Page 67 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

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Marin

The past two weeks had been a test of my strength and sanity, to be sure, but I was determined to persevere.

After the come-to-Jesus with my girls, I’d gone about my days the same as I had before Pierce had gone and made me fall in love with him. I woke up, I attended rehearsals, I spent time with Ms. Weatherby and my family, hell, I even managed to feel genuine happiness when Tali informed me that she’d finally decided to give Nick a chance. They were taking things slowly for now and seeing a marriage counselor to help them talk through their issues. My heart might have been broken, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t feel happy for my sister.

I picked Eli up from school and soaked up every ounce of light he had during our hours together. Now that Pierce’s trial was over, there were no more late nights, so as soon as I heard his car pull into the driveway, I’d have my purse in hand, and the moment he came through the door, I got the hell out of there without saying a word to him.

I performed at the club, faking a bright, cheery persona in front of the girls so they wouldn’t worry even more than they already were. Now that I knew just how much I’d been giving away, I’d worked tirelessly to build a mask that I could wear in public, and I madedamnsure that thing didn’t budge.

I had a foolproof plan. If someone did happen to catch a glimpse behind the mask, I’d just avoid their questions all together. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t foolproof, but it was what it was. If I could just keep pretending like my heart hadn’t been ripped to shreds, then maybe I’d actually start believing it.

“Mar-Mar?” Eli called my name, pulling me from the melancholy that had been following me around like a black cloud for the past two weeks.

After I picked him up from school, I’d decided ice cream and the park were in order before I took him home. The vanilla cone I’d ordered had begun to drip down my hand, so I tossed it in the trashcan as we passed it during our loop of the park. After my muffin and wine binge, I hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, and I was starting to worry that I’d done some serious damage to my stomach with that cheap, acidic alcohol.

I looked down at the little boy beside me, feeling my chest swell with love. He held my hand in his free one as he licked at his chocolate cone, getting more ice cream on his face than in his mouth.

“Yeah, kid?”

“I think my daddy’s sad.”

Oh God. My heart would not beat out of my chest. I wouldn’t allow it.

“What makes you say that, sweetheart?”

He stared down the path, a little boy deep in thought. “He doesn’t smile like he used to,” he stated, proving once again that kids were so much more perceptive than adults gave them credit for. “And he doesn’t joke around as much. He tries to pretend with me, but even his smiles seem sad.”

How the hell was I supposed to navigate this situation? I didn’t know what to say. “You know what, kiddo? Your dad is tough. If he’s sad right now, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it won’t last. He just needs to work through it, then he’ll be back to normal.”

He looked up at me with those eyes that were so much like his father’s it wasn’t even funny. Just seeing them sent a pang through my chest. Every. Single. Time. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely,” I assured him. “On top of having the coolest dad, you also have the strongest one. So you don’t need to worry, okay? He’ll be just fine.”

God I hoped like hell I hadn’t just lied to my sweet Eli.

I distracted him from his worry by racing him over to the swings and making a bet with him on who could swing higher. We killed the rest of the afternoon at the park. My hope was to get Eli back after Pierce was already home so I could just drop him off and be on my way.

I’d just finished buckling him into his booster seat when I noticedher. Suzette Walton, Pierce and Frank’s mother, was coming out of one of the shops across the square. She’d seen me before I saw her, and her eyes spit venom as she looked from me to Eli in the backseat of my car.

I raised my hand in a small wave and attempted a smile, but was frozen in place by the look of pure hatred on her face. Before I could move, she whipped around and stomped down the sidewalk toward her car, and I knew with absolute certainty that the shit was about to hit the fan.

I would have raced back to Pierce’s house, blowing the speed limit out of the water, had I not had to be mindful of Eli’s safety. His car was the only one in the driveway when I pulled up, but I had a gut feeling it was only a matter of time before Hurricane Suzette came rolling in.

Eli beat me into the house, running straight to his father who was standing at the kitchen island with a glass of what I assumed was scotch sitting on the marble countertop in front of him.

He looked completely wrecked. His hair was in disarray like he’d been running his fingers through it all day long. He was still in his suit, but at some point, he’d ditched the tie and jacket. His sleeves were rolled up, and the shirt looked more wrinkled than he usually allowed them to get. Those circles were still beneath his eyes, and they’d been getting darker and darker with each passing day.

“Daddy!” Eli crowed, plowing into his dad’s legs for a hug. “Guess what!”

Pierce looked down at his son with love and adoration that would have melted the wall of ice I’d put up around my heart if I let it, but I refused to.

“What, buddy?”

“Mar-Mar took me to get ice cream, then we went to the park to see who could swing highest on the swings! And I won!”

“That’s great!” He smiled at his boy, but I could see the sadness Eli had told me about. I forced that to the back of my head and looked to Eli. “Why don’t you go put your backpack in your room and color a bit, yeah? I need to talk to your dad.”

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