Mid Life Love: At Last (Mid Life Love #2)(12)

A round of thunder roared in the distance and the rain began to pelt even harder, so I closed the garage door and slipped out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly twisted the doorknob and stepped inside the house.

“Hey, Mom!” “Why are you so late today?” Caroline and Ashley didn’t look up from their homework.

“Hey babe.” Ryan pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. “Are you okay?” He raised his eyebrow, lowering his voice and asking why my face was “so red...like [I’d] been crying.”

I didn’t answer his question. I just stared into his eyes, wondering how he could act as if everything was normal—as if he hadn’t just f**ked Amanda in our bedroom yesterday.

“You’re drenched...” He ran his hands against my soaked blazer. “Did you lose your umbrella?”

I swallowed, shaking my head.

He smiled. “Well, go dry up. Whatever’s bothering you—whatever it is, we can talk about it after dinner. Okay? I ordered pizza from the girls’ favorite place and it’s ready now.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

I heard him whisper “I love you” into my ear before he walked away and disappeared into the garage.

As soon as I heard him revving up his car and heading down the driveway, I turned to face my daughters.

“Mom?” Ashley tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong with you?”

Caroline lifted her head up and frowned. “Mom? Why are you staring at us like that?” She looked at Ashley and shook her head. “Why isn’t she talking?”

“I need you two to go to your room.” My voice cracked. “I need to...I need to talk your dad when he gets back. Alone.”

They exchanged confused glances, but they put their folders away and hugged me before heading upstairs.

As soon as I heard their door close, I took the envelope from the inside of my blazer and sat down at the table, thinking about how I was going to present the photos to Ryan.

All of a sudden, my phone vibrated. A text. Amanda. “Hey Claire! Just texting you to remind you about that jazzercise class we signed up for tomorrow morning! I’ll pick you up at nine!”

Is this bitch serious?!

I tossed my phone across the room, knocking a photo frame off the wall. Hurt, I stood up and took the photos out of the envelope. I walked around downstairs and tossed them all over the floor, leaving a trail from the dining room to the living room and into the kitchen.

The last photo in my hands was one of Amanda straddling his lap in his car last week—in the parking lot of his law firm.

I wanted to rip it apart and force the pieces down his throat, but I heard the knob of the garage door twisting, heard him saying, “Where’d everybody go? I’m back!”

I leaned against the table and tried to calm my shaking hands.

“Ashley? Caroline? Claire?” His steps were getting closer and closer. “Did a tornado hit the inside of our house while I was gone?” He finally stepped into the kitchen.

“What’s going on, Claire?” He set the pizzas down on the counter. “What are all these pictures and why are they all over the place?”

I didn’t answer. I just stared at him as he bent down to pick one of them up, as his face immediately went white.

He looked up at me in utter horror, devastation. “Claire, I’m so sorry...Can we...Can we talk about this?”

I cringed at the memory and splashed more water onto my face.

The mere thought of Ryan still lit a bitter flame within me, but seeing him? In person? That was a damn wildfire, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to put out.

I couldn’t believe his audacity—to actually show up and attempt to have a regular conversation with me, to act as if I would give him the time of day.

What the f**k does he want?

There was a knock at the door, but I didn’t answer it. I couldn’t. My body was shaking and my thoughts were consumed with rage and anger.

Why would he even show up here? He knows I HATE him...

“Claire?” Jonathan’s voice was on the other side of the door.

“Yes?” I snapped out of my trance and unlocked it.

“Why are you in here? And why is your face wet?” He grabbed a towel off the rack and softly pressed it against my cheeks. “Are you hot?”

“No...I’m...” I hesitated.

“We can reschedule the appointment.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and walked me back out front. “I’ll let her know we can come another day. You don’t look like you’re feeling well.”

“I’m not...Ryan was just here.”

His body suddenly stiffened, and he looked down at me with his jaw clenched. “Your ex-husband Ryan?”

I nodded.

“What did he want?”

“I don’t know...I told him to leave. I didn’t want to talk to him.”

“Good.” His eyes softened a bit, but I could tell he was upset. “How does he know where you work?”

“I don’t know...” Caroline and Ashley knew better than to discuss me with Ryan, just like they knew better than to discuss him with me. The few mutual friends we shared back in Pittsburgh only knew tidbits of my new life—nothing major, and they would never share any information with him.