Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

I’m on edge as I drive the kids to the airport to pick up their mother. Alice and I haven’t seen each other since the divorce went through, and by the end of it all, things weren’t exactly civil between us.

I’m worried about introducing any negativity into the kids’ lives. Leia and I have had to work so hard at helping them adjust. They’re finally happy again, and I’m not sure what seeing Alice is going to do to them. Even worse is that they’ll eventually have to say goodbye to her again, and I wonder if that will set them back too much. I would hate to see my little girl become so quiet again, and I’m worried Colton will withdraw into his games again instead of hanging out with kids his age.

“I can’t wait to see Mum!” Lucy says, her smile so wide that it tugs at my heart. I really hope Alice isn’t going to let my little girl down. I understand Lucy’s love for her, but my daughter seems to have forgotten how strict she’s always been, how she suffocated Lucy’s interests in favor of living vicariously through her.

Colton has been a bit more subdued, not saying much at all about his mother visiting. I suspect my son remembers the endless arguments, the way she always favored Lucy over him. I’ll have to pay extra attention to him to make sure he’s doing okay throughout her visit.

My entire body is tense while the kids and I wait for Alice. If I had any doubts about our divorce at all, I can say with full certainty that they can be dismissed. I’m dreading seeing my ex-wife. Coming to the States has provided me with so much clarity. I didn’t even miss her for a moment. If anything, I haven’t felt this free in years.

“Mum!” Lucy yells.

She lets go of my hand to run up to her mother, but Colton tightens his grip on my hand. I glance at my son and offer him a reassuring smile. “You’ve got Leia and me,” I tell him, and he looks into my eyes, his insecurity clearly on display.

“Do you think she’ll want to play Roblox with me later?”

I nod. “I’m pretty sure she’s going to be ecstatic if you ask her to. Why don’t you text her later?”

Colton relaxes and nods at me. “I will. I wonder if she misses me. Usually we’d be doing homework around this time.”

“I have no doubt that she does.” I grin at him, recognizing myself in him. He won’t say he misses her too, but it’s obvious.

Alice and Lucy walk up to us, and the way Alice’s gaze roams over my body makes me uncomfortable. It’s strange how you can spend over a decade with someone, yet within a few months, they become a stranger to you. This is the woman I thought I’d grow old with, but now I see how incompatible we’ve always been.

“Adrian,” she says, smiling at me in that seductive way I used to love, yet now it just feels inappropriate.

“Hi Alice. How have you been?”

Her smile falters and her gaze sharpens. “Good,” she says, drawing the word out.

I nod and turn to Colton. “Say hi to your mum, sweetheart,” I tell him, and he reluctantly lets go of my hand to hug her. At least she truly seems happy to see the kids. For a while she tried to convince me that I could never take care of the kids, that they’d resent me for taking them away from her. Despite that, she never fought to keep them. Everything was always a game to her. I didn’t see it when I was in the midst of it all, but I see it now.

Lucy and Alice chat up a storm as we get into the car, and I try my hardest to ignore the annoyance I feel at the way Colton is being left out. The last thing I want to do is get into an argument the moment she’s here.

“I’ve missed you so much, kids,” Alice says. “I really wish I could stay with you. It would be so nice if I could make breakfast for you the way I used to.”

“You aren’t staying with us?” Lucy asks, confused.

I shake my head. “No, sweetheart. Mum and Dad are no longer together, remember? That means that Mum will stay in a hotel really close to our house. She’ll be able to pick you up any time she wants.”

I look in the mirror to find my daughter’s eyes filled with tears. Fuck. I should’ve told the kids she wouldn’t be staying with us. I never should’ve assumed that would be a given. I fucked up.

“Adrian, why don’t you just let me stay in a guest room? Lucy told me you have several spare rooms. There’s no reason why we can’t co-parent while I’m here. I already have limited time with the kids. I’d like to spend every second with them if I can.”

“Yes, Dad. Please,” Lucy adds, her voice wobbling.

Fuck. Realistically, I don’t have a valid reason to say no. I can see how it would benefit the kids, even if it’d make me uncomfortable. My first concern should always be the kids, but I can’t help but wonder how Leia would feel if I’m suddenly living with my ex again.

“Please, Daddy,” Lucy says. “We haven’t seen Mum in forever.”

“Okay,” I say. “All right, sweetheart.”

Alice puts her hand on my leg, and I tense. “Thank you,” she says, a sweet smile on her face.

I nod at her curtly, but she keeps her hand on my leg. “I’ve missed you,” she murmurs. “I’d love to catch up with you too. I’m not just here for the kids.”

I gently lift her hand off my leg and place it back in her lap. Alice looks surprised, and she narrows her eyes as she looks at me.

“It’s good to see you, Alice. It really is.”

I need to have a proper talk with her. I have no desire to reminisce with her, and I need her to know that. But not now. Not in front of the kids.

“Good to see me, huh? So you didn’t miss me. Or are you still mad at me?”

I smile tightly, unsure how to answer. I didn’t miss her. I’m not playing games with her, and I’m sure as hell not mad at her for asking for a divorce. If anything, that was a blessing in disguise.

I can see Alice scheming as she sits next to me, the ride to our house quiet. Whatever it is she’s got on her mind needs to be nipped in the bud.

Dread rushes over me as I help her carry her luggage into the house. The very last thing I want to do is welcome her into the home I built after she left us. I don’t want to be the bigger person. I guess that’s the difference between Alice and me. She always did what she wanted, and I always did the right thing.

I place her luggage in the guest room and smile at Lucy who followed us in. She’s trying to drag Alice along so she can show her the house, but it’ll have to wait. “Give us a moment, sweetheart. I just need to talk to Mum for a moment.”

Lucy’s smile melts away, but she nods. “Don’t be long,” she warns me. “There’s so much I have to show Mum.”

She closes the door behind her and I turn to Alice. “If you’re staying in my house, there’ll be some ground rules I expect you to keep to. If you fail to do so, I’ll have to ask you to move to a hotel.”

Alice looks at me with lifted brows and smiles. “Hmm, I like this new and improved version of you. You never used to be this dominant.”

I sigh, already tired of her shit. The reason I was never dominant is because it wasn’t worth arguing with her over anything, not when she never truly listened, anyway.

“Any rules that I’ve made for the kids will remain the same, and they won’t be broken. I’ll send you a list. If there’s a dispute of any kind, I’ll have the final say in how it’s handled. Then finally, stay out of my room. You’re absolutely welcome to make yourself at home, but I ask that you respect my privacy and my home.”

She looks at me, her gaze sharp. “Are you sleeping with someone?”

I tense, equal parts surprised and confused by the question. “I literally just asked you to respect my privacy. If you can’t do that, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

She purses her lips and nods. “Interesting. Very well. I’ll abide by your terms, for now.”

I nod, knowing that’s the best I’ll get from her. As I walk through Alice’s door, there’s only one thing on my mind. How am I supposed to tell Leia that my ex-wife will be living with me for a few weeks?