Chapter 2

Connor came home shortly before midnight carrying a small bouquet of yellow lilies. I was sitting at the dining table with our printed anniversary schedule in front of me. The pregnancy report and the baby socks were hidden inside my locked study drawer. Connor set the flowers on the counter and kissed my forehead. "Sorry I'm late," he said gently. "You should be asleep, Natalie. You've been working too hard this week." He used the same warm voice that had convinced me to stay last year. If I hadn't stood outside that patio door two hours earlier, I would have believed he cared. "Did you see my text about the hotel confirmation?" he asked, opening the fridge for a bottle of water. "Why does Brooke need our anniversary reservation, Connor?" His hand paused on the bottle cap. Only for a second. Then he sighed and sat down across from me, an expression of patient concern settling over his face. "Brooke's boyfriend moved out yesterday," he said. "She's in a really bad place, Natalie. Jason and Eric decided we should all go to Cabo this weekend to keep an eye on her." "And what about our fifth anniversary?" I asked. "We have the rest of our lives to celebrate," Connor said easily. "Right now, she only has us to lean on." He reached across the table and covered my hand. "Honestly, with the guys coming along, you wouldn't have any fun anyway," he added. "I already switched your plane ticket to her name." I looked down at the printed schedule between us. Every dinner reservation and sunset tour had been booked for two people. "You didn't ask me," I said. "You just gave my seat away." "I knew you'd understand once I explained it," he said, squeezing my fingers. "We'll take a quiet trip next month, just the two of us. Don't make this harder than it needs to be, okay?" He stood up and went upstairs to shower, certain the conversation was over. That night, he slept with one arm across my waist. I lay awake beside him until dawn, staring at the dark ceiling. The next morning, Connor kissed my cheek and left early for his office. At ten o'clock, the doorbell rang. When I opened the front door, Brooke stood on the porch in a cropped sweatshirt and running shorts, holding an iced coffee. She didn't look heartbroken. She walked right past me into the living room as if she owned the place. "Morning, Natalie." She dropped onto the sofa. "Connor told me to swing by and grab the trip folder from you. He said you know all the details." She picked up the printed schedule from the coffee table and flipped through the pages I had spent weeks organizing. "Hey, for that cliffside restaurant you booked on Sunday night," Brooke asked casually, "do we need to pick the menu ahead of time? Connor said you're better at handling that stuff." She wasn't even trying to provoke me. Of course I would stay home and handle the details while she took my vacation. Just then, the front door opened. Connor walked in, having stopped home between meetings to grab his sunglasses and surf wax. "Great, you're already here," Connor said to Brooke with a smile. "Did Natalie give you the folder?" "Yeah, I've got it," Brooke said, standing up. As she walked toward the foyer, her eyes landed on the new silver suitcase standing beside the coat rack. I had bought that suitcase last week with my own bonus for our anniversary trip. "Nice bag," Brooke said, tapping the handle. "Mine has a broken wheel." Connor barely glanced at it. "Take that one, then. Natalie isn't using it this weekend anyway." Brooke wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled it toward the door. I stepped into the hallway and placed my hand firmly over the top bar, stopping the suitcase in place. "Leave it," I said. Brooke blinked at me. "Connor just said I could borrow it." "Connor didn't buy it." I pulled the suitcase back to my side. "This is mine. If you need luggage, ask him to buy you one." The foyer went quiet. Brooke's smile disappeared. She looked at Connor as if I had just struck her. "It's fine." Brooke stepped back toward the porch, her voice suddenly small. "I didn't mean to cause drama. I'll just use my old duffel bag. See you tomorrow morning, Connor." As soon as the door closed behind her, Connor turned to me, his jaw tight with irritation. "What was that about?" he demanded. "It's a suitcase, Natalie. Why did you have to embarrass both of us like that?" I looked at my husband standing in our hallway, angry on another woman's behalf. "Are you sure you're taking her tomorrow?" I asked quietly. "Yes, I'm sure," Connor said, his voice hard. "It's already arranged." He pulled the keys to my SUV from his pocket and placed them on the entry table. "Our flight boards at eight tomorrow morning," he said. "I'm walking over to Brooke's place at five-thirty to help carry her boards. Have the SUV warmed up in the driveway by six. You're taking us to the airport." "And the resort charges on my credit card?" I asked. He didn't even pause. "Leave them on your card for now," he said. "I'll pay you back next month." He walked out the door without looking back. They hadn't only planned my anniversary trip without me. They still expected me to pay for it.