Torrid Affair(89)

I was his dirty mistress.

Reality sucked.

A few days after I arrived home, I was in the pharmacy buying tampons when I bumped into Delaney, who was holding an ovulation test.

“Oh!” I stumbled back. “Hey, D.”

She grinned. “Hey, how was your mom? I haven't seen you since you got back.”

I shook my head. “It was great.” I swallowed back my anger. “It was nice to see her, and she's doing well. It was a nice trip overall.” Unable to keep my eyes away from the elephant in the room, I look down at the ovulation test and then back at her.

Delaney giggled, and I fought the urge to kick her. “Nate and I are thinking maybe it's time we try for another.” Her smile was genuine, but I felt like I was being kicked in the gut. I was the whore he fucked while his wife planned to expand their family.

The bubble had burst.

This was real life.

“That's great.” I wanted to cry. I wanted to hide. I wanted to scream and confess he had been with me all weekend. But I couldn’t.

“When he gets home from Houston, we're going to get busy and make another baby.”

I pulled my gaze away from her and grabbed the first box of tampons I saw. The quicker I got out of there, the better.

“I didn't want a second.” She continued her conversation, and forced me to listen to her. “But I hate that Caleb doesn't have anyone to rely on later in life. I see Julian and Nate, and I think how well they get along, and I want that for Caleb, too, you know?”

“Yeah,” I muttered. I turned away, but her voice stopped me.

“When are you and Julian going to try?” She looked at me and then picked up another box.

The audacity. “Honestly, kids have never crossed my mind.”

“You'll regret it if you don't have them, trust me. Caleb is the best thing that ever happened to me.” She sighed. “I'm so fortunate that Nate wants a big family. There’s nothing more I want than to have all my kids surrounding me during the holidays.” Each of her statements killed me.

“When Nate and I grow old, I want to be spoiled with grandkids.”

“That's fantastic.” I reached for a box of overnight pads because I needed to focus my energy on anything else. “Good luck to you guys,” I managed to mumble as I spun around and walked away.

Once I rounded the aisle, I threw the tampons and pads on a random shelf and dashed out of the pharmacy. My vision was blurred with spots when I blinked. There was no future for me and Nate. There could never be a future. I had been very clear of that from the very beginning. But never had the asshole warned me that he and his wife were planning baby number two.

I slammed the car door and yanked out my cell phone.

Me: When you get home we need to talk.

Nicole: Is everything okay?

Me: Why didn’t you tell me you and Del were planning another kid?

Nicole: We’re not.

Me: Are you sure because the conversation I just had with her suggests she plans on trying the second you get home.

Nicole: This is news to me.

Me: Maybe we should stop. This isn’t fair to Caleb. I’m only messing up his life.

Nicole: Don’t say that. We’ll talk when I get home, okay?

Me: K.

I shoved my phone in my purse and exhaled slowly.

Decisions had to be made.

Lives had to be changed.



The diner was crowded with the after church brunch rush. Every table was packed, so some stragglers were pushed off to the bar area.

“You have a customer at the bar,” Fran said as I walked out of the kitchen with three plates balanced on my hands.

“Thanks.” I nodded. After I handed off the food to the customers in Booth Twenty, I walked over to the bar. “Hi, I’m Brielle. I’ll be your server. Can I start you out with something to drink?”

“Brielle?” The gentleman looked at me. “Brielle Hansen?”

His face was familiar, but my smile faded a bit when I realized who he was. His freckles gave him away. They were the same as Caleb’s. “Austin?”

He nodded. “How’ve you been?”

“I . . . I . . . Good,” I stuttered.

“Brielle Hansen.” He closed his menu. “I haven’t seen you in what, ten years?”

“It’s Wright now.”

“That’s right. You married Julian, right?” I nodded. “I thought you two lived in Chicago.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Fran seat two more customers at another table. “We were. We’re back now. Can I get you something to start off with?”

“I’ll take a coffee.” He squinted at me, and a shiver of unease ran up my spine.

“I’ll be right back.”

I rushed to greet the new customers and take their drink orders. When I returned with his coffee, I had my pad ready to write out his order. “All set to order?”