Page 58 of Mateo & Nicole
She knew how this would affect him. She’d seen the trauma he’d had to overcome when Caroline had chosen another.
“Mateo?”
His head snapped around to find Paxton standing in the doorway, a worried crease between his brows. “Are you mad?”
His small, timid voice had Mateo’s heart lurching. Nikki hadn’t said anything to make him believe that her ex had been abusive. There was no reason for Paxton to be worried just because Mateo felt like everything was shattering around him. And yet, the look on that boy’s face had Mateo wondering just how little Nikki’s ex had cared for the boy.
As much as it pained Mateo, he put a smile on his face. “I’m sorry, bud. I got distracted.” He was supposed to be getting them popcorn for their movie. “You don’t want to miss any of the show. I’ll be right there.”
Paxton’s frown didn’t leave his face. He was smart. That kid clearly knew something was up, and it wouldn’t take long for him to bring it up to his mother.
A twist of pain wrapped around Mateo’s middle.
He couldn’t believe he was in this situation again. How could he have been so stupid as to allow himself to repeat the past?
Mateo watched the kid retreat, and he blew out a sigh as he laced his fingers atop his head and paced the kitchen. Maybe he was overreacting. The message didn’t exactly come from a reputable source.
Then again, Caroline had no reason to send it to him except to rub it in his face that the girl he was madly in love with was breaking his heart just like Caroline had.
His despair surged into fury. How she’d managed to discover that he was seeing Nikki wasn’t clear. He didn’t want to believe that Nikki had been lying about that, too. Maybe they had been in contact with one another.
Fingers wrapping around the counter to steady himself, Mateo sucked in a deep breath and told himself to focus. She’d said she was running errands. Sophia had said she wanted to be alone.
And yet he had photographic proof that neither one of those statements was true.
Even if the picture didn’t accurately tell the whole story, Nikki had lied.
She’d have a lot of explaining to do when she returned home.
* * *
A car door slammed shut,and Mateo stiffened. Beside him, Paxton sat on the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn that he’d barely touched. Neither one of them had been interested in chowing down. Mateo got the sense that Paxton could feel something was off. He’d been too quiet.
Did he know?
Had Nikki introduced him to that man in the picture?
Mateo’s hand curled into a fist, and he shut his eyes again before exhaling. “Hey, bud. I think your mom’s back. You keep watching the movie. It’s almost over.”
Paxton turned his face upward, that worried frown still marring his features. “Okay.”
Mateo flashed him a smile he hoped didn’t look as pained as he felt, and he ruffled the boy’s hair.
His heart thrashed with each step he took toward the door. His breathing was uneven, and it almost felt like he could crumble right there on the porch as she moved toward him. She stopped a few feet short of the steps, her eyes connecting with his.
Guilt.
He could see it in her eyes. The way they shuddered with the weight of a secret she didn’t want him to discover only made his gut churn. This had to be the worst possible betrayal she could have come up with.
And it hurt even more because of their past.
Mateo’s jaw flexed as he gripped the banister with both hands. Wood creaked beneath his hold of the railing. He didn’t want to think about the photo or the words Caroline had sent with them.
I told you I was the better fit. At least with me, you know what you’re getting into.
He took in a deep breath through his nose. Nikki and he were at a standoff. He wasn’t even sure if she’d be brave enough to come another step closer. The blood had quickly drained from Nikki’s face, and that was all the proof he needed to know she knew she’d been caught.
Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment. Because he needed to hear it from her own lips.
