When Kristi came home she was feeling drained and emotional. Watching the baby being born was incredible. Dan, who was her rock, met her at the door with a glass of wine.
"I need to eat something."
She talked non-stop. Dan smiled and listened. Eventually it occurred to her that Dan knew exactly what she was talking about. "It must be even more intense when it's your baby with the woman you love."
Dan smiled and agreed, but Kristi's mind was elsewhere. She had recently figured out that Peter loved Megan. It was a lot of little things, but mostly it was the way he looked at her when he didn't think anyone was watching. He looked crushed when Kristi came to replace him. She thought he probably didn't care she wasn't his baby.
"Kris, Kristi!"
"Sorry, I'm so tired."
"You looked like you were scheming."
"Not this time. How were the kids?"
Later as she was getting ready for bed, she was scheming. She was thinking if she could somehow lock the two of them in a room naked. Yes, that's what they needed.
Before she and Dan were married, they met with the minister for premarital counseling. They discussed a lot of things that she no longer remembered. One piece of advice, she never forgot. Take all your clothes off to argue. She learned that naked fights didn't last long.
She imagined leaving them in a room until the yelling ended and the moaning started. No, she smiled, until the moaning ended with the big finale. She laughed, because she was wicked. She wasn't mean wicked just a meddler and Dan hated that part of her. She'd better watch it or she'd be the one arguing naked.
Dan was behind her. "I know that look. You're up to no good."
"No, not me." She tried to look innocent.
"I can think of something."
"Dan, I love you and I rarely pull the 'I'm tired line', but tonight I am definitely too tired."
In the morning, it surprised her to see Peter's car across the street and even more surprised by what he was doing. She couldn't believe that Megan had lived with that hole for years. The man was hot! She watched as he lifted a good size piece of wallboard. His arms were - Megan was crazy to let him go. Whatever happened had to be Megan's doing. Just the fact that her mother blamed her was proof enough, although she had also heard a lot of poor Peter whispered around The Point. Whatever happened between them, Peter hadn't wanted the divorce. She wished she knew them before and those who did weren't talking or didn't know either.
He seemed genuinely interested when he asked about her labor and delivery. Only Megan would teach classes while in labor. Kristi looked around as she was collecting the things on Megan's list. She had known Megan for a long time. On rare occasions Megan would announce, "I even made the bed," when saying she picked up for company. Kristi didn't care, because Megan's home had no influence on their friendship other than proximity.
When Kristi saw the bed made and the kitchen clean, she knew that Peter did it. Did they fight because Megan was a slob? Kristi wasn't sure if Megan was always a slob, she knew being a single, working mother of twins contributed. She also suspected that it was a way to stand out against her mother. Kristi had never been invited to 'the house with the windows' as Ben called it, but she'd heard that it was always immaculate inside. Even Megan said that when her mother cooked and baked, the kitchen stayed clean, like a cooking show on TV.
So he made her bed and did her dishes. She shifted through the clothes in the basket. Next he'll probably fold and put them away. She smiled.
Megan was in good spirits and said she had slept. Kristi talked about when hers were newborns and Megan spoke about the twins, but had trouble not mentioning Peter. Finally she said, "It was different... two babies, two parents."
This was one baby with only one parent. They spoke about Abbie's coloring how she may be blonde like Evan, but Megan insisted that she looked a lot like Sophie.
"Are you going to be okay on your own overnight?"
"I think so. I may need some help entertaining the twins next week over vacation. Maybe Peter could take a day off, but he's taking tomorrow already."
"He's off today. I saw him." Kristi realized that she said too much.
"Did he return my car?"
"Not yet, but he was at the house getting things for the twins." She lied.
"I can't believe I'm not at work today. Karen freaked when I called her last night. I had to send a picture for her to believe me. She definitely spread the word, because I've had a million texts."
"Does your mother know?"
"My father and brother both do, so I would say so."
"Maybe this baby is just what she needs to come around."
"No, I doubt it. The problem is she has hurt me so much I'm not sure I can forgive her."
"Okay. Happy thoughts! She is perfect isn't she." Kristi looked at the baby in her arms. "It's a good thing that Dan is shooting blanks, because holding her makes me want my own."
She made Megan laugh and was glad. She stayed long enough for Megan to shower and put on the clean underwear and clothes. When she left Megan was feeding Abbie. It was a beautiful picture, so she took one and sent it off to Peter.
YOU ARE READING
Shattered Hearts (TP1)
Romance(Complete) Peter isn't prepared for the reality of another man spending the night with his ex. He should be, but his heart has never let her go. Peter, who was abandoned by his father as a young boy, will do anything for his kids. He won't stop unt...
