his mouth did the door unlock.
Evander and I scrambled to make ourselves look presentable but too much had been scorched by our heat. I pulled my nightie down and slipped my arms through the straps. Luckily it wasn’t a see-through nightie.
“Dad, I’m home,” Frankie called out.
“Van?” Alexis's voice followed. Evander tossed me a look and sighed.
“You go, I’ll deal with this.”
“Let you deal with the walking, talking Instagram filter alone? I think not. We’re a team, right?” I squeezed his hand and he smiled at me.
“We are a team.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “You ready?” He wiped at his face the best he could, but my lipstick still stained his honey brown skin.
Oh well, fuck it.
“Bring it,” I laughed.
“We’re in here,” Evander called out, still wiping at his lips.
“We? Of course, I forgot about the nann…” Alexis’s voice trailed off when she walked into the kitchen. Her eyes absorbed the situation quickly like a poison-tipped arrow to her neck.
Frankie came into the kitchen next and rolled her eyes at us.
“I thought you would stop after the wedding,” Frankie said. Anger warped her face into a harsh frown.
“Hello to you too, Frankie,” I said.
“Hey, sweetheart. I wasn’t expecting you home until Sunday.” Evander tried to make the best out of an awkward situation but there was little to do when we both were disheveled, and he had lipstick stains on his face.
“Wow, clearly you weren’t expecting anyone,” Alexis smirked and walked closer, narrowing her eyes more with each step.
“I wasn’t. Therefore, I was behaving like a grown man in my house.” His voice chilled a few degrees when he spoke to his ex-wife.
“A house where our daughter lives and could walk in at any moment, Van. You can’t keep this bitch caged?” She gestured to me and I felt myself losing to the rage brewing in my gut.
“Excuse me?” I laughed but it was humorless. It was ice.
“Mom,” Frankie hissed quietly. Even she thought her mother was crossing a line.
“Don’t you have a party to go to?” Evander asked.
“I’m not going anywhere until I know my daughter is safe. I feel like her wellbeing is threatened in this house.” She tipped her altered nose in the air and I pushed out a long breath before I railed into her.
“You’re so fucking pathetic, Alexis. I’m tired of being nice and biting my tongue because now you’re disrespecting me and for what? I did nothing to you. You have a problem with me and Evander being together, fine. You can have that problem all to yourself because it’s not going to change anything. It won’t change the fact that he divorced you. It won’t change the fact that this is no longer your house and it won’t change the fact that you missed out on a great guy. Those are things you have to deal with. Don’t bring your bitterness in here and please for the love of God don’t pass it down to Frankie.”
“Alexis, you can go. You have no reason to be here,” Evander said, barely restraining his anger.
“She does,” I interjected. Evander glanced at me and nodded his understanding.
“You know what, Xari, you’re right. She does need to be here. No time like the present to introduce you to my new girlfriend.” He draped his arm around my shoulder. “Alexis, this is Xari. Xari, this is my ex-wife, Alexis,” he said.
“Can’t say it’s a pleasure so I’ll say this…it’s unfortunate to meet you,” Alexis snapped.
“This is ridiculous,” Frankie huffed before storming out of the kitchen and up the steps. Tears made her voice wobble. The emotional sound sank my heart to my feet. I looked at Evander and he nodded. I went after Frankie and caught her just before she slammed her bedroom door in a fit of true preteen angst.
“Hey,” I said, sticking my arm through the almost closed door. I didn’t wait for an invitation, I walked in. “We need to talk about this, Frankie.”
“I don’t want to talk to you. You’re only here for Dad. Go talk to him.” My eyebrows lifted at the barbed sass coming from this little twelve-year-old flopping on her bed.
She’s a kid, Xari. No need for the big guns.
I took a calming breath and sat on the bed beside her. “I’m not only here for your dad. Is that why you’re so pissed? You think I’ve been plotting on him all along?”
“Isn’t that the truth?” She finally looked at me and this time I didn’t