Page 2 of Hearts of Fairlake

“Adultword,” Bri corrected with a shake of her head. “It’s an adult word, Colin. Only adults can use it, and Mommy is an adult. You’re not.”

Considering the lack of an answer, Colin was either thinking deeply or had already moved on to something else. In many ways, at least when he wasn’t having a meltdown over possessions or bugs, he was so much like his father it was unnerving. Possessing not only his dark hair and eyes, but a naturally solemn face and demeanor. And yes, despite being only five and having time to work on it before adulthood, he also tended to forget people in a frustrating way that sometimes left a sting.

“I’m awake,” I said, sitting up, only to whack my head on the underside of the nightstand and immediately lay down with a pained groan, hand flying to my head. “Fuck me.”

“Adult word!” Colin yelled down the hallway, clearly excited that he understood the concept. It was a new concept for all of us. I’d been advised to try it to prevent kids from repeating it and not have them chiding random people for using a bad word all the time.

“Yeah, buddy,” I groaned, sitting up carefully this time. “You got it right. Adult word.”

“Papa Bennett, okay?” he asked, his voice severe and filled with worry.

“In theory,” I muttered under my breath. “In practice? Not so much.”

“I think you have that backward,” Bri said in an amused voice. “Papa Bennett is okay, Colin. He was napping.”

“Papa Bennett, it’s too early for a nap!” Colin said in a matter-of-fact tone Iknewhe’d gotten from his mother. “Wake up!”

“I’m awake,” I repeated, standing up. “So, whatareyou doing here?”

“Stopping by to grab a few things for the kids that Adam forgot to drop off. Something else for me to get on his ass about,” Bri said, frowning heavily. “I don’t know how you haven’t managed to get that through his thick skull. You’ve had six years.”

“And how many years did you have with him?” I asked with a heavy yawn. “With no success. And if I didn’t get through to him when we were friends, what makes you think I’ll manage as his husband? At this point, I’m stuck with him as he is.”

Which, at face value, sounded incredibly ungrateful and bitchy, though considering my much-needed sleep had been violated, I was probably justified. Adam was a fantastic husband and an amazing father. There were several reasons why teenage me had fallen head over heels for him, and it wasn’t just his good looks and phenomenal body, though that helped.

That didn’t mean he didn’t know how to piss me off sometimes, and most people agreed that was quite a feat.

Bri’s expression softened. “Do you want to be the one to give him hell?”

“And take the fun from you? Perish the thought,” I said with a grin.

Bri arched a brow. “You’re just saying that because by the time you get around to yelling at him, you’ll have already forgiven him.”

I sighed. “C’mon Bri, he’s just as preoccupied with shit as I am. Between the kids, keeping his business going, and now the orders for the upcoming celebrationpouringin. He’s got a lot on his plate.”

“Last I checked, you were doing plenty,” she said, arching her brow further.

“If you keep doing that, your eyebrow is going to meld with your hair, and Ethan will never let you hear the end of it,” I warned.

The brow dropped into a scowl that was meant to warn me. “What is it with you men?”

“What?” I asked, blinking in confusion.

“Do you really think bringing my annoying brother up to annoy me is right when I’m standing here, trying to defend you?”

“What?”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “Bennett?”

“Yes?”

“How much sleep have you had in the past week?”

“Uhh…that’s a tricky question.”

“In seven days, have you had more or less than twenty?”

“Ummm…yes?”

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