Page 80 of Turning Back

His new princess, I guess.

Princesses, I correct myself.

I sink into the rocker with a sigh, not one bit surprised that Elias Bricman is making the most of this situation. Making the most of my absence. Not that he’s trying to crowd me out. I don’t believe that at all. But Bric is not only a man of habit, he’s an opportunist, and I left the goal wide open for him to score.

“Hey,” Rochelle says in a soft voice.

I turn my head to look at her. One hip cocked against the wooden frame, head tilted. She’s wearing a light-colored silk robe. Maybe yellow, maybe cream, maybe white. It’s hard to tell in the low light. Her long, golden hair flows over her shoulders, one pale breast almost visible, the sleek fabric slipping.

“Hey,” I say back.

“You said you weren’t coming.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Are you mad?” she asks.

“No.” I shake my head. “No, I’m not mad.”

Rochelle walks over to me, her bare feet padding softly across the wide-planked wooden floors, and straddles my legs, settling in my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck and places her head on my shoulder. She’s completely naked under that robe. I can smell her sex when she opens her legs.

“How do you guys not get jealous?” she asks.

I shrug and place both of my hands on her hips, enjoying the weight of her body in my lap. “It’s Bric. He doesn’t want to take things from me, he wants to share them with me.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Do you love me?”

We already talked about this the other day. And I lied to her. I mean, there’s still a part of me that feels like I was duped. That she tricked me into believing she was this person, and then she was someone else. Someone who would pick up and leave without a note. Someone who would walk out.

“Yes,” I answer.

“Are you going to leave now that you know he’s here?”

“I knew he was here before I came upstairs. I saw his car in the garage.”

“He’s moved in, Quin. He brought his clothes over this morning.”

“OK,” I say.

“You should bring your clothes over too.”

“Is that what you want?” I ask. “Both of us. Full-time?”

“He’s not full-time.” She laughs, but softly, so as not to wake Adley. “He’ll be at the Club every day. And most nights, too. Every weekend for sure.”

“He obviously wasn’t there this weekend,” I say.

“No, but the nursery furniture came in. So he rearranged his schedule to see to that.”

“It’s nice,” I say. “Lovely, really.” It’s not what I would choose for our daughter. But I don’t say that.

“It is,” Rochelle admits with a sigh. She sits up straight and places her hands on either side of my face. Leans in and kisses me.

I kiss her back.