Free Home to You by Taylor Sullivan Page A

but Grace was nestled between his parted thighs and ruined the whole thing.  
    I turned back to John.  
    He leaned forward and gave me all his attention. “What do you do for a living?”  
    I eyed him over my cup, noticing Jake shift in my peripheral vision. “Photography.”
    “Really?” Em asked, and she climbed in and sat to John’s left. “Do you do head shots?”  
    I nodded, noticing again how striking her features were. “Are you an actress?”  
    She laughed and shook her head. “Not even close. I’m a web designer. But I do need some head shots.”   
    “Oh. Well, I’d be happy to trade for tech help. I need a website... I mean, if you have time.”  
    “I would love that!” she answered.  
    “Do you do parties, Katie?” Grace cut in, and I reluctantly turned to face her.  
    “Yes,” I replied, though the thought of working for her made my stomach turn.  
    “She’s not shooting the party,” Jake interjected.  
    I frowned. “What party?”
    “I’m throwing a party for Jake’s thirtieth—”  
    “And Katie will be there as a guest,” he stated. “I don’t want you to worry about taking pictures,” he said to me.
    “I really don’t mind—”  
    “No.” He cut me off. Then his voice softened. “It’s not a big deal.”  
    “Not a big deal?” Grace scoffed. “It’s your birthday. Everyone will be there.” She turned to face him, and her voice lowered to a muffled whisper.  
    I averted my attention back to John and Em, trying to ignore the conversation between Jake and Grace. But my heart was heavy. I’d almost forgotten Jake’s birthday.
    As the night grew to an end, we made our way over the seating area. I curled up at the end of one of the loungers, my towel tight around my chest, as the fire burned low and steady between us. Jake pulled out his old guitar and began strumming the chords to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers.  
    This used to be the norm for us. Nights much like this around the fire, and days filled with little sleep and pots of coffee because we stayed up to watch the sun rise.
    John came over and lifted my feet. He sat down beside me, then returned them to his lap. “You look tired.”  
    I laughed under my breath. “I am.”  
    His strong hands took my feet and gently began to knead. “Relax.”  
    I thought to protest, but my eyes grew heavy, and I felt my body sink deeper into the cotton seat of the lounger. “Okay…”  
    The next thing I knew, Jake stood over me and pulled the covers up to my chin. I took in a sharp breath and looked around my bedroom. He must have carried me to bed.  
    “How long have I been asleep?” I asked.
    “A couple hours,” he whispered.  
    I cleared the sleep from my throat as I remembered all the times he or Dave had put me to bed when we lived together. “Sorry.” I sat up a little. “Is everyone gone?”  
    “Yeah.” His voice was low and relaxed.
    “They must think I’m so rude.”
    He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. They understand. Now go back to sleep, Kit Kat.” He flicked off the light. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
    I nodded, flipped to my side, and for the first time that night, did what he asked without arguing.  

THE NEXT MORNING, THE ALARM woke me at my normal time. Eight a.m. The same time I took that little green pill for the past two and a half years. The pill that allowed me to walk away from Kevin without the complication of a child, but couldn’t protect me from the questionable practices of his infidelity.
    I rolled to my side, reached from the seclusion of the sheets, and tapped the alarm. The room fell into blissful silence.  
    It had been over a week since I found out about Kevin, but the fear of the unknown kept me from seeing a doctor. I’d trusted him with my life, and thinking about all the women he’d cheated with over the years made my stomach turn. Had he used protection with any of them?  
    Soft light filtered through the