Mike watched her stiff shoulders, still not sure what she was talking about. "When did you see me?"
"Earlier this evening. You were taking your family to the ice cream shop."
Mike's eyebrows went up with that statement. At least the mystery of where she'd been all afternoon was solved. She'd been in Billings. Okay, so … why?
He was still confused about why she was angry though. "What's wrong with taking my family out for ice cream?"
He watched with growing concern as her back curved inward, almost as if he'd just stabbed her in the stomach. She was even gasping for breath, holding onto the edge of the window. "Halley, what is wrong with ice cream? It isn't as if the girls will get sick from one scoop of ice cream!"
She shook her head, her shoulders curving inward more. "Stop," she whispered, unable to speak any louder. "Just stop. Please leave."
He rubbed his hands over his face. "No. Not until you explain why you are so upset."
Her fingers tightened on the window sill and he could see her knuckles turning white with the effort to hold herself upright. "Halley, talk to me. I love my family. But they won't get in the way of what you and I have together."
She sobbed, her hand lifting to cover her mouth. "I can't do that! I can't have an affair with you."
An affair? He didn't want an affair with her! Hell no! He wanted everything! "Then don't."
"I won't!" she replied back with vehemence. "I can't do it. I won't cheat those girls."
He still was confused. "Halley, how can a relationship between you and I cheat my nieces?"
Her body froze. Nieces?
Swinging around, she stared across the room at him. "Nieces?"
He shrugged one of those massive shoulders that she loved to hold onto at night. "Yeah. Isn't that who we're talking about? I went to have dinner with my sister and her kids today. They live in Billings." He paused to watch her watery blue eyes. "That's what we're talking about, right? You're upset because I went to see them?"
"Nieces?" she asked again, a whisper of a word. Her lips were numb and her heart was singing. Nieces were completely different from daughters.
"Yes!" he said and lifted his eyebrows slightly in question. "Halley, if you don't tell me why you're so upset about this, then I'm going to … " he shook his head. "I have no idea. I'm completely confused." He rubbed his forehead, not sure what to do or say. She had been crying and, apparently, it was because of him. He'd done something to hurt her feelings, but for the life of him, he had no idea what he'd done wrong.
Halley laughed weakly, her hand once again coming to cover her mouth. "Nieces!" she repeated.
"Yes! Annabelle, Lucy, and Jennifer. They're sweet girls, but their dad travels a lot. I go over there about once a week to check in with Sally, make sure she's doing okay and to do whatever chores she can't do or that can't wait until Don gets back into town."
"Nieces!" she laughed again. Her eyes watered, but this time, the tears were tears of happiness and relief. "I thought … " she stopped herself, feeling foolish all of a sudden.
Mike walked closer to her, towering over her as his anger slowly dissipated with her laugh. "What did you think, honey?" he asked gently. He took her hands in his, pulling her fingers away from her mouth. "Talk to me."
She shook her head, ashamed now. "Um … well, it made sense when I was looking at the five of you."
He waited, needing more of an explanation. But she was silent once again. "And now?" he prompted.
She shrugged. "I thought … " she was so ashamed now! "Um … can we just pretend as if this tantrum didn't happen?"
He thought about it for perhaps a fraction of a second. "No. Obviously, you were extremely upset about something. Tell me what you thought earlier today."
She stepped back, wishing this man didn't make her so crazy. "I thought that the woman was your wife and the girls were your daughters."
Mike stood there, still and shocked, tossing those words around in his head. Halley had thought that Sally and the girls were … ! His dark eyebrows went up fast. "Excuse me?"
She shrugged and bowed her head, ashamed, unable to look him in the eye now that she'd admitted the horrible thoughts that had been bombarding her all afternoon. "I thought that you were married and stashed your family in Billings."
She braced herself for his anger so when she heard his laughter, she was more than a little stunned. He laughed and laughed, holding his stomach as he backed up and supported himself with the bedroom wall. And still he continued to laugh. Elf and Midget walked around to stare up at him and, normally, she could hear their paw nails click against the hardwood floors. But Mike was laughing so hard, she couldn't hear anything but his guffaws.