Page 86 of Backup Plan

Brent scoffs and walks out of the front hall, leaving the three of us to our reunion.

“Did you boys have fun with Daddy?” I ask them.

Benji twists his lips, and I press a kiss to his cheek.

“No,” Sammy says. “We were with Heather all weekend.”

“Heather?” I ask even though I’m pretty sure I know.

“The lady who takes care of us when Daddy has work. He had a trip out of town, and Heather stayed with us.”

“He went out of town when it was his weekend?” I ask.

“He was working,” Benji says.

I get that we have things to do, but to leave our kids with a virtual stranger for the weekend and not let me know seems out of line.

It seems like something I should tell my lawyer. Something I should track.

Honestly…does he even want to spend time with our kids? It seems like a burden to him, and I can’t help but wonder how he’d really take the idea of me moving out of the state with the boys.

I decide to float the idea to see what he says. I should have my lawyer do this, but I guess I mistakenly believe I can use my charm to convince my ex-husband.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” I ask while the boys run upstairs to grab their backpacks.

“Sure, go.” He pauses a beat, and then he says, “Second’s up.”

I force a fake laugh. “I, uh…I’m considering moving away from Chicago. It’s just so expensive, and I thought we could maybe work out some sort of agreement so you still get plenty of time with—”

“Absolutely not,” he interrupts.

“You didn’t even let me finish,” I say.

“Next you’re going to tell me it’s San Diego so you can keep running around with that Bradley kid.” He tuts. “What exactly is going on between the two of you anyway?”

My instinct is to jump to the defensive. “None of your business.”

“Ah, so definitely something.”

I feel caught. Exposed. We let him think we were together, but suddenly I get a sick feeling that he’s going to tell Everleigh. He has her number. All it would take is one little text to completely blow up my friendship with my best friend.

I know I need to be honest with her—now more than ever. I can’t keep hiding this from her.

But at the same time, I don’t even know where Liam and I are at. I don’t know if we are going to be able to make this work when I have Brent actively rooting against me and so many other challenges in our path.

“Look, I’m trying to build the best life I can for the boys. Can we focus on that?”

“By shacking up with a football player?” He rolls his eyes. “Give me a break.”

I don’t admit that’s where I want to go, but it’s not like he won’t find out the truth eventually anyway. I’m just trying to find out if there’s any way I can make this a possibility for us. “Can you honestly say that to me when you weren’t even here this weekend?”

He glares at me but doesn’t seem to have a quip at the ready.

“We’ll figure something out, Brent. More virtual calls, weekends, whatever you want.”

“Hard no. He’s not their father. I am, and it would do you all very well to remember that,” he hisses at me.

The boys choose that moment to race into the room, ready to go home—back to Liam’s place, the man who Brent just reminded me is not their father.