102\u2013He Says He Is Not Jealous\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
My kids had just woken up, full of energy and excitement to be in a real house again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They couldn\u2019t wait to go outside and play in the garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment they came out of their rooms, all dressed and ready, their attention shifted to their father, right when he walked out of the side room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had just taken a shower and was buttoning his shirt when he noticed the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy!\u201d Bodhi was the first to run straight to him, followed by Elara and Gina, who approached more hesitantly before hugging him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He picked up all three and carried them to the living room, which was mostly glass doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the curtains were open, you could see straight out to the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Nina slipped quietly out of the room wearing a black dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She clearly didn\u2019t want the kids to see her leaving the same room their father had slept in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were young, they wouldn\u2019t understand much, but they would talk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that alone was enough reason to be discreet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her eyes met mine, she quickly looked away, guilt written all over her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After I refused him last night, Sawyer had gone straight to Nina\u2019s room, as expected, and of course, she welcomed him with open arms. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
This had been going on for years now, and I\u2019d been pretending it didn\u2019t bother me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe my ego, bruised after the Alphas rejected me, had hardened so much that when I first agreed to the marriage, I made it clear it was for safety, protection, and stability, for my children to have a home in the human world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There were good moments too, mostly when Nina wasn\u2019t around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I convinced myself that this was the life I had chosen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I also knew Nina had been the first choice for his marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone had wanted him to marry her, but he chose me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a long time, I told myself I was the one who came between them, that I stole him from her, even though there hadn\u2019t been an official relationship between them then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, none of that mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy, we\u2019re not talking to you,\u201d Elara said, crossing her arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? What did I do?\u201d Sawyer asked gently, brushing a hand over her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He could be tender one moment and distant the next.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t a man who naturally loved children, but mine adored him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
102 Me Says He is Not Jealous\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d grown up knowing him as their daddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we saw you hit Mommy last time,\u201d Gina said suddenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sawyer froze. His eyes flicked from me to Nina, and Nina bit her lip, looking away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yeah, because the woman they\u2019d seen wasn\u2019t me, it was Nina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could only imagine what had actually happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They probably got too intimate, maybe out in the open, and the kids had misunderstood it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would never hit your mommy, you know that,\u201d Sawyer said to Bodhi, his tone gentle. \u201cWe were just play fighting, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said exactly what I\u2019d told them too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two play fight?\u201d Gina asked, her tiny hand touching her chin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we do,\u201d Sawyer lied smoothly. \u201cThat\u2019s because we\u2019re best friends and we play fight. But trust me, your mother beats me most of the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as he said that, I saw my children relax, their little faces easing with relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true, when parents fight, children suffer the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in this case, it wasn\u2019t even me fighting with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was him having fun with Nina, and the kids had caught a glimpse of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe they saw something, maybe they heard something, but hopefully, they hadn\u2019t seen anything too revealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Otherwise, they would have said something far more alarming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we were so upset we were thinking about making someone else our daddy,\u201d Bodhi said suddenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My muscles stiffened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sawyer raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue softly as he turned his full attention toward Bodhi.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? May I know who it is, so that I can compete with him?\u201d Sawyer asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Knowing him, I could already tell where this was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d dig until he found out everything, even from my children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was what I hated most about him, his way of extracting information from anyone, especially kids, who were too innocent to understand what they were giving away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Baxter,\u201d Bodhi said proudly. \u201cHe\u2019s Mommy\u2019s best friend and he\u2019s so nice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sawyer\u2019s lips curved into a smirk, one that didn\u2019t hold amusement or affection, but something closer to anger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t figure out why he even cared. It\u2019s not like he wasn\u2019t busy sleeping with someone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKids, that\u2019s enough,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cYou\u2019ve already worn me out this morning. Nina, could you please feed them breakfast?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pretended not to notice the guilt that flickered across Nina\u2019s face as she hurried to gather the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
102 He Boys He Is Not Jealous\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
They had been with me all morning because I knew perfectly well where she and Sawyer had spent the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once they left, I waited, because I knew Sawyer wouldn\u2019t stay silent for long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, while I was away, you\u2019ve been having quite a time, huh?\u201d he said, stretching his arms lazily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I wasn\u2019t,\u201d I replied flatly. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no point in this conversation anyway. It\u2019s not like you-\u201cI stopped myself, then added coldly, \u201cIf I got too close, I\u2019d probably still smell Nina on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just an insult, it was a reminder. He didn\u2019t get to question me when he was free to do whatever he wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to walk away, but his voice followed me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think hanging around your best friends is going to make me jealous? Make me reconsider my life and choices?\u201d he asked, standing now. \u201cYou\u2019re wasting your time. That\u2019s never going to happen, Madeline. You know I don\u2019t fall that crazy in love.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved closer, lowering his voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re my wife. I respect you. I give you everything I can. But don\u2019t expect loyalty from me, I don\u2019t believe in that word.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I certainly don\u2019t get jealous,\u201d he remarked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, maintaining his steady gaze, he straightened his collar and headed to the bedroom to get ready for the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, if he didn\u2019t get jealous, then I supposed I had no reason to worry about my best friends either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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