Frayed Silk(39)

A knock sounds on the door, and I lift my head from staring at my phone, shaking it before walking out of the kitchen and down the hall to let Lola in.

“Hey.” She shuts the door behind her and passes me a takeout coffee cup.

“Oh, you’re amazing.” I take a sip. “Thank you.”

We move into the living room, and I put my basket away then take a seat. She removes her purse from her shoulder, placing it on the ground and sitting on the opposite couch.

“So …” She takes a sip from her coffee. “How was she?”

I roll my lips together as I think about how to answer that.

She winces. “That bad?”

Giving her a nod, I sink back into the couch and tell her everything.

“Wow. Really?” Her eyes widen when I finish.

“Yeah. What do we do?” I ask. “I’m actually pretty worried.”

Lola looks down at the dark wood of our coffee table, seeming lost in thought. “I don’t know. You’re right, though. It doesn’t sound like something Dylan would do. She mentioned a lawyer?”

“Yeah.” I wrap my hands around my cup to warm them.

“Well, it’s bad that she has to resort to that, but good if it means she’s starting to do something.”

“Maybe we should take shifts? We can both go over there once a week to check in on her. She seems a bit … lost.”

Lola sighs. “Not a bad idea. But …” She crosses her legs, turning to face me fully. “I know what you’re doing.”

My brows furrow. “What?”

“Leo. You’re trying to distract yourself.” She holds up a hand when I go to interrupt her. “Now, I know this is something you’d do anyway, but it still makes me worry—for you.”

I wait, kind of stumped by where she’s taking this.

“You need to allow yourself to feel, Lia. You’re a wreck inside. Quit trying to suffocate those emotions. Have you spoken to Leo again?”

My face scrunches because I didn’t think I was doing that. I shift, tucking my legs underneath me. “No, but not for lack of trying. He came home late and went to bed in the spare room. He was gone when I woke up this morning.”

She scowls. “Asshole. Maybe he just needs a few days.”

“Well, our moms are coming tomorrow to take the kids for the weekend.”

Her blond brows rise. “They’re back?”

I nod.

“Hey, this could be a good thing. You two could use the time together to fix this mess once and for all.”

I try not to roll my eyes. “There’s just one problem with that,” I say. “You can’t fix a damn thing when the other person doesn’t want to.”

“I think you’ve shaken him awake with what happened with Jared. So don’t go assuming things just yet.” She arches a brow while taking a sip from her coffee.

I’m not convinced that’s true, though. If he’s stopped arguing and smashing things, and if he’s not home, then I’m afraid that once he is, he’ll just go back to how he was before. And the only thing worse than his anger is his indifference.

“I know he said he wouldn’t let you guys divorce. But after everything, do you think that if things don’t get any better, you might separate?” Lola asks hesitantly.

I pick at a thread on my red sweater. “I don’t want to. You know that. I never really did. I’m in this, whether he’s an asshole or not. And I’m going to make sure Jared knows that whatever we had, it’s over now.”

She smiles. “Oh wow, getting a little fight back aren’t you, honey?”

“One of us has to. And I’m sick of trying to make him see me. It just backfired and got way out of control, anyway. So hopefully when he realizes that I’m here, and that I’m not going anywhere, he’ll finally start to see me again.”





“Mommy, can I take my makeover set to Grandma’s place?” Greta asks while lying in bed. I tuck her in and kiss her cheek.

“Of course. You’ll save Grandma Taylor loads of time by doing her makeup for her.” I wink, laughing softly to myself as I stand. Taylor is liable to have a conniption, but she’ll put up with it. She adores Greta, and she’ll suffer through anything just to show my mother that she can. They’re both so damn stubborn.

“Love you, Mommy.” Greta yawns and rolls over.

I switch off her light. “Love you more.”

I walk into Charlie’s room only to find Leo’s already there, lying down next to him with Charlie’s head resting on his chest. He’s still in his work clothes, which reminds me of the blood stain I found yesterday from when he punched Jared. My stomach turns, but I tell Charlie good night and walk down the hall to take a shower.

When I get out, I find Leo rummaging in his drawers until he digs out a pair of red and black checkered pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. He walks past me into the en suite without even looking at me and closes the door. I close our bedroom door then get dressed in my yellow flannel pajama pants and a tank top. Taking a seat on the bed, I flick through my phone and wait until he’s done in the shower. My phone rings just as the door opens, and he walks out shirtless in a cloud of steam. I look up from Jared’s name flashing on the screen and rake my eyes over Leo’s broad chest that tapers into slim, defined hips. His abs and muscles bunch tauntingly as he pulls his shirt over his head, evidence of how hard he works to keep himself in top physical condition. Ever the athlete.