"That's Not Love"

5.6K 247 25
                                    

"Daddy!" Mayzie comes running up to me the second I step outside, onto our back deck. "Mommy, look, it's Daddy!" She squeals when I pick her up, kissing her cheek before resting her on my hip.

"I see that." My wife stands from the child's tea table, slowly approaching me. "Are you feeling better?" She halts her movement in front of me, watching as I kiss Mayzie on the cheek a second time before setting her down, her blonde locks swaying as she runs off.

"I am." I respond to my wife's question, taking a moment to look at her. Her plain white T-shirt stretches across her skin, showing off the growing bump that fills me with pride.

"You scared me." She whispers so our four year old, currently scooping sugar into her tea cup with her hand, can't hear.

"I'm sorry." I frown, thinking about the past two days that I haven't left the room. I knew I was getting ill but I didn't realize my health had gotten so far from me.

Recently, I've had a lot on my mind, my health not being one of them. I've been working, staying in the home office, all day, every day for the past few weeks. I guess the events of Monday left my body more drained than it could handle.

"How are you feeling?" I question, reaching for her stomach. "Not sick, right?" I glance at her and she shakes her head, her hand resting over mine.

"Maybe you should rest for a few more days." She suggests softly, but I hardly hear, too focused on her thumb that's stroking the top of my hand. "Cameron?" Her thumb pauses and I'm able to refocus my thoughts.

"I took the rest of the week off, but I really need to start going into the office." My father agreed to take over for as long as I needed but I think it's time to start easing in to working.

"Daddy!" Mayzie runs up to me, holding out the cup of tea she just had her hand in. "Have some tea!" She pulls a sugar cookie out of the pocket of her pink sundress. "And a cookie!" Her eyes spark with excitement as I, ignoring all the possible germs, pop the cookie in my mouth.

My daughter intently watches me as I chewing, and I smile at her. "That was delicious Mayzie, thank you."

"I helped Mommy make them!" She squeals excitedly before bouncing off.

Amelia is about to say something when a very pale looking Zoey comes running out, handing me her phone.

My wife and I are currently the topic of a talk show. My eyes catch the words cheating, amnesia, and divorce before looking at Amelia. Her face drained of color as the host theorizes that she's faking her amnesia so I don't divorce her for cheating.

"What the hell?" I find myself gritting as Amelia snatches my phone from my hand. I don't bother taking it back as I pull my phone from the pocket of my jeans. I paid a hell of a lot of money to keep Amelia's amnesia out of the publicity and I won't let some doctor make a few bucks by giving that information away.

My lawyer, Nick Hastings, answers at the first ring. He was waiting. I grunt approval after he tells me that he can be here in less than an hour, hanging up and glancing at my still pale wife.

"Amelia-" I start to tell her that I'd handle everything, that's she has nothing to worry about, but the guilt written across her face is clear, causing me to stop. "What?"

"Kai stopped by two days ago." She reaches into the back pocket her her faded blue jeans, pulling out a piece of paper. "He took this from my SUV when he responded to the crash." On it is a scan of a post-it note which has a date, a time, and an address in my wife's elegant handwriting.

The only thing odd about is that the time written down is two in the morning. The date makes me look at Amelia. "This is where you were going?"

She nods, still looking fearful. "It's the address to the house Ryan grew up in." My fist flexes at the mention of his name. "He was in town, selling it."

Remembering UsWhere stories live. Discover now