Anna

Light poured through the window, a yellow haze settling on Willow’s side of the bed. My heart slammed against my ribs when all I saw was rumpled sheets where my daughter should’ve been sleeping. But then I heard a giggle drift up from somewhere in the house, followed by Lola’s voice.

Surmising that Sean must’ve taken Willow downstairs for breakfast, I wilted against the pillow to catch my breath. I was so used to doing everything on my own, I wasn’t sure what to make of all this help.

Still, I was exhausted, so I wouldn’t turn it down.

As promised, Sean’d fucked me into oblivion last night and then instead of letting me sleep off the euphoric bliss, he proceeded to ask me every question known to man about Willow’s condition.

Rolling onto my side, I pulled the covers to my chin, intent on catching an hour of sleep.

My phone rattled violently against the nightstand, and I groaned, reaching for the device without opening my eyes. “Hello?”

“Anna . . . It’s Trevor.”

My heavy lids popped open. I hadn’t seen Trevor in over a year. In fact, I’d avoided him whenever possible after I’d married Dean.

“Hey, Trev.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, chiding myself for the informality. Trevor was Sean’s friend, not mine. I zipped my lip.

After a beat, Trevor sighed. “This is awkward, huh?”

Since I didn’t know what “this” was, I mumbled something noncommittal and sat up.

“Sean asked me to call,” Trevor said, sounding unsure of himself.

Suspicion churned in my gut, and I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

“Really? Why’s that?”

Another long pause. “I’m just going to cut to the chase. I have a couple of names of attorneys that specialize in family law. You know how lawyers don’t like to go head-to-head with each other. But these guys aren’t afraid of Dean, and none of them have a conflict with the attorney Sean hired.”

My suspicion moved north, and a lump formed in my throat. “Sean has an attorney?”

A string of muttered curses from Trevor followed by more silence from me. He finally blew out a breath. “Yes, Sean hired an attorney. I thought he’d tell you. But you don’t need to worry.”

Oh, but I was worried.

Trevor was using his lawyerly tone with me. The calm, courtroom demeanor that we were taught to adopt our first day of law school.

I could play that game too. But my weapon of choice was silence. People hated it, and it usually led to someone spilling their guts.

In less than thirty seconds, Trevor folded. “Christ, Anna, will you just check out the names? Find someone you feel comfortable with? Sean wants to make sure you’ve got proper representation.”

My breath hitched. “Representation?”

Trevor quickly jumped to assuage my fears. “For your divorce. Sean wants you to have the best. He’s paying for it, of course.”

Of course.

Sean was paying for it, but he didn’t tell me about it.

Closing my eyes, I loosened my grip on the phone. “Peyton’s my lawyer.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? I mean, Peyton’s great, but she practices corporate law.”

Up until Dean showed up at the hospital, it never occurred to me that our divorce would be anything but civil. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

“It’s all good, Trev.” I willed my voice to stay even. Calm, just like his. “Dean’s not going to cause any problems.” Trevor’s silence told me he wasn’t convinced, but before he could mount an offensive, I said, “I’ve got it covered.”

Trevor let out a resigned sigh but didn’t push.

We talked for a few more minutes, catching up, and then I ended the call. I tumbled into the chair facing the window, ready to send Peyton a text.

That’s when I saw Sean sitting beside Willow on the deck, his long legs crisscrossed in what had to be an uncomfortable position. But the look on his face, the mixture of pride and unconditional love as he watched Willow, it melted my heart.

He’s got a lawyer.

The thought hung over me like a dark, ominous cloud, crowding out everything else. Before I gave into the feelings of gloom, I pushed to my feet, resolute. I plucked a cheery sundress from my suitcase and then headed to the bathroom to shower so I could meet Peyton. And look at that apartment by the bridge she kept talking about.