“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I was just daydreaming. The girls just left.”
He kissed her forehead and Ridley sighed. It was such a small thing but after how tense things had been lately, it was heaven to feel like things were okay again.
“Where are the kids?” she asked. Whenever she had Girl’s Night, Jackson took the kids out for ice cream and a movie or to his parents’ house.
“At Mom and Dad’s,” he answered. “They fell asleep playing in their room so Mom told me to let them sleep over. I think she’s just happy for any excuse to use the bunk beds she bought
them.”
He hung his coat absently on the hook by the door and then walked to the kitchen.
Ridley was about to follow when his coat fell off the hook. Luckily she was standing so close to it that she caught it. It was a good thing too since she hadn’t been able to bend over in ages. Ridley rubbed her belly absently as she hung the coat back on the hook. It would be awesome when she could finally see her feet again.
As she was hanging the coat, she noticed something white sticking out of the pocket. A business card.
Don’t do it. You trust your husband. Women who trust their husbands don’t go snooping in their coats.
But despite all the warnings swirling through her brain, Ridley snatched the business card. When she saw the name on it, her throat instantly went dry. She crumpled the card in her palm and then carried it to the kitchen. What was she supposed to do? Confront Jackson? But what good would that do? People who were doing things behind their spouse’s back didn’t just admit it when confronted anyway.
The kitchen was empty by the time she got there, so Ridley was left alone to stew and stare at the card she’d now crumpled into a ball. It was probably for the best. Even though Jackson was just as sweet to her as ever, there was a huge difference in the way he interacted with her since she’d gotten pregnant. At first she hadn’t thought anything of it, he’d just been more careful with her when they made love and he didn’t initiate as often. But then slowly, all the passion had disappeared and he kissed her chastely, like a distant cousin you hadn’t seen in years.
Maybe that was just the reality of marriage, that her husband wouldn’t always think she was the hottest thing out there. He was damn near perfect in every other way. Was it really the worst thing if he wasn’t groping her all the time anymore? There were plenty of women who had way worse things to deal with.
But did those women’s husbands have their ex-girlfriend’s number in their pocket?
chapter four
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The next day Ridley went to visit her mother-in-law. All she really wanted to do was stay in bed and eat cookies but she’d promised to help Julia decorate for the ladies tea she was hosting the next day. She took extra time on her makeup, trying to cover the dark circles under her eyes with concealer but it was probably for nothing.
If there was anyone who could sniff out a mystery, it was Julia Alexander. The woman had radar and could tell when any of her family members needed her. Ridley definitely could use some motherly influence right about now. However when she arrived at the Alexanders’ sprawling farm, there were people running around outside and Julia was too busy to even look at Ridley directly. Julia had her normally perfectly coiffed dark hair thrown up in a messy bun and looked harried.
She sighed. At least she’d have time to get her thoughts together before Julia started asking questions. For the next hour, Ri was able to forget her own problems and just focused on helping arrange the living and dining rooms.
“Just put that vase right there in the center of the table,” Julia instructed.
Ri leaned over the table and then stopped short at the sharp pulling sensation in her abdomen. “Oh!”
That got Julia’s attention. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Here I am running you ragged and you should be off your feet!”
“No, I wanted to help. Really. It’s been fun and everything looks so pretty.” Ridley looked around at the elegantly decorated rooms. Everything was in a shade of light blue, cream or rose and the effect of the soft colors together was stunning alongside Julia’s cheerful country style.
Julia took her arm and gently led her to the couch in the living room. Ridley sat gratefully but looked up in surprise when Julia sat next to her.
“What’s wrong?”
Uh oh, Ridley thought. Busted. As much as she wished she could confide in Julia, it was just too embarrassing to talk to her husband’s mother about intimate things.
“Nothing, I just didn’t sleep well.”
“Hmm. I’d say it’s more than that. My sweet girl hasn’t had her usual sparkle lately. Which probably means my son has done something.”
Ridley opened her mouth to protest but closed it when she saw Julia’s arched eyebrow. It was silly to keep pretending when anyone who looked at her could tell she didn’t look like herself.
Julia rubbed her arm gently. “Mr. Alexander and I had a bit of a rough patch during my first pregnancy as well. Mark has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, you know. He caught me eating a tray of cornbread one night and made a comment about it. That really got under my skin. I’ve never been a thin woman. Men don’t know how hurtful their little jokes can be sometimes. So I hope you can forgive him if he said something stupid.”
“Oh no, he hasn’t said anything about the weight I’ve gained. I just…”