Page 41 of Backup Plan

I flip the phone around and show him my bed and my view from the windows, carefully keeping Liam out of the shot. He sneaks in behind me and grabs me by my hips, following me around the room. I look back at him and smile as I give the tour to my boys. I show them the bathroom and the closet and every single detail down to the art on the wall, carefully avoiding mirrors and reflections.

Eventually, I have to duck out of Liam’s arms.

I turn back and give him one of those you're a naughty boy looks since he started rubbing his cock by my ass, and then I push him out of the way and flip the phone back around so that my boys can see me again.

“All right, boys, Mommy misses you, but I have to go. I will see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Why do you have to go?” Benji whines.

“Because I have to get in the shower and get ready to go out to dinner tonight. We’re here celebrating Auntie Everleigh, and I have to look nice for dinner.”

“You look nice now, Mama,” Sammy says. “You look happy.”

You look happy.

The words hit me with brute force, so hard, in fact, that I actually tear up. I glance at Liam, who offers a smile. He heard it, too, and he’s the reason why I look happy.

Well, he’s the reason why I look satisfied, anyway.

“You’re so sweet, honey, but I’m in a swimsuit and need to change my clothes. Can I call you back before bedtime?”

“Daddy said bedtime is in ten minutes.”

I close my eyes and grit my teeth together so I don't go off on Brent. It’s an hour before they usually go to bed, which tells me he’s just trying to get them out of his hair early. But I also know my kids, and I know that even though he makes them go to their rooms early, that doesn't mean they're going to go to sleep then. And for good measure, maybe they’ll get up super early and be super loud.

“Okay then, let’s say goodnight now,” I say. “And if you want to read your books or play on your iPads until downtime, it’s fine with Mama.”

“I can’t sleep without a Twinkle,” Benji says.

Liam caught me belting out my off-tune Twinkle at the bar the other night, but he didn’t get the full rendition. I guess here goes nothing.

I sing the song to my boys as Liam watches me. I make silly faces at them like I do every night, something Brent always teased me for, but I refuse to be someone I’m not for a man. Liam can watch all he wants. He can think I’m a total weirdo for singing to my kids and making faces at them over FaceTime, and if he does, so what? Then he’s not the one for me.

I say goodnight to my kids, and we end the call. I glance up at Liam, and a small smile is playing at his lips.

“What?” I ask.

“What’s the special treat?” he asks.

I set my phone on the TV console. “I’m not sure. Whatever gummy candies I can find at the airport.” I shrug.

“They like gummy candies?”

“Their favorites are the Nerds Gummy Clusters, but they also love Doritos for a special treat.”

“Regular or Cool Ranch?”

“Benji is all about Cool Ranch, but Sammy has actually started liking spicy food, and he loves the spicy nacho ones.”

He nods as he walks over and takes me in his arms.

“I like the spicy nacho ones, too. And by the way, that was possibly the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“What was?”

“You singing to your kids. Your face lighting up when they said you look happy. Just…you. Seeing you as a mom. Seeing you in your element. Seeing you just be you.” He lifts a shoulder. “It was unexpectedly sexy.”

My thighs clench together at his words, and for the first time in my entire life, I actually feel seen by a man. I don’t have to hide the silliness. I don’t have to act a certain way.