Page 44 of If I Didn’t Have You

“Well, we can’t eat here. There’s no space.” I sighed heavily, wishing I had thought this through, but when I counted the number of people who were coming, and thought about how many men would be here, I just got peeling potatoes and chopping carrots until there were side dishes coming out of my ears.

And the meat…As mouthwatering as it looked, we had gone a tad overboard. Usually, I only pulled out what I would need for one meal, always making sure to have a little extra in case someone dropped by. But tonight…well, I had raided the freezer and defrosted nearly half of it to accommodate our guests.

“Card tables it is,” Krista grimaced. “It won’t be the most comfortable, but at least we’ll all have a place to eat.”

While the girls got to work setting up the tables in the living room, I finished the gravy and pulled the rolls out of the oven. I was just setting the pan on the stove when strong hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me in to a warm body.

“Mm, something smells good,” Ben murmured in my ear. “What’s the occasion?”

I wasn’t used to him being so touchy-feely with me. If anything, he had only started that when I ended up in the hospital, but it quickly died down over the past few weeks while we’d been fighting.

With his arms wrapped around me, I found myself sinking into his touch, needing what I had been craving for so long. I missed these moments with him and wished we would stop fighting long enough to find our way back to each other.

Turning in his arms, I smiled at him, hoping he caught on to my good mood. “I invited Sam’s coach over for dinner.”

“Deke? Why would you invite him over? Does he have a match coming up?”

“Actually, we’ve been using the gym— well, the ladies around town, and me. We’ve been invading his space, and he was really angry about all of us being there. I thought I could persuade him to let us continue using the gym with a good home-cooked meal.”

My husband stiffened, the smile slipping from his lips. “So, this is all for another man?”

“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds so⁠—”

“I’ve been busting my ass day after day on this room, and I barely get a kind word out of you,” he snapped. “But for a little gym space, you’ll make a feast for another man?”

“Ben—”

He huffed out a laugh, taking a step back. “And here I thought you were making dinner for me.”

“I’m making dinner for the family.”

“No,” he growled. “You’re making dinner for another man, so you can woo him with your roast pork and pot roast. None of this is for me.”

I couldn’t believe how angry he was. When I made this, I thought of all the men coming over, of how hungry they would be. I never thought only of Deke. But based on the fact that Ben was glaring at me, he didn’t see things my way, and he never would.

“If you’re going to be upset because I’m trying to do something nice for a man who has been lending us gym space, then I can’t stop you. I understand why you’re upset, but we’re about to have company, so if you wouldn’t mind behaving like a normal person for the rest of the night, I would greatly appreciate it.”

His eyes sparkled with hatred as he took another step back. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to ruin your big dinner.”

He turned and stalked out of the room just as Lizzy came back in with a grin on her face. “Hey, Daddy.”

“Hey, baby girl.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss before walking away.

“Well, everything’s set,” Lizzy said happily. “I was thinking that maybe we could get some kind of daycare program going so I could work out as well. I’m not exactly full of energy these days, but if I don’t do something other than walk around the bar, I’m gonna have tubby thighs, and no man will ever want me.”

“Impossible,” I smiled, hiding how upset I was about her father being a complete and utter ass. “You’re so beautiful. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

“Well, you have to say that. You’re my mother.”

“It’s the truth, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you’ll have the confidence to get out there and start dating again.”

Her blonde locks fell over her face to hide the sadness in her eyes. I’d seen it too many times before. Ever since Lizzy got pregnant, she had changed. My optimistic, bright star of the family had morphed into an uncertain woman with way too much on her mind.

Not that I would change a thing. Willa was so wonderful, and I knew Lizzy didn’t regret keeping her, but the secrets she kept hidden would eventually break her.

“Lizzy—”

“I know what you’re gonna say, Momma, but I don’t want to talk about him.”