Chapter 4: Wandering Back

Logan’s POV

“Can I have one more piece of cake, Daddy?”

I smiled at Leo’s sweet face, smeared in icing, but shook my head.

“That’s up to, Mommy,” I told him. “It’s her birthday cake. What do you think, Willow? Can he have…”

My voice trailed off as I realized that Willow wasn’t there.

“Did she go to the bathroom?” I asked.

Beatrice shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I actually don’t know how long she’s been gone. We were so engaged in our conversation.”

“Mommy left a while ago,” Leo said, reaching for the cake.

“She did?” I asked, confused. I wondered how long ‘a while’ was. How had I not noticed that Willow was gone?

“Did I upset her?” Beatrice asked, a look of concern on her face. “With our request? I didn’t mean to.”

I smiled at Beatrice. It was so sweet of her to be concerned about Willow.

“Maybe we should just drop it. I mean, the last thing I want to do is upset my sister. We can find another way.”

“Nonsense,” I told her, shaking my head. “Willow is just sulking. She’ll get over it. She’ll realize that this is best for everyone. She’s just jealous because you’re going to get a new child and she’s not. Don’t worry about it.”

I placed my hand over Beatrice’s and gave it a little squeeze. I was doing my best to assure Beatrice that Willow would come around. Deep down, though, I was very disappointed in Willow.

Beatrice was trying to adopt a child. A helpless orphan who needed a mother. I admired her kindness and selfishness and I told her so.

Willow was just being stubborn.

In any case, it was late, much later than I realized. So I settled the bill and we all wandered outside.

“Thanks again for the flowers,” Beatrice smiled at me and looked up at me from under her thick, black lashes, her green eyes shining under the streetlights.

“My pleasure,” I said, keeping it casual.

While we waited for her Uber, Beatrice looked at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“I still think about that kiss… back in college,” she said.

“Yeah… that kiss was… um…” I stammered, caught off guard.

She bent down slightly to Leo. “Next time, Auntie will take you to the amusement park,” she said, brushing his shoulder.

As she leaned forward, I couldn’t help but notice a hint of cleavage peeking from her dress. My throat went dry for a second.

The Uber pulled up. Beatrice glanced over her shoulder, then nudged Zoe lightly. “Say goodbye to Uncle,” she prompted.

Zoe looked at me hesitantly, her small fingers clutching Beatrice’s hand. She wouldn’t speak.

“Maybe she’s just shy,” I said with a soft smile. “Kids can be a little afraid of strangers sometimes.”

“Thanks again for a lovely evening,” Beatrice said, sliding into the backseat with Zoe.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, closing the car door.

I felt unsettled all the way home, but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Beatrice’s face kept flashing in my mind. That brief glimpse… the curve of her dress… the way she leaned over.

My dick betrayed me. I cursed under my breath and glanced down.

Leo was asleep in the back seat, his chest rising and falling with even breaths.

I shook my head, trying to shove the image away. What the hell was wrong with me?

Back at home, Willow still hadn’t returned. I put Leo to bed and then sat in the empty living room, waiting for Willow.

My mind wandered to the Willow I’d known before we got married. She’d been so vibrant, so full of life.

And so fucking sexy, I couldn’t get enough of her.

The Willow I knew now though was a far cry from the pre-marriage Willow. She never dressed up anymore. Hell, she hardly even wore makeup. All she talked about was boring housewife stuff, like how to incorporate kale into Leo’s food without him knowing, or the details of some stupid PTA meeting, or paint colors for the living room.

Eggshell or cream?

She’d deliberated over those two colors for a week.

What the hell did it matter? It was just paint. They were both white as far as I was concerned. Eggshell. White. Who cares?

My mind turned to Beatrice.

She was nothing like Willow. They were close in age, but Beatrice was still dazzling, still exciting, still put together. She took care of herself, wore high heels, got her hair done.

And Beatrice had a career. She understood how taxing it was to run a company. I was exhausted when I got home from work. Willow claimed that she was always exhausted too.

But from what?

Making cookies and grocery shopping? Choosing a stupid paint color for the walls was a far cry from making important, corporate decisions all day.

Beatrice got that.

Jesus, why did my mind keep wandering back to Beatrice?

Seeing Willow and Beatrice side by side tonight at the restaurant was jarring. Beatrice looked like she just stepped right off the cover of a fashion magazine.

And Willow?

She looked like she came straight from Leo’s soccer practice, threw on a frumpy dress, and smeared on some lip gloss. Where was the effort?

A strange mixture of emotions welled up inside of me. I didn’t know what to make of it. I could hear Leo upstairs playing on his iPad, even though I’d already put him to bed.

He knew he’d get away with it because Mom wasn’t around. He was probably secretly thrilled that Willow wasn’t home yet.

Honestly… it almost felt like this house didn’t even need Willow.