“A little too much sense,” I tell her. “That’s how I felt with my ex. I mean, catching her cheating with my friend was a fucking nightmare, but in some ways, it was kind of a relief. I didn’t know just how much I’d been holding my breath in that relationship until it was over. I didn’t realize that she’d been holding me captive in so many different ways.”
“Then it ended, and you felt free.”
“Pretty much.”
“Seems pretty indicative of a toxic relationship.”
“Speaking from experience?”
She shrugs, and I wonder exactly what her past dating history looks like. Not that it matters. My bear wants her, and I do, too. She could tell me she’s a virgin or she could tell me she was a porn star and it wouldn’t matter to me at all.
Just then, she turns around.
“Hey, has it been awhile since the kids left?”
Shit.
I turn off the stove and move the pan before the pancakes burn. I slide the pancakes I was cooking onto a plate and then we head over to the bathroom.
“Kids?” She called out, turning the knob, but it doesn’t budge. “It’s locked,” Theresa looks at me. “Silas? Sebastian? Open up!”
We hear giggling inside.
“You’re going to have to break the door down!” She gasps dramatically, and I laugh at her.
“Or I could use the key.”
I reach over to a side table that has a small jar, a couple of books, and the key. Then I grab it and unlock the bathroom door. Theresa looks at my little setup before turning back to me.
“A reader?”
“What can I say?” I shrug. “I’m a romantic at heart.”
I push open the bathroom door and sure enough, the kids have gotten into just a little bit of trouble. They pulled down all of the towels and Silas is hanging from the towel rack while Sebastian is dancing in the bathtub.
Theresa steps inside and pales when she sees what the kids are doing.
She opens her mouth, but I place a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
“But-”
“Hey boys,” I turn to the kids. “Let’s get down, okay? Remember that this isn’t how we play inside the house, right?”
The kids giggle. Sebastian comes out of the bathtub, but Silas keeps swinging like a damn monkey.
“Sebastian,” Theresa says. “Please get down and tell Mr. Heath that you’re sorry. That’s not how we act when we’re visiting someone.”
She reaches for him and tugs. He releases his iron grip on the towel rack and drops to the floor. Then he turns around.
“Can you help clean up the towels?” Theresa asks.
“Okay,” he says. Together, they reach down and pick up the towels that the boys dropped around the room. It’s a small bathroom, and it’s a tight fit for all of us in here, so I take Silas and head out to go back to the kitchen.
“You’re lucky,” I tell Sebastian. “You have a good mom.”
“She’s my mommy.”