Pieces of Us (Confessions of the Heart 3)

“Need help with that? You seem a little . . . flustered,” my mama teased, voice lowered to remain out of earshot, grinning a conspiring grin.

I groaned a panicked sound, peeking over at the table, wetting my lips as I sucked for a cleansing breath. “Help. Yes, yes, I need help.”

Because I didn’t have the first clue what I was supposed to do right then.

“Something bothering you?”

I pressed my face into my hands, and then I was peeling them away, leaving them up at the sides like a shield. My voice dropped to a mortified hiss. “I slept with him, Mama.”

No need to give her the detail that it’d been five times.

“Well, that’s plenty obvious. Have you seen your hair this mornin’?”

My hands flew up to the ratted mess.

Oh God.

She chuckled.

“This isn’t funny, Mama.”

I smoothed out my tank, as if it could smooth away the agitation and embarrassment.

“Did he just waltz in here from upstairs?” I questioned in horror, peeking over there again and wondering how I was supposed to explain an impromptu sleepover with my boys. For a beat, my attention got wrapped up in the easy way Maxon leaned over and drew something with Benjamin, talking with him as if being there was the most natural thing in the world.

“Well, I know he came crawling out your window and sneaking down that tree like he used to do. I was out back when I heard a racket, and I peeked around the corner to see what was goin’ on. But don’t worry your pretty face. He came around the front of the house and up the steps, knocking at the front door, just like a perfect gentleman would do.” It was purely a tease.

I pressed a trembling hand to my forehead.

I was gonna pass out.

“Stop frettin’.”

I went back to my coffee and dumped in a couple spoonfuls of sugar. “How am I not supposed to fret when he is here after what happened last night?” I rushed out of the side of my mouth.

“Seems to me you should be glad that he is.”

I was.

God, I was.

But that didn’t mean my nerves weren’t racing, sure my boys knew something was up. My daddy sure knew it, with the way his glare was cutting between the two of us, though it was different somehow.

Softer and less angry, though he appeared a thousand times more worried than before.

This really was a mess.

“Go on, I’ll feed you,” Mama said, transferring the huge skillet of scrambled eggs into a serving bowl. “You’ve got to be to work in an hour.”

Oh, that was right.

Work.

It was the last thing on my mind.

I shuffled over to the table, my bare feet scooting on the worn floor, trying to play it cool and casual and like Maxon wasn’t affecting me at all.

I started to round to the free chair, and I yelped out when he snagged an arm around my waist and hauled me to his side.

Right out of the blue.

He squeezed my hip in one of those massive hands.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said in that grumbly, beautiful voice.

Dillon laughed and a blush the same color of mine was lighting on Benjamin’s face.

“I . . .” I attempted to clear the disorder from my throat. “Um . . .”

He grinned. “Sit.”

Blowing out a breath, I did, and he set a hand on my knee under the table.

With my head dropped, I peeked over at him, catching the adoring expression on his face.

And there was nothin’ I could do to stop the sappy grin.

An hour later, I was rushing out to my car. This whole surprise of a morning had made me late.

Of course, I knew it was only gonna get worse when I felt the presence swallow me from behind, his footsteps heavy as he came out the door and jogged out toward my car.

He was on me in an instant, spinning me around, pinning my back to metal.

Kissin’ me with a passion I’d never known before.

God, this man was gonna do me in.

“I thought you already kissed me goodbye?” I teased, teeth raking my bottom lip as I peeked up at his gorgeous face.

A smirk took hold of his mouth. “So, I wanted another one.”

“Hmm . . . can’t get enough?”

He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, fiddling with it as he angled his head, his expression soft. “Never.”

Then that expression shifted, something somber and bold coming to caress the lines of his face. He traced over the angle of my cheek. “We need to tell him, Izzy. It’s time. I can’t keep sitting beside him and keeping this secret. Feels like I’m lying to him.”

My gaze drifted off in the distance, processing, the fears there but quieted. Because I knew I could no longer be that person. Someone who was bitter and scared and letting the past hold her back.