Chapter 8

Sabrina wakes in an empty bed to her phone ringing. "Hello," she answers.

"Morning…” Nathan’s deep voice touches her eardrum. “ Did I wake you?"

"A little." She admits.

"I'm sorry... I thought I should let you know I won't be home for a few days."

"Oh, ok...." That was all she said. She knew that he was only telling her that just in case his sisters ask.

You're not going to ask me how come, or where I'll be?"

"I'm guessing it's for work." He was gone all the time. This time shouldn't be any different.

"Yes, and I'm not sure when I'll be back."

Beep. Beep. Beep. Sabrina looks at the phone.

Call ended.

“What the…” Did he want to play house? No one's here to see. When Baylee said she never saw Nathan with the same woman twice, she wasn't lying. He's never been photographed with the same woman and he often attended events alone.

She was no idiot, she heard his sister correctly. He would have never married. She knew that he wasn't the settling down type.

SUNDAY


The house smelled of baked Turkey and barbecue. The backyard was aligned with rented picnic tables and chairs. Smoke came from all the grills and children's laughter could be heard all around.
Vivian's four siblings came with their kids and grandkids. There were too many people to count.


Nathan hadn't called or texted since she spoke to him last. She didn't know if he would show up or not, and she didn't want to bother him to find out. Every time someone remembered her from the wedding she was asked about him. She politely smiled and said, "He told me he's not sure when he would be home." Which was entirely the truth.

Eventually, she breaks free from the crowd and parks at a picnic table far back in the end where the kids made a hang out spot.
A young woman named Kate probably in her early twenties was hired as Clarissa's nanny and was sitting nearby.

She watched them play for a while when she heard a woman saying Nathan’s name.

Without thinking, she turns to see who it was.
Her eyes landed on a blond bombshell dressed in a white tight-fitting dress paired with sandals. She had big green eyes and long thick lashes. She was really pretty and she was talking to Baylee. It was for sure Lola.

Now Sabrina was kinda happy Nathan wasn't around.

"I thought you said he would be here?" Lola stresses.

Baylee sips from a can of ginger ale. "I thought so too. He must have had to work."

Lola sighs, grabs a hot dog, and eats it with a vengeance.

Sabrina is forced to pay attention to Emmie, who wants to put stickers on her knees. She too wore a dress. Not as short as Lola’s but, short, and paired it with black sandals.

Emmie proceeds to stick a couple of stickers on Sabrina's face then giggles and runs away.

Deep soft laughter comes from behind her. It made her whole body tingle. "He's here." She mumbles.
Butterflies appear in her stomach. She didn't want to look, but she had to. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she missed him.

When she turned her head, he was talking to a group of men standing around with a beer in one hand, and the other in his pocket. He looked like he was still at work the way he was dressed. A suit and tie. He laughs more at something that was being said and then his gaze searches around for something or someone.

His view was suddenly blocked by Lola's waving hand. "Hey." She interrupts. She grabs his forearm and leans close to his ear to whisper.

It stung. Jealousy was an irritating feeling. It was a first for her. Why did she feel like this? He wasn't even really hers.
She squeezes her eyes really hard and swallows. She wasn't going to look anymore. She turns away and focuses on the kids.
She watched `` Ring around Rosie, Simon says, and didn't look even once.


"Hey! Nathan's been looking for you." Clarissa joins her on the bench. She brought a large plate of chicken and called her children to eat. "He should've known you'd be with the kids." She adds.

Sabrina looks over at Nathan scanning the yard still in his circle of men. "Excuse me."
She decides to go over. She was his wife, it would look funny if she didn't.

As she got closer, he found her with his eyes. His chest visibly releases air. He left his group and walked towards her and they met in the middle. He reaches his hands out unexpectedly and smiles while pulling a sticker off her cheek, and then one in her hair. "Where have you been?"

"I was with the kids." She looks over at them.

He cups her jaw, nudging her face so she was looking at him. "Where's your phone?"

"Upstairs."

He nods. “Did you eat?"

She answers him with a subtle shake of her head. It was hard keeping up with him. He really did know how to act loving, didn't he? He was making even her believe he was a caring husband.

Suddenly he pulls her hand and leads her into the mansion.
They went into the kitchen where an older woman sat with Vivian. She looks at them smiling and nodding. The two women don’t continue their conversation, they move their eyes back and forth between Sabrina and Nathan.

