Her Silent Revenge novel Chapter 45

You could always tell him, that nagging little voice in my head reminds me.

Yeah, I could.

That might fix the violent guilt that's eating me to the bone.

But I could also throw myself off a bridge into the freezing Missouri River, and it would probably be easier than dealing with Patton becoming my official baby daddy.

Ugh.

"I wanna go again!" Arlo announces, bouncing up. "And we gotta get your hat."

Retrieving my hat isn't as easy as it seems.

Somehow, it wound up stuck in a very big tree on one of its lower branches.

I stand on my tiptoes, but that doesn't do much good. Next, I try to pile up some snow and pack it down so I can reach for the tree's flimsy branches.

"Lemme! I'll get it," Arlo says, jumping excitedly.

"You stay, big guy. This one's a mommy job." One firm glance silences him.

I'm dead set on us having one nice day that doesn't end in tears or a broken arm.

Eventually, I snatch it off the branch and toss it at Arlo, who catches it and runs around in a circle like it's the big prize.

"It's got snow inside," he informs me when I make my way back down. "Watch out or it'll be wet."

I put it on my head anyway and shudder as his warning comes true.

"Well, it's back where it belongs now." I take his gloved hand and we walk back up to the top of the hill together.

For a second, it's like the world keeps shrinking.

Here, there's just Arlo and me, laughing and having fun with no worries beyond the winter chill. Like everything just clicked in place for one brief happy moment.

Then I glance up and see him. Patton damn Rory.

He's left the car now and he's standing in his thick navy-blue trench coat, his arms folded, watching us like the real-life Grinch he is.

Talk about killing the vibes.

But as we get closer, I wave at him anyway, beckoning him over to join us.

Seriously, what happened to the carefree guy I hooked up with years ago? Did he ever exist?

Or was I so drunk I completely misread him that night at the casino?

I'm still wondering when Arlo flings himself at Patton the second he sees him approaching.

"Like this, then?" Patton watches Arlo as he sits.

I guess it's my turn to feel the nostalgia bug's teeth. For a heartbeat, he looks just like the man I met that night my life changed, and it feels like six years haven't passed us by.

But I turn away before more incriminating thoughts eat me up—like how devilishly good he looks when he smiles with that obscene blue light in his eyes.

It's so much more lively and attractive than the brass tacks beast he is at the office.

"Hmm, I think I'm still missing something." Patton gently grabs Arlo, pulling him onto the front of the sled and wrapping an arm protectively around him.

He glances at me, a silent promise that he won't let anyone get hurt. As soon as I nod, they're gone.

Crazy fast.

Faster than I went with Arlo, whipping down the hill like a rocket.

Maybe it's the extra weight, or maybe it's the way Patton leans forward, adjusting their center of balance with a wild grin etched on his face.

Either way, my chest tightens until my heart might break with mixed emotions.

Bittersweet confusion, a potent blend I don't know how to deal with, much less digest.

Why'd he have to go and pick today of all days to be a decent man?