The Wife Stalker(43)
“I didn’t have time. I’m so wiped I don’t even know if I have the energy to now.”
“Sit down,” she commanded him. “I’ll make you something. You have to take better care of yourself.”
She filled a glass with filtered water and handed it to him. He sat at the kitchen table and looked through the mail while she threw together a veggie omelet and toasted a slice of whole wheat bread. After she put the steaming plate in front of him, he wolfed it down, giving her a grateful smile.
“Thanks. I was hungrier than I thought.”
“You have to stay nourished.” She cleared her throat and put a hand on his arm. “Listen, I know you’re tired, but I need to talk to you about something.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“I got a call from the principal today about Stelli.”
A concerned look came over his face. “What happened? Is he okay?”
Piper nodded. “He’s fine, but I think he’s still having a hard time processing what happened. He told a little girl that her mother was never coming home from the hospital, that she would probably die.” She arched a brow. “She just had a baby.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh no. What did you say?”
She shrugged. “Dr. Parker was pretty adamant that he needs help. I told her that you and I have discussed getting help for him and looking into some naturopathic therapies. She thought that was an excellent course of action. In fact, she’s probably going to tell you that herself.”
Leo stood up, his expression inscrutable. “He’s young. We just have to do a better job of making him understand that she’s not coming back.”
“Leo, it’s not enough to talk about heaven. That just confuses him. He doesn’t understand why she can’t come home.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his voice rising. “Okay, I get it.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“It’s Rebecca.” She filled him in on what had happened that afternoon. “She’s overstepping. I think we should consider looking for a new nanny.”
His expression turned dark. “Aside from me, Rebecca is the one stable force in the children’s lives right now. We can’t replace her. It’s not fair to them. They’ve lost enough.”
“But, Leo, she practically yelled at me and tried to tell me I wasn’t being a good mother. I’m trying so hard, and she’s making me feel like a failure.”
“Of course you’re not a failure. But you really shouldn’t have decided to redecorate a room without checking with me first.”
Her heart began to beat faster. “I wanted to surprise you. I thought you’d be happy. You told me you never liked that furniture.”
He sighed. “Yes, but . . . look, you have to understand. The children need time. You can’t just spring these changes on them.”
She began to cry softly and turned away. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to do something to show you I feel like this is my home now.”
He came up behind her and put his arms around her. “Don’t cry, darling. Everything will be okay. And you and Rebecca will work things out. It’s just going to take time for everyone to adjust and figure out their boundaries.”
That hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped. Sighing, she trudged up the stairs, her mind working overtime. Although this didn’t really qualify as a fight, it was the first time he’d been obviously frustrated with her. It was far too soon in their marriage for this kind of conflict. When she came out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth, she saw he was already in bed, rolled onto his side, eyes closed. Throwing off her robe, she slid in next to him and pressed her body against his. Her lips found his neck, and she gave it some feathery kisses. He rolled toward her, his eyes opening.
“Are you too tired?” she asked, her hand caressing his chest.
“Never too tired for you.” He pulled her on top of him, running his hands over her body. “You’re in control tonight, baby. Go for it.”
That’s exactly what I intend to do, she thought.
The next morning, she decided not to go into the center and slept in, letting Rebecca get the kids off to school. It was a little past nine when she finished getting dressed and went to her home office to go through emails and check the blog. A wonderful massage therapist she’d discovered a few weeks ago would be over at eleven, and then she was going to spend the rest of the day reading by the pool. But first, a little admin work had to be done. Piper logged on to the blog and started reviewing comments to approve them before they went live. As soon as she read the comment under the latest blog entry, “Putting Your Own Oxygen Mask On First,” her hand froze over the mouse. It was clear whose handiwork it was. Her voice was unmistakable—and clearly recognizable by her choice of words. Bitter and jealous. It was Joanna.
You have some nerve! Life is not an airplane ride. In real life, you have to put the children’s needs before your own. That’s what I’ve always done with my children—the ones you stole from me. You don’t care at all about anyone but yourself, and you know nothing about parenting. Maybe that’s why you don’t have children of your own—you only go after ones who belong to other people.