TIFFIN 3

91

"Wait!" 

I turned as Jo hurried towards me, with a fussy Eleanor squirming in my arms.

I grimaced hoping she'd catch onto my hint. 

I just needed to be alone with my sweet girl. 

"Yes?" I asked. 

"Everything okay?" 

I paused, wanting to scream: No, of course not, but I took a moment to think it over.

Yes, Hero did something scummy again, but there was a possibility he spent time with that whore to get back at me.

For what, I had no idea. 

For all intents and purposes, it wasn't the end of the world. 

"It will be." I finally replied. "You know my husband. Doing his... thing..." 

Fuck. That sounded terrible. 

Josephine ran my words through her mind, the wheels turning and showcasing on her face. 

"His thing? Kristina, a lot happened back there. A bunch of stuff was said. This dynamic between you two... nothing has been resolved." 

I hung my head. She was right. Absolutely right.

But really, what could I do? He was my husband and this was how we worked. 

No matter how much it hurt. 

"I know. I thought we were fine, but... he just blew up. He's been acting off. You heard him: Diedre's been contacting him and he didn't tell me. I needed to know if..." 

I didn't need to finish my sentence.

Josephine knew her cousin well. He was a frat boy at heart. She knew that if anyone could handle his antics it was me. 

But... it still hurt a great deal. 

Would it ever end? 

"What if he is?" Jo asked, a miserable expression on her face.

I frowned. I didn't want to think about that at all. 

Had he actually cheated on me in the duration of our relationship? He'd certainly made a fool of me, that was for sure. 

I shrugged. 

"Then I guess he'll be sleeping on the floor." 

Jo didn't look impressed by my answer. 

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you. I have a lot on my plate right now. For all I know, that chick was saying things to get me going and I bought into it." 

She nodded tensely. 

"Okay, but.... Kristina. I have been here since the beginning. I know in his heart he loves you, but there will come a time where you two won't be the only pawns on the chessboard." 

I furrowed my brows, knowing what she was referring to. 

"I'm aware I've dragged you all into this-"

She shook her head. 

"None of us matter except that little girl in your arms. What's going to happen in a year so? Four? Children observe how their parents act and what goes on around them. Just think about that." 

Instead of lashing out in anger like I wanted to, I rushed forward to gather my best friend in a hug. 

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." 

She smiled. 

"I knew that, silly. Look, I know you wanted to head home and get rest, but Niall and I are a bit bored. Want to head to our place and eat some ice cream?" 

I was about to argue, but Josephine jutted out her lip in a pout.

"Please. I swear Eleanor will be fine. Plus, Niall is surprisingly good with newborns."

I sighed knowing I couldn't turn down a delicious dairy treat. 

"Fine, but Hero can't come." 

She snorted. 

"As if." 

Later when we arrived at their humble abode and settled at the island to dig into a few sherbert tubs, I was glad to see that Jo had been right. 

They'd brandished a high chair that Tawnee had given them months back and Niall had spent the majority of the time tickling Eleanor and cooing. 

Now, why couldn't my husband be like that? 

Ugh. Clearly Jo had snatched the decent bad boy. 

Just as I was about to open a new tub of Mud Pie, the doorbell rang. Without thinking I knew who it was. It didn't matter if he'd never been here. 

He knew how to find me.

"Do you want me to ignore it?"
Josephine asked hopefully. 

I shook my head. 

"No. I can't hide forever. Better to get this over with." 

With a sigh, she headed towards the front door, with me on her tail. I puffed out my chest ready for a confrontation.
 
Instead what I was faced with was...

Chad?!

When he caught sight of my ample chest, his eyes widened. 

Jesus. 

Jo gasped, placing her hands on her hips. 

"Just what are you doing here?" 

Chad frowned, looking haggard and tired. 

"Please, Josie. You're my sister. We've always been thick as thieves. You can't be angry at me forever."

She glowered. 

"I can. What you did as a minor... what you put Hero through... it wasn't only inexcusable. What you did was inhumane. You subjected him to abuse." 

"I know that. I feel horrible." 

Josephine held up a hand. 

"If you want to answer to anyone, it should be your cousin." 

Chad's face fell for a moment but then he recovered quickly. It made me wonder if he was really as sorry as he looked. 

"I plan to, but I need to fix things with you first. Please can I come in?" 

After a brief battle with herself, Jo nodded.

"Fine. Let me speak to Niall." 

As soon as she was gone, Chad turned to me grinning. 

"Well, well. Nice to see you again."