Page 79 of This Feeling

Confused, I looked at Declan, then back to Sean. “I’d think you’d be happy, now that you and Caroline are together. Youaretogether, right?”

Sean’s cheeks blushed. “Yeah. But this doesn’t have anything to do with Caroline or anything like that. Declan…Mom is having an affair.”

I completely froze while Declan stared at his brother for a few seconds—then burst out laughing.

When Sean’s facial expression didn’t budge, I shook my head. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. She’s cheating on our father.”

Now Declan sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “How do you know? Are yousure, Sean?”

Sean closed his eyes for a few moments before focusing back on his brother. “I suspected it a couple of months ago when I saw Mom and some guy walking out of a hotel in Lake Placid.”

“Why were you in Lake Placid?” I asked.

“There was an accounting conference there. Don’t you remember I had to go to it for a few days?”

I nodded. “Oh yeah, that’s right.”

“Wait, they have…accounting conferences?” Declan asked, clearly more surprised by that than his mother and a strange man walking out of a hotel.

Sean looked agitated. “Yes, Declan, they do.”

“You don’t know who the guy was?” I asked. “Was your mom there for the conference as well?”

“No,” Sean said, with an agitated shake of his head. “Mom doesn’t have anything to do with Dad’s business. Has never had any interest in it. And I have no idea who he was. I’d never seen him before.”

“So this happened a couple months ago, and you’re just saying something now?”

Sean sighed. “I didn’t want to think that’s why Mom was there. I couldn’t believe she’d do anything like that, so I put it to the back of my mind. But after last night, when she barged in on Caroline and me, well…I was worried about her. She seemed pretty shocked.”

Declan and I both laughed, but with one searing look from Sean, we instantly sobered.

“Sorry,” Declan stated, as he motioned for Sean to go on.

“I stopped by the house this morning. I knew Dad would be out of the house early, so I thought it would be a good time to talk to Mom before I also headed into the office.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Sean’s face turned white. “I just used my key to get in.”

“Oh God,” Declan mumbled.

“Mom was in the kitchen being…well…this guy was…he was… Oh God, I can’t even say it.”

Declan and I both exchanged a look.

“Was a pickleball paddle involved?” Declan asked with a deadpan look.

Sean rolled his eyes. “I wish I never would have told you that!”

I covered my mouth in a sad attempt not to laugh. This was serious. Maddie was having an affair.

“Declan, the guy had Mom leaning over the kitchen table that we grew up eating at, and he was…they were havingsex!”

Declan shuddered before taking a bite of his breakfast.

“Are you sure it wasn’t your dad?” I asked.

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