"This is my Aunt Lydia, Sabrina." He points with his chin because his hands had plates.

"Hello." She greets her shyly. Vivian made her very uneasy.

"Did you want lasagna?" He asks.
He uncovers the tray as she nods yes.

She leaned on the counter as Nathan took out two plates and filled them up with chicken and Turkey.

"Your son definitely doesn't take after his father." Lydia comments. She was obviously amazed.

"Honey, why don't you let Ned do that?" Vivian suggest.

"I've got it." He pours lemonade in two large glasses. "Hold these." He hands them to his wife, grabs the plates, and directs her with a tilt of his head in the direction of the dining room.
Luckily, it was empty. They sat across from each other eating quietly for a while when suddenly, he got up and left the table.

She sat with her half-eaten food confused for a bit before he returned with napkins. He hands her one, and she wipes her face.

You've missed a spot." He takes the tissue and wipes her chin gently.

Her stomach flutters. He needed to stop acting so caring. She was starting to forget this wasn't real.
She knew she asked him if he could act the part. Did he take that as a challenge?

"How was your week?" He asks while filling his mouth.

"Good...Tony and I are almost done with getting the place fixed up."

"What else?"

"I've given my family my new number."

"Eat Sabrina. You haven't touched your food since I came back.”

She hadn't realized. She puts a mouth full in her mouth.

"How are they?" He continues his questioning.

She looks at him confusingly while chewing.

"Your family." He clarifies.

"Uh, Um... My sister just left for college and mom's doing good."

"And your dad?"

She hesitates to put her next bite in her mouth.

"I'm sure he's ok. My mom would have said otherwise."

Nathan nods and continues eating. He watches her slowly eat. "Did you ask about him?"

She shakes her head. "No, I'm sure he's fine."
She puts a bite in her mouth and drinks half her glass of lemonade avoiding his gaze.

"What else have you been doing?" He seemed like he genuinely wanted to know. Damn her eyes for deceiving her.
God Sabrina, get a hold of yourself. He's pretending, remember.
"Nathan, no one can hear us. You don't have to do this."

He furrows his brows, and his hands turn to fist. "Do what?”

She leaned back, took another sip, and watched him over the rim of her glass. It was like his jaw became wired shut. "Pretend you care." She says while putting her glass down.

He stands up abruptly and calls Ned to take their plates. "I'm going back to the party. Do what you want."

She had to stop herself from showing the shock in her face. He went from caring to careless so fast, she was blindsided, but she did tell him to stop pretending.
She decides it better to just lock herself in the room. No one would miss her.

Half an hour into a movie and little hands knock on the room door until she opens it. "Yes, Alyssa, Dylan."

"Can you help us" Alyssa grabs Sabrina's hand. "We need a big person to hold the limbo stick."

"Sure." She grabs her phone and follows them back to the yard.

She tries not to look for Nathan but finds him anyway. He was sitting on a bench near his sisters, Jacob, Lola, and a few guys she didn't know. She passes right by their table following Dylan and Alyssa to where all the kids were playing.

Jealousy arises in her. Lola was sitting near him. She was batting her eyelashes watching every word coming out of his mouth.

"Hold this, Auntie Sabrina." Dylan hands her what looks to be a mop stick. On the other end was their nanny Kate. The children line up in size order and were just about to start going under the stick when she stopped them. “Wait" She unlocks her phone and puts on a song.

One by one, over and over they go under until some start to get eliminated. Emmie is one of the first to go. She was such a cutie though.

A light breeze blew Sabrina's hair into her face. As whipped her head trying to get it off she lets her vision rest where Nathan was sitting.

His table was less crowded now. He had his legs extended out, his arms folded, and was staring at her shamelessly.

She was paralyzed in that second. Her lips part and air seeps in. Her knees get weak and tingles form in her stomach. Her hand jerks. Kate was letting her know to lower the stick.

The kids suddenly get distracted by a teen boy with a dog who had just arrived. They run off and she follows. She watches as they all play and pet the animal and how cute it was when a handsome man approaches. He had brown hair, brown eyes and he was tall with broad shoulders.

"Hi." She couldn't remember if she saw him at the wedding or not.

"What's your name?" He asks.

He definitely didn't attend the wedding. Who was he and what did he want? "Sabrina." She replies.

"Jayden." He extends his hand.