Page 79 of Let's Call a Truce
“I’ll probably still freak out sometimes.”
“I know.”
“I’m a total mess,” I added.
He chuckled against my lips. “I know.”
“Are you sure you want to hitch your horse to this janky wagon publicly?”
He pulled back, and I expected him to make a joke. Instead, he brushed my hair back and simply said, “Yes.” A tear slid down my cheek, and he kissed it away. “We need to tell the kids first. How do you want to handle it?”
I tried to run through all the potential reactions in my head. “I don’t think we should tell them together.”
“You think they’ll be upset?” he asked.
“I am pretty sure Sophie will cry with joy and start calling Paris her sister, but Clara may have a harder time. She should have a chance to tell me how she feels without worrying about how you’ll react.”
“I get that. Let’s each tell them tomorrow. Maybe you three can come over to our place for dinner on Sunday and we can talk it all out.”
With our plan sorted, we spent the next several hours luxuriating in each other’s company. Around 2A.M.Ben told me he needed to get home to relieve the nanny, and I fell asleep alone but with a smile on my face, hoping I wouldn’t have to sleep alone for too much longer.
Chapter 24
Juliana:I’m heading over in a few to get Sophie! See you soon xx
Ben:Text me when you get here. I want to come out and talk to you for a second.
Juliana:I wish I could, but I’m already running late. I have to grab her and go if I’m going to make it to Clara’s soccer game on time. Tell her to run out when she hears me honk, please!
I didn’t receivea text back, but I figured Ben was busy trying to make both girls’ breakfast and help Sophie gather her overnight bag. When I honked, Sophie came barreling out of the house, throwing herself into the back seat and already partway through a story before even buckling her seat belt.
“Hi to you, too, sweet pea.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’m just so excited. Paris and I had the best night ever.”
I smiled at her in the rearview mirror. Every night was the best night ever, in Sophie’s opinion.
“Paris had so much fun, too. I’ve never seen her so happy. And Miss Stephanie may be the coolest person ever. Did you know she spent two years living in New York City? That’s where Broadway is, Mom!”
I laughed again but then paused.
“Wait, the nanny is Miss Kendall, right?”
“Oh yeah, Miss Kendall was there, too. I was talking about Paris’s mom.”
“What?” I shrieked, swerving the car out and back into our lane.
“Yeah,” she said enthusiastically. “She surprised her last night. She and Mr. Ben are back together, and Paris gets her family back.”
My heart was in my throat.
“What did Mr. Ben say?”
“Oh, he didn’t talk much this morning, but Miss Stephanie said he must be tired. He was working really, really late last night.”
That’s one way to put it.I knew Ben, and he wouldn’t be in a relationship, albeit a secret one, with me if he was getting back together with his ex-wife, but the fact he hadn’t denied it to the girls this morning was making my mind whirl.
Sophie ran off toward the field, stopping to chat with some of the other siblings who weren’t playing. With one eye on her, I dug in my purse, tossing things into the passenger seat in a frustrating attempt to find my phone.
