Frayed Silk(53)

That night, I’m lying on his chest again, tracing the dips and ridges of his abs with my finger when I decide to ask, “Do you think Charlie’s doing okay?”

He stares off at the news playing on the TV. “I think he’ll be okay, but he’s like a sponge, absorbing every detail of everything going on around him.” He sighs. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s not dealing with how things have been between us very well, but I’ll talk to him. Hopefully, he’ll see for himself over the coming weeks that things are getting better, and it’ll help.”

My finger trails up and around his pec. “I’m still worried. He knew it was you, the mess in the garage.”

He curses. “Really?”

I roll my eyes. “He’s nine, Leo. He’s not going to ignore something just because we want him to. He’s well aware of what’s been going on even if he doesn’t know the details.” I look up at him. “He knows whatever it is, it’s not right, and it’s messing with him.”

His eyes dart back and forth between mine, observing the worry in them. Brows furrowing, he says, “It’ll be okay. Like I said, I’ll talk to him.” He moves some hair off my face. “Do you think he needs to …?”

“Talk to someone?” I cut in, and he nods. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see how things go.”

“You’re not alone, and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.” He pulls me farther up his body, pushing my face into his neck. His hand winds into my hair at the back of my head. “We’re in this together. Like we used to be, like we always should’ve been,” he says sternly.

“Okay,” I answer, my heart swelling with so much relief that it feels like it’s going to burst all over him. He strokes my hair while he watches TV, and my eyes soon close as I drift off into the most restful sleep I’ve had in a long time. Wrapped in his arms, I feel warm and loved, my worries held at bay as I inhale his scent every time I breathe.





Stretching my arms up over my head, I feel a delicious ache between my legs. A smile curves my lips as I remember the orgasms Leo drew out of me yesterday morning. Rolling over, my heart stills in my chest as I find no sign of him. His side of the bed is unmade and cool when I rub my palm over it. I sit up, looking around the room and listening for any sign of him. Taking a deep breath, I tell myself to calm down as I remember everything that we talked about yesterday and last night.

He’s back. He’s come back to me.

Throwing the covers off my legs, I make my way to the bathroom, doing my business and then brushing my teeth. Looking in the mirror as I brush the tangles out of my hair, I see something. The change written all over my face. The light surrounding my brown eyes as I apply a bit of mascara. The pink tinge to my cheeks as I decide to ditch putting some powder on today. And the redness to my lips from kissing Leo’s. Smiling to myself, I put my stuff away in the cupboard before heading back into the room and dressing in a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved, red cotton dress.

Walking downstairs, I head into the kitchen and busy myself with getting everything ready to make pancakes before hearing something clang in the garage. Frowning, I go check to see if Leo’s in there.

“Leo?” I call as I walk into the doorway of the garage.

He’s over by the wall on the other side of my car. He turns around at the sound of my voice, a putty applicator in his hand. “Hey, woke up early and thought I’d fix this before the kids get home.”

Indeed, he has. The holes have all been patched up, except for one. He turns back around, finishing the last one while I stand against the doorjamb and watch. He’s still in his pajama pants, a white t-shirt hugging his upper body tightly.

“I was going to call someone,” I finally blurt out.

He steps back, eyeing the wall before bending to put the lid back on the tub then checking his hands as he straightens. He looks over at me. “Yeah, I’d rather not have to explain why I lost my shit and destroyed my own garage to a complete stranger.”

Ouch. My brows tug in, and I decide to go finish making breakfast. His hand grabs mine from behind, stopping me in the doorway to the kitchen then tugging me into his chest. He kisses my head, resting his cheek on it as he wraps his arms around me. “Sorry, beautiful.” He sighs. “But really, it’s okay. I didn’t mind doing it myself.”

“Breakfast?” I mumble into his chest, pushing away slightly.

“Sure.” He releases me with a soft smile.

We eat at the island again, and it almost feels like it used to, only better. I stuff a piece of pancake into his mouth when he pulls me into his lap, giggling as he smears syrup on my nose and then leans in to lick it off. “Delicious,” he murmurs. His eyes turn from playful to heated, taking my lips with his and rendering my mind empty of everything but him. I suck the syrup from his lips while his hands make their way underneath my dress. I pull away, breathing heavily and kiss him on the nose before climbing off his lap and finishing my pancake as I start to clean up.

Walking up behind me at the sink, he whispers, “Where do you think you’re going?” His arms wrap around my waist, melding me into his hard body. He’s hard and poking my lower back through his pants.

“Leo, I’m still recovering from yesterday.” I grab a plate and rinse it, putting it on the dish rack to go in the dishwasher.