Isaac shakes his head and laughs. “I don’t get Black Friday.”

“It’s a challenge that involves shopping. It’s not for you to understand.” I switch my phone to vibrate and shove it in my pocket, throw my keys in my purse and glance up at my husband. “Hey, question.”

“Okay.”

“What was going on last night at Luke and Nat’s?”

Isaac frowns and sighs. “Stace, don’t worry about it. Have fun today, and we’ll talk later.”

“We don’t keep secrets.”

“I’m not keeping one now. I want you to have fun today. We’ll talk later.”

“If you say so.” He leans down and kisses me chastely, then grips my jaw in his hand and deepens the kiss, making my toes curl. He smells like coffee, his body wash and just Isaac, and when he pulls back and gives me that cocky grin with his bright blue eyes smiling at me, I can’t help but sigh, even after being with him all these years.

“I’ll see you later,” I whisper when I hear Jules honk her horn outside.

“Be safe.” He kisses my forehead. I lean in to kiss Sophie’s cheek and I’m out the door.

***

Sometimes, you just need a day out with the girls, and I’ve realized today that it’s been far too long since I’ve taken time away from the baby to just enjoy my friends. We have been all over Seattle, following sales and just enjoying each other’s company.

“You scored on that watch for Will at Macy’s.” Jules comments as she holds a sweater up.

“I know, I hope he likes it.”

“He will. Besides that man needs a watch. He’s always late.”

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to check the text.

nipples.

Huh? Isaac has sent me a text that just says nipples? Is he talking about nipples for Sophie’s bottle?

“Oh, look! The baby section. C’mon, guys, I wanna look.” Natalie leads us to the brightly colored baby section to look through clothes and other gear.

My phone vibrates again.

I luv it when u ride me and I can play with ur

My husband has lost his mind. Or someone has stolen his phone and is sending me obscene text messages.

I vaguely hear Jules and Nat chattering around me, but I’m not paying attention to what they’re saying or even what they’re looking at. I’m just mindlessly following them through the store, winding through clothes racks and around a loud Santa and elves and kids yelling and crying.

It’s really, really loud in here.

nd cum in ur mouth.

What the hell? I stare down at my phone and frown.

“Oh, Stace, Sophie would be so cute in this!”

I tuck my phone in my pocket and look over at Jules holding up an adorable black romper. “Oh, that’s adorable! I’ll take it.”

My phone vibrates again, so I pull it out and check the text.

You make me so hard.

Isaac hasn’t talked to me like this in years. Years. Before I can shove my phone back in my pocket, it vibes again and another text from him pops on the screen.

I want u kneeling in front of me with ur pretty pink lips around my cock. I’m gonna pull your hair a

That’s it. The last of the text is cut off again. This isn’t my husband. We haven’t done the dirty talk thing since before Sophie was born. Hell, since before Sophie was conceived.

“Stacy?” I hear Nat calling my name, but before I can answer, one more text comes through.

This is what I’m gonna give you 2nite. Be ready. And… it’s a picture of his dick.

“Stacy?” Jules lays her hand on my arm to get my attention, and I meet her concerned blue gaze with my own.

“What the fuck is up with your brother?”

“What are you talking about?” Jules asks.

“He’s sending me obscene text messages, which I’m starting to think aren’t intended for me, given that he hasn’t talked dirty to me like this in years, and last night at Nat’s he took a private call that he won’t tell me about and was talking about some woman with Matt. Jules, if your brother is fucking around on me, so help me God…”

Jules laughs and shakes her head. “Stacy, you know he’s not fucking around.”

“As of right this minute, I’m not so sure.”

And the magnitude of that statement paralyzes me. I stare at my friends and replay last night and this morning in my head, his evasiveness, telling me to drop it, but kissing me to cover it up. I feel my eyes widen and my heart rate triples.

“Fuck.”

“Stacy, I’m sure there’s an explanation. Isaac is nuts about you.” Natalie rubs my back in large circles, trying to console me.

“He is, Stace.” Jules nods. “I know he loves you and Sophie more than anything.”

“That doesn’t mean that he’s not having an affair,” I whisper.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here. I think we’ve done enough damage to my credit card for one day.” Jules sets the few things we’d picked up on a rack and we walk through the store and out to the car.

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I whisper.

“Well, your first step is to talk to him. Ask him.” Natalie says from the back seat behind me. Jules is driving, where I don’t know, and I’m in the passenger seat.

“I did ask him. He told me to drop it. This morning he told me to have fun today and we’d talk tonight. Oh, God, he’s going to tell me he’s leaving me.” My stomach convulses and I start to pant.