Chapter 2

Juliette

I woke up to an empty bed the next day, the sun shining in and my body well satiated.

Fuck, he already left.

I had been expecting it, but it didn't dull the disappointment either way.

I missed when we always woke up to each other and had morning sex or just cuddled for a while.

I stood up from the bed to check the time and almost screamed when I saw it to be eight.

Fuck, I knew something wasn't right when my alarm didn't blast in my ears waking me up.

The kids.

School.

I almost tripped on my way to their room to wake them up and paused when I didn't find them in their room.

What?

Then I heard the chatter.

"Mummy, Daddy is making us a sandwich." Olivia said when I walked into the kitchen a minute later to see them crowding around my husband, I moved closer to them, confused.

"Sandwich?"

My husband moved away from the counter to place a light kiss on my lips, and he whispered when he pulled back, "Good morning, love."

"Good morning. Don't you have to be at the company today?"

He smiled, "I just thought I'd spend time with you guys today. After all, It's Saturday."

Right.

I stopped Olivia from jumping around the island and breathed a sigh of relief. "It is Saturday. But are you sure?"

I sat down on a stool and watched as he poured out a cup of coffee for me, "of course. Here."

He turned to the counter to prep up my sandwich and passed it to me.

"Hmm..." I moaned contently when I took a bite.

He always knew how to make a good meal, right from when we were dating and combined with how handsome he looks - Brown eyes, a chiseled jaw, and a buzz cut - Phenomenal, right?

We did the dishes together, Olivia and Ethan jumping around as always after we finished eating and we watched some TV and played some Lego with the kids right before we put them to sleep in the afternoon.

"Right," he said when we finally collapsed on the couch a minute after that, "there's a document I need you to sign."

"Really?" I pursed my lips.

"What is it?"

He stood up from the couch to go get whatever it was from his study upstairs, and he brought it back down to give me.

A bunch of information and a place to sign.

"What is it for?"

"An acquisition we're planning to make... it's major, and your signature is needed as a major shareholder, except if you'd like to have the whole conversation with the board."

I smiled and signed right away, "I'd rather not."

He smiled and collected the document from me. "Thought so. So let's..."

We both paused as his phone started ringing, and I waited for him to have a hushed conversation in the corner with someone before going over to meet him. "What is it?"

"I'm so sorry, baby, and I know I'm the one who suggested we all stay home, but something urgent just came up at work."

"It's fine. You've done enough, really."

I could understand since I'd been the one running the company for four years.

"Really?"

I nodded and kissed him on the lips, and he went up to change while I went to the kitchen to get some things done.

It was kind of a mess.

"I'm going already, babe."

And he came to the kitchen to kiss me deeply on the lips before he said his bye and left, and I took care of the dishes before going to the washroom.

Might as well take care of the laundry.

The children's laundry and James's.

I dipped my hand in all of the pockets to see if there was anything in any of them before putting them in the washing machine, and I paused when I saw the sweets in one of his pockets.

Weird.

I don't think I've ever seen him with sweets.

Ding dong.

Ding dong.

I made it to the living room at the same time my daughter did, rubbing her eyes, and I opened the door to see my best friend, Summer, standing there with some bags.

"Hey girl!!"

"Summer!" I smiled as she rushed into the living room to greet me but frowned immediately when she went right past me to my daughter.

"My Cutie pie, how have you been?"

"Fine."

I scoffed and closed the door behind me before walking right past them to the staircase. "Didn't know she was your best friend before me?"

She ignored me straight up and said instead, "Your mum's just being jealous. Where's my other cutie pie?"

She carried her in her arms and went past me to the twins room, where she reunited with my son, and I went back to the laundry room, where I picked up the sweets again.

"Who owns that?"

I jumped, startled when she came into the washroom with the kids, looking wary, and I shrugged.

"I found them in James's pocket, so I'm guessing his."

"James? Sweets? He doesn't look like the type to have one.

"I know, right? That's what I said. He literally doesn't have a sweet tooth and avoids sweets."

She pursed her lips. "That's suspicious then."

"Nah." I shook my head before she could even complete her thoughts.

She was always jumping to conclusions for real.

"He probably just received it as a gift or decided to have sweets. That he doesn't have a sweet tooth doesn't mean he can't have one."

She shrugged and patted the kids heads, "If you say so. Who wants to play then?"

She left with the children while they cheered, giving me space to do my house chores, and I turned on the washing machine after they left.

An hour.

Two.

And I was done.

"Ugh!" I groaned, pissed when I walked into the living room to see new and old toys alike scattered across the living room.

"Jeez, summer, you're cleaning that up." I directed to Summer, their acomplice, and she shrugged.

Ugh, always bending to their demands.

I picked up one of my novels to read and tried not to think of the sweets while scanning through the words.