Affairsssss, Sam said.Plural.
Yes, plural. But they didn’t matter, at least not compared to her and Aaron’s commitments, their years of being together. It was the same thing with Noah and the frankly disturbing things she imagined him doing to her body. They were daydreams. The relationship equivalent of fairy-floss. Yes they were distracting, but she could push through them. Mind over matter. Or was it matter over mind?
It doesn’t matter, Sam chortled.
Yeah, never mind.
“Shut up, both of you.”
Nicole straightened her top so it lay flat against her skin. She and Aaron were engaged, they were having a big wedding at Ascot Manor, then settling down to start a family. That was why the full beauty and expensive Airbnb. She would look and act so perfect that Aaron would understand she needed to stay and help her sisters fix Silver Daughters’ finances. She couldn’t be happy unless her family was happy, but once they were happy, she could re-direct her energy into makinghimhappy and their wonderful married life could begin.
There was a hard rap on the door.
Nicole stood, trying to arrange her face into a beatific ‘I love you’ smile. She walked to the entrance and turned the door handle. “Hey, fiancé.”
Aaron’s hair was tousled, his face tight. “Hi.”
Her optimism about this visit crisped like saplings in the sun. “How…how are you?”
Aaron jiggled the handle of his suitcase. “Fine. Can I come in?”
Wordlessly she moved out of the way. He rolled his silver Fabbrica Pelletterie luggage into the living room. “Nice place,” he said without looking. “Any chance of a drink?”
“Of course.”
She nervously poured Aaron a Chardonnay as he stripped off his jacket. He worked out almost every afternoon and the muscles of his back and biceps were visible through his shirt. She watched him, willing herself to tingle, towantto want to touch him.
She thought of Noah’s hands, thick knuckled and scarred, covered in ugly, gothic tattoos. Her navel pulled tight and she was furious with herself. She straightened her shoulders, handed Aaron the wine. “Good flight?”
“Good enough.” He drained the glass in seconds.
“Wow. Do you want more or—”
“Do you love me more than you love them?”
Nicole stared at him, baffled. ‘Him’ was one thing, who the hell was ‘them?’ “Pardon?”
“Don’t fuck around.Them. Your sisters and your dad.” Like her, Aaron had a thin mouth and right now it was a furious line. “Do you love me more than you love them?”
Nicole swallowed. “I…what kind of question is that?”
“The only one that matters. It’s been months since you left home.”
“Barely two,” Nicole corrected and instantly regretted it. There was never any sense arguing semantics in romantic relationships. Fights were about how the other personfelt,not pinning down the facts. You never found any vindication in being right.
Predictably, Aaron’s eyes bulged. “Are you fucking serious? That’s the line you want to take?”
“I’m sorry, but they’re my family, I need to—”
“Of course, you need to. You alwaysneed to. Meanwhile, I’m coming home to an empty house after work, listening to you tell me you miss me, like I’m some leftover kid in a divorce. You owe me more than this, Nicole.”
Tears pricked in the backs of her eyes. If he missed her, why couldn’t he say that? Why did he have to make it sound like he’d hired her to do a job she was slacking off on? “I’m sorry. You know I love you.”
Aaron shoved his hand through his gold-brown hair. “That’s not good enough. I’m tired of living alone because my fiancée’s ditched me for her sisters and a shitty tattoo studio.”
“It’s not shitty! It’s the family business and—“
“I don’t give a fuck! You made a commitment to me. It’s time you came home.”