened.”
“Good idea. Drop the issue,” Xavier said, and then looked at Mia. “Let’s dig in to that cheesecake.”
Mia bounded from her chair, and without a word, she served coffee and dessert. The rest of the meal was like being in church, quiet as sin.
“Would anyone like more coffee? We can move into the living room?” Xavier asked and got a resounding, ‘No.’ The breath he appeared to be holding while waiting for an answer let out in a steady stream of relief, and he tossed his napkin onto the table.
“We’ll be going now, I’ll get Max,” Kinsley said, relieved to put an end to the night.
“Do you want me to carry Max down for you? I think he’s put on about ten pounds since I saw him last.”
“Great. I’ll be up right behind you. I just want to warm the car a little. The air’s kind of chilly, and I’ve gotten use to the heat.” She went to the car, needing a minute alone to stifle the jagged breaths begging to release full on sobs. It didn’t take long to decide crying wasn’t going to help. She started the car, left it running and headed back into the house, still dry eyed and a tad more confident.
Xavier waited for her in the nursery. When she crossed the room, she didn’t notice him at the bedside watching Max sleep and began straightening the books and blankets. She jumped when he laid his hand on the back of her shoulder.
“I’m sorry Nick ruined your night, Kinsley. He can be an ass sometimes. Are you going to be okay?”
The soft colorful blankets she’d begun folding and stacking were getting extra attention. Finally, she stopped and faced him. “I’m fine. Don’t apologize for him. He’s been drinking, and he has every reason to be hostile. Earlier he seemed fine; I’d hoped he’d stay civil. I expected his anger to come out at some point. Sorry the scene had to happen here. I should’ve confronted him and Mia about the affair they’ve been having for over a year.”
“Humph, nothing gets past you does it? How did you find out?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him questioningly. “C’mon, are you telling me you didn’t know? Mia happened to be one of the reasons I left. The affair must’ve gotten more serious. They can barely look at each other, and Mia hasn’t looked me in the eye all night.
“I only found out recently. I’m sorry. Do you think you’ll stay with him?”
She turned from him and refocused her attention on smoothing the wrinkles from the already perfect pile of blankets. “A lot will depend on Nick. I’ll do my best to stay. The drinking has to cut down, and the cheating has to stop all together, but I do want to try. I want Max to live a normal life.”
He turned her around to face him, looked at her earnestly, and gave her a hug. “I’m here if you need anything. I’m going to Texas tomorrow. Angela’s being transported to a facility for rehab, but I’m only a phone call away.”
She stepped back, mouth open, with a worried brow. He had become the shock absorber in her marriage. And right now, she imagined the road ahead was sure to be rocky. “How long will you be gone?”
“I’ll be gone a while, about six weeks. Don’t worry. Like I said, I’m a call away.”
She nodded. “So Angela was really behind all of this?”
“Yes, she’s been paying Wayde off for over thirty years. The payments made things clear, to me at least. But the investigators