The Woman He Married

🌶️ 41. Drunk

"Thank you for coming," Mae smiled.

"Anything to cheer you up. I'm sorry to hear what happened."

"What matters is that the case is closed," Isla told the woman who was her cousin.

Right after Ruth's final court proceeding, they can finally be at peace. Ruth could have been sentenced to years of jail for the arson she committed, but she was sent to a psychiatry to get the help she needed before anything else. Zane also filed for restraining order against Ruth after deciding it was the best decision for their family's safety in the future.

They had invited some close friends and family for a brief gathering to officially apologize and explain the reason they have not been attending family functions for the past month.

"Oh, hello," Zane greeted her as they almost bumped at the bottom of the staircase. His flushed red cheeks told Mae that he's a little drunk but the empty sippy cups in his hands told her that he might have successfully put the kids to bed - or the kids are currently playing in their rooms upstairs after tricking their foolish father. "What a fine lady you are," he added.

"Did you put the kids to bed?" Mae asked him, retrieving the cups from his hand.

"Of course, I'm a professional parent."

"And I'm less of that?"

"I didn't say that," he shrugged, his hand stealing a chance to smack her ass and gave it a quick squeeze before Mae swatted his hand.

"Manners!" Mae grumbled, glancing around at the last of their guests who were mostly Isla's people.

"Is it just me or you're damn hot tonight?"

"I'm always scorching hot," Mae flipped her hair slightly, then she left him to clean the bottles. She poured him a glass of cold water and he sat down on the other side of the kitchen counter to accompany her. "How much did you drink?"

"A little. A lot. I don't know." He rubbed the nape of his neck to loosen it up. "But it's a safe amount."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Mae sighed to his obvious drunken behavior. A touchy and needy Mr. Williams.

But it was a good sign. He had been stressed out about Ruth's case despite being able to maintain his image of a great father to their children. At the end of the day, Zane would need a cuddle to go to sleep and often expressed his tension in their conversations. He hasn't been calm in a full month so she was glad to see Zane being himself again.

And he hasn't been drunk in a long while, too.

Mae sighed when Zane sneaker up behind her and pretended to refill his glass with cold water, but then he decided to stand closer to her and eventually hugged her from behind. "What do you get from crowding me like this?"

"Come on," he whined, smooching her soft spot. "I've been good. The children are entertained, taken care of, clean, and well fed. I deserve some love. I'm tired."

"A shower will make you less tired," Mae suggested.

"Meanie," he groaned, taking a whiff of her scent before taking a step aside to fill the children's water bottles because they always wake up thirsty and grumpy.

"I want another baby," Zane said as he sat down again with two bottles ready to carry upstairs to the kids' respective rooms and a glass of cold water for himself while he wait for Mae to be done with the dishes. "Morgan is an adult. He said 'Daddy, I love you, but I want to sleep alone. No bedtime stories.' Oh, my heart shattered, mama. I want another baby so bad!"