Page 191 of My Real Love Affair

But what if it wasn’t?

“Baby girl?”

I heard him in the hallway and quickly shoved the papers in my desk.

“Coming!” I called out.

I opened the door and spotted him heading downstairs. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of sweats.

“Hey,” I said.

He stopped and turned around. “There you are. You disappeared on me.”

“I went out to get coffee,” I said and forced a smile.

“Perfect.” Austin walked up the few steps and gave me a kiss.

I leaned into the kiss before pulling back. I gave him his coffee and shook the bag.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Muffins,” I replied. “But they’re too crumbly to eat here.”

We went to the kitchen. I got a plate and put two on for him. I grabbed my own and took a bite. It tasted like sand. Not even my favorite coffee could wash it down.

“You okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. “Did you get a funky muffin? Because mine are great.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “Just tired. We were up late.”

He accepted this, taking a long sip of his americano and groaning appreciatively. “At the risk of sounding like we’re in a commercial, this coffee is damn tasty. Where’d you get it?”

“Down the street.”

“We should go there together sometime. I want to know all your favorite spots.”

The words should have made me happy. Instead, they made me want to cry.Was any of it real?

I smiled and tried to act normal while my mind spun in circles. Austin chatted about maybe going to the gym later, or catching a movie, or just staying in all day. Normal couple things. Things that should have made me feel secure and happy.

Instead, all I could think about was that envelope.

Could Summer be trusted?

More importantly, could I trust Austin?

CHAPTER 59

AUSTIN

Something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, but Melody wasn’t herself.

She wasn’t touching me. That was something I had come to expect from her. We were always touching. We were always holding each other. But she was going out of her away to stay away from me. I woke up and she was gone. I wasn’t worried about her ditching me. For one, I was in her house. And we had gone to bed holding each other after an amazing day.

We had been good. But now, it was clear we weren’t good.

And I didn’t know why.

“This coffee is incredible,” I said, trying to lighten whatever mood had settled over us. “Way better than the hotel stuff.”