One of the Good Ones ✓

The Devil's in the Details

*2 Months Later*

I breathe in the summer air as we sit on the deck for a bit before needing to head over to his mom's for Sunday dinner. "You look comfortable." Chris notes from behind me. I was lounging against his chest on one of the lounge chairs that were placed around the pool, reading.

"I am. You make an excellent pillow." I smile before returning to my book. He plucks it from my hand.

"If you make me lose my spot, I will not hesitate to push you into the pool." I threaten as I turn to face him.

"You'd throw this face in the pool?" he asks, pulling his best puppy dog eyes.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, very easily if you lost my place in a book you recommended I read." I smile at him.

"You know what babe? You're looking a little hot here. I think you might need to cool off." He says before smiling devilishly at me and I jump up from my spot, almost tripping over my feet as I do.

"Don't even think about it Christopher." I say, trying to run away from him. His long legs quickly have him catching up to me and he grabs me around his waist. He runs us both over to the pool and I thought he was just going to throw me in. Instead he jumps in with me in his arms and we both sink to the bottom.

I swim to the surface, spitting out water I took in. "You jerk!" I laugh as I splash him with water. He just laughs and pushes his hair back, getting the wet strands out of his eyes. "Let's get out and changed. We're going to be late."

...

We roll up to his mom's house 30 minutes later, our hair still wet and smelling of chlorine. "Shit..." I mumble under my breath when I saw Tara's car in the driveway.

"Hey, it's going to be ok. I'll make sure she doesn't say anything." He promises me, taking my hand and kissing it.

"You're here!" Scott yells as we walk in, pulling me into a hug. "I'm stealing you! I'm stealing her!" He yells to Chris.

"Ok, what's going on that you don't want me to see?" I ask after he's lead me into a different room.

"She's here."

"Yeah, I know she is. I saw her car. Who invited her?"

"Ma. She noted that it had been awhile since Tara was over and she decided to invite without asking why. You know how she can get sometimes." I nod. I hadn't seen Tara since she came to Chris's house while he had been away that time, and that had been fine with me.

"I guess I have to be nice." I say.

"We got your back." Scott says and I see Carly and Shanna standing in the doorway.

I shake my head. "I don't want to come between y'all any more than I want to come in between Chris and her." I say before we head out into the kitchen where I see Tara has her hand on Chris's arm, laughing at something he said.

"Still don't want to come in between them?" Carly asks as she comes up to stand beside me.

"If I say anything right now, it'll be something that I don't mean and will only leave us in a fight."

"Let's just hope he's not as clueless as he was last time."

...

"So Tara, how's the agency been?" Lisa asks as we all sit around the table. The kids begged to eat outside and as it was a beautiful night, and one that promised to be filled with tension, the parental units involved said yes.

"Oh business has been great! We broke a record on houses sold this month." She says excitedly.

"That's awesome! What about you Lexi? You must be so happy to be back at the museum." Lisa asks, turning to me.

I smile. "Oh I really am. It had been too long."

"Why were you out? Chris never did tell me?" Tara asks and to everyone else the question seemed innocent enough.

"Personal reasons." I say shortly, not wanting to relive the trauma of the past several weeks.

"Were you knocked up? Did you lose the baby?"

"Tara!" Chris yells.

"No, Chris. It's fine. Everyone here that matters to me knows the truth. Her mindless words can't hurt me." I say before going back to eating.

"You're just going to let her talk to me like that?" Tara asks Chris.

"Tara, you're being a brat." Scott says, rolling his eyes.

"What? She acts all cagey about why she had to take a leave from work and you get onto me for my response."

"You accused her of being pregnant and losing a baby. I didn't think even you were that cruel."

"Scott, it's fine. Honestly, I should be heading home anyway. The dogs have been alone long enough and I have work in the morning. Lisa, thank you so much for dinner. It was lovely." I say before getting up. I hear Chris say something to Tara but as I'm almost at the door I can't make out what it was.

"Hey." He says as he opens the front door for me. "I just want you to know I did tell her off again."

I sigh as we get in the car. "I don't want you to feel like you have to pick between her and me."

"I don't feel like that. It's not a choice. It's either she gets used to the fact that you're in my life now, or she gets a bit of the silent treatment for a while until she does."

Before I can respond both of our phones go off, revealing a news article.

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