24. Sarah

24

SARAH

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when my eyes opened again, Vic's car was already over the bridge, slowing as she pulled off the highway. Sucking in a deep breath, I sat up straighter. Vic pulled her hand from my thigh and smiled at me.

"Sorry I fell asleep." I blinked the sleep out of my eyes.

Vic shook her head, a sweet smile on her lips. "That's okay, I'm glad you got to rest a little. We're a couple minutes away."

Nodding, I sat up and smoothed the top of my hair. I knew the house would be quiet when Victoria dropped me off, but just in case my nosy sister had stayed up to see what I got up to, I wanted to have some plausible deniability about what happened between Vic and I.

I cleared my throat as Vic turned down my road and slowly rolled down my driveway. Before I could say anything, Vic was hopping out of the car to open my door. Even this late at night, her chivalry was undeniable.

As my door swung open, I gripped Vic's elegant hand and stood on my tired feet. She closed the door behind me and leaned up against the car.

Looking at the house, I could tell all the lights were out. So I positioned myself between Vic's legs, wrapping my arms around her neck. I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers.

Vic let out a relieved sigh as we kissed. The kiss was slow and sweet, our movements a bit sloppy as exhaustion set in. Pulling away, Vic smiled at me, her eyes barely open. "Thanks for coming tonight."

"You're welcome." I couldn't stop myself from smirking at the double entendre.

Vic rested her forehead against mine, her brows furrowed. "And listen… If you don't want to keep this going, I won't be offended."

Giggling, I pulled back to look at her. I could see her genuine worry, real concern washing over her face. I put my hands on her biceps and gave them a light squeeze. "Why would that be the case?"

"Because you work for me, and you have a lot going on." Vic shrugged.

Biting my lip, I sighed. "Well I don't know what I'm looking for right now, but I know I like spending time with you. So as long as you're okay with this being casual and open, I would like to see you again."

It felt strange to admit I was seeing someone else. That Bri had managed to get in my bed just last week. But I hoped Vic would read between the lines for now, until I could work up the courage to say it outright.

With a knowing nod, Vic smiled. "That's fine. I'll be here whenever you want me." She pulled me close for another kiss, and her shoulders dropped as her anxiety eased.

"Well, okay then." I grinned as we separated. Resting my hand on her chest, I whispered, "Enjoy my dirty underwear."

Her face flushed as I pulled away and headed up the pathway toward the front door. I quietly dug out my keys from the small red purse that had followed me around all night. When I peeked over my shoulder, sliding the key into the door, Vic was still waiting right where I'd left her.

She watched my every move, unable to tear her eyes away. But she didn't just watch my ass or the peek of my legs that slipped out of the high slit in my dress. Her eyes moved with my arms and my hair, like she was trying to memorize every detail of me.

The lock clicked open as I turned the key. Before I pushed open the door, I looked back at Victoria and her bright red car one more time. She smiled at me, lifting her hand to wave goodbye.

I didn't want to shout and risk waking anyone up. So instead, I mouthed: See you soon .

A smile crept onto her face as she nodded.

Pushing open the door, I stepped into the dark entryway. Then, as quietly as I could, I eased the door shut behind me and leaned against it for a moment, the night finally washing over me in the silence of my home.

Letting a sigh seep from my lungs, I took off my heels and headed upstairs. From the brief glimpse I caught from the doorway, I could already tell the kitchen was a mess. But I shook it off and plodded along; that was a problem for tomorrow.

The closer I got to my bedroom, the more evidence of a fun night I encountered: toys on the stairs, stained kids' clothes draped over the railing, crayons littered across the floor.

I giggled as I pictured Robin and Zoey managing my mongrels.

When I reached the landing, heels in hands, I shifted onto my tippy toes and slowly crept down the hallway, poking my head into each doorway as I passed by.

First: Derek's room. It was dark, his baseball shaped night light no longer illuminated to keep the monsters away. He'd outgrown it in just the last couple weeks. Every time I put him in bed, I wanted to flick it on. Just once more, for old time's sake.

But now, he slept like a starfish across the full-sized bed.

I kept my giggle to myself and blew him a silent kiss before moving down to Ava's room. But the orange glow of her Minecraft light showed me that the room was empty. Which meant there was only one place she could be.

So I moved to the last door in the hallway, where four pairs of feet stuck out from the tiny twin mattress: Leila's at the center of the bed; Ava's cuddled up on top of her; and Robin and Zoey on either side, hands intertwined over the kids' heads.

My eyes welled up. A couple years ago, I wasn't sure Zoey was completely unreachable, too wrapped up with her big city life to spend much time in New Winford. Back then, I feared she would ever be as close to my babies as I'd wanted. But now, here she was with the love of her life, snuggling with my two sweeties.

I watched them like that for just a few minutes before I could hardly stand upright. Blowing them four silent kisses, I left the doorway and finally stepped into my room.

Closing the door almost entirely, I let out a loud breath. I dropped the heels on my area rug, letting the fabric dampen the clatter. With tired hands, I peeled the tight dress off of my body and let it fall to the ground. I didn't bother to hang it up, saving the little energy I had left to wipe off whatever makeup was left on my face and throw myself into bed.

In a matter of seconds, my eyes were drifting closed, and I was fading into sleep. Every time I breathed, I pictured a different woman in my bed. First, it was Vic. Then, it was Bri. Then, it was both of them.

I tried to shake them off as sleep took over my mind.

These two are going to ruin me.