Free This I Promise You by Maureen Smith

patted her arm. “Had to make sure. Once a nurse, always a nurse.”
    Lexi smiled. “I understand.”
    When Samara entered the room and took her sleeping daughter from Asha, Celeste scowled and muttered something under her breath.
    Not wanting to hear a bitter tirade about Asha, Lexi decided to make her escape. “I think I’ll, um, go see if they need any help in the kitchen.” With that, she set down her glass and beat a hasty retreat.
    On her way to the kitchen, her smartphone buzzed against her hip. She took it out of the front pocket of her dress and looked at the screen. When she saw that the text was from her husband, she smiled.
    Hey, beautiful. How’s everything going?
    She wrote back: It’s been…interesting.
    Yeah? How so? Quentin responded.
    She hesitated before replying: Let’s just say the dynamics are different today.
    Uh-oh. Your mom or Mike’s?
    Mike’s. Tell him to come get her!
    Lol. Damn.
    Lexi grinned, wandering down the hall to the spacious foyer as she typed: What about you? Having a good time at the game?
    Yeah. Wish they were playing better tho.
    I know , Lexi commiserated. They’re not looking too good from what I’ve seen.
    They’ll come back , Quentin said with the unshakable—albeit misguided—confidence of a lifelong Falcons fan. Miss you, sweetness.
    Lexi melted. I miss you too. Really enjoyed breakfast on the balcony.
    So did I. Enjoyed our shower too. And last night’s massage was…wow.
    Laughing softly, Lexi sent back a smiley emoji with heart eyes.
    Quentin responded with a devilish grin.
    She laughed again and typed: Tell the fellas I said hey.
    Will do. See you in a few hours, babe.
    Lexi sent another smiley, this one blowing a kiss. Then she slipped her phone back into her pocket and returned to the family room.
    Prissy, Georgina and Asha were now sitting together on the sofa, drinking wine and laughing like a bunch of college coeds.
    Seated alone on the adjacent love seat, Celeste sipped her glass of wine while glaring daggers at Asha, who seemed blithely oblivious to her seething animosity.
    Lexi took one look at the empty spot beside Celeste—and headed right back over to the refreshment table.
    “Pretty sad, isn’t it?”
    Lexi glanced around as Reese came up beside her. She had her daughter, Savannah, perched on her hip. The two-year-old had inherited her mother’s gorgeous mahogany complexion, dark cat eyes and luscious black hair.
    Lexi smiled wryly. “Am I the only one who feels like we’re back in high school?”
    Reese snickered. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.” She shook her head, watching the older women across the room. “Why can’t they all just get along?”
    “Well, Prissy, Georgina and Asha are getting along just fine,” Lexi pointed out. “It’s Celeste who’s not playing nice.”
    “I know, right? She’s acting out worse than any of the children.”
    “Seriously.” Lexi grimaced. “If my mom was behaving like that, I’d probably pull her aside and have a little chat.”
    “So would I,” Reese agreed. “But Celeste is my mother-in-law, and you know how tricky those relationships can be. I get along really well with her, so I’m not going to rock the boat by telling her to stop showing her ass.”
    Lexi chuckled. “I hear you. I probably wouldn’t either.”
    Reese grinned, brushing her hand across the mop of black curls framing her daughter’s face. “At least your mother seems to be enjoying herself. She and Winnie are yukking it up in the kitchen.”
    “Isn’t it wonderful?” Lexi sighed. “God is good.”
    As Savvy settled back against Reese’s chest and reached for one of her long Senegalese twists, Reese hugged Lexi around the waist. “This is totally random, but can I just say how much I love having you and Quentin as neighbors?”
    “Aww,” Lexi cooed, hugging her back. “I feel the same way.”
    “Seriously. It’s so nice to be able to walk a few doors down to have a cup of coffee with you or go for