Curtain Call (The Jewel Project #7)

1. The Final One

May 2023

"Are you and Mommy getting divorced?"

Kyle snapped to attention from his search of a parking spot and turned to look towards the backseat. 

"What? Where did you even hear that word?"

His three-and-a-half-year-old daughter frowned in confusion in her car seat. Her twin brother stuck his tongue out at her.

"Told you they were not."

Kyle threw a glance at the road to make sure he wouldn't crash into anything, but traffic was practically at a standstill, so he turned back to his kids. "Alex, don't be mean. Jenny, what...?" He couldn't even begin to process her gem. Kids said the craziest things. They also spoke the truth which made the affirmation a little problematic. 

"Uncle Jerry says you shouldn't say what. You should say excuse me," Alex said, his tone light, obviously not getting the gravity of the situation.

Before Kyle even had the chance to direct a few choice words at Jerry inside his head, Jenny picked up the conversation. 

"Peter said his daddy hit his mommy and then they got divorced." Her light blue eyes were wide and curious. She looked so much like a tiny, black-haired Kay at that moment, it was frightening.

"Um... okay." Kyle returned his attention to the road, keeping a watch on his daughter in the rear view mirror. "But whatever gave you the idea that your mom and I--"

"You spanked her last night," Alex declared, bouncing up and down in his car seat.

Kyle moved his attention from the black tuft of hair to the blond one. "What?"

"You're not supposed to say what. You're supposed to say excuse me," Jenny said in a sing-song voice that almost perfectly matched her brother's from earlier.

Kyle was never letting Jerry babysit again. "Okay, I did not spank your mom."

"Yes, you did, you slapped her butt. We saw you!" Alex insisted.

Kyle pursed his lips and returned his attention to traffic, trying his best not to burst into hysterical laughter. He had no idea the kids had seen that. He and Kay had been in the kitchen, cleaning up the table. Her jeans were incredibly snug, and she looked so hot, he couldn't help it. Not like they got the chance to get all romantic and passionate for more than twenty minutes anymore. It was just minor things like that they could still get away with. Or apparently not. They needed to be more careful.

"Do we get along?" he asked, then watched the twins exchange a meaningful look.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked. She was always a little more wary while Alex was all about fun and rushing in.

"Me and your mom. Are we friends? Do we laugh together?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Do we all have fun together?"

"Yes!" This time they both jumped up and down with obvious enthusiasm.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Mommy and I were just playing around."

"Like me and Alex?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, something like that." But with less pushing and more pulling.

"Huh," Alex said. "So why did Peter's parents get divorced?"

Kyle most certainly didn't like explaining stuff like that to kids, especially his own, but someone had to. He finally found an appropriate parking space and pulled over, then turned to face his kids.