Coming Home (Morelli Family 6)

“It’s not midnight,” he tells her.

“You’re such a reverse Gremlin.”

I should leave. I shouldn’t keep standing here, witnessing the bizarre intimacy of this moment. The possessiveness and jealousy I managed to keep at bay when we were sharing surges back to life, reminding me that I have a right to expect certain things now, and this feels outside of that realm.

It also reminds me Mateo probably feels the same way. Me having someone else’s baby falls far outside the realm of things he expects to have to accept.

Meg leans her head back on his shoulder and stops trying to feed him ice cream, but they keep talking. I can’t hear what they’re saying.

I can feel the dull thud of my heart. It seems to be beating in my gut. My stomach is in knots and I’m torn between wanting to walk in and interrupt and wanting to run away.

I run away.

I don’t really know where I’m going, I just have to put distance between myself and that. He’s been avoiding me all night, he still hasn’t answered my text message, and I catch him cozying up with Meg? Who, by the way, could have stopped Vince from taking me in the first place, but decided to be a super bitch and try to get rid of me?

Awesome. He wouldn’t be letting her rest her fucking head on his shoulder if he knew that. Or maybe he would—at least the baby in her womb is his.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel, but anger and doubt team up with hurt to trample my ass. Angry tears well up in my eyes and adrenaline courses through me. The intensity of this ache surprises me. I wish I hadn’t gone looking for him.

I wind up in the servants’ quarter. My legs brought me here automatically, but that makes sense. Ordinarily when I need to flee Mateo, I call for Adrian. I didn’t bring my phone with me to look for Mateo, so I took the direct route.

I head upstairs. A long time ago Mateo’s dad used to live upstairs, but now it has much better residents. After Adrian and Elise decided to stay at the house, Mateo had the upstairs apartment remodeled for them. Now they have their own space, but Maria’s right downstairs and they’re still technically under Mateo’s roof. It saves Adrian a lot of time and trouble since his work schedule for Mateo is erratic, at best, and Adrian’s a family man now.

It’s also convenient for me when Mateo makes me this mad and I need a break from him. I don’t have to wait for Adrian to come pick me up; he’s right here.

I knock at the door and wait. Once we get to the car I’ll probably lapse into an ocean of emotion, but I’d like to keep my shit together long enough for Adrian to answer the door.

Only Adrian doesn’t answer the door, Elise does. Her blonde hair is gathered in a pony tail, hanging over her right shoulder. She’s wearing pastel purple PJs with a print of a Teddy bear sleeping on a moon all over. She has the look of a Disney princess getting ready for bed; she’s only missing a few blue birds flying around her while she sings.

Her eyebrows rise and she looks decidedly put out as her gaze rakes over me and every ounce of sweetness drains out of her eyes.

“Can I help you?”

I was so caught up in the scene I’d just stumbled upon, I didn’t even realize I’m not dressed. A short, satin robe is not exactly an outfit, and it’s really not something I would wear alone around anyone except Mateo.

And I just showed up on her doorstep looking for Adrian.

Flushing, I open my mouth, searching for an explanation. Despite living in the same house, and despite Mateo and Adrian’s relationship, Elise and I aren’t friends. Me showing up looking for her husband wearing a flimsy bathrobe probably isn’t going to go very far in changing that.

Before I can find words, a small crash beyond her catches my attention. Adrian is sitting in the floor with Westley. They were building a tower of Mega Bloks and it just fell down.

Westley gasps theatrically and points at the mess of rainbow-colored plastic blocks. “Oh no!”

Adrian smiles at him, but then glances up at me in the doorway.

My stomach sinks more, and I’m not even sure why.

Forcing my gaze away from Adrian and his son, I look back at Elise. “Never mind. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Elise wordlessly lifts her eyebrows and drops them, as if to assure me that yes, I did bother her, and she does not accept my apology. Glancing behind her, she flashes Adrian and Westley a smile, then looks back at me. “I’ll walk you out.”

Her tone is suspiciously friendly for someone who’s giving me the look she’s giving me, but I nod and back away as she steps out in the hall, pulling her door closed. She falls into step beside me and walks me toward the stairs.