Just One Kiss Before Divorcing Me (Martin and Calvin) novel Chapter 137

CH 137

Calvin

He walked the boys and Marilyn into his apartment and the twins were off to explore the place. He heard Marilyn tell them to calm down and don’t break anything, she likely couldn’t afford to replace it, and Calvin looked at her, “I won’t bill you for any damage done, Marilyn. They are also my children so….”

“Still, I don’t want to be in a position where I owe you anything,” she’d stated as she’d walked past him.

He’d sighed internally, and let it go. It wasn’t the first time she’d said that over the past few days. His reply had been the same each time, and he wondered if she was just trying to make sure that he understood there was nothing between them at all. They just shared children.

He now knew she did have some of her memories back, getting handed the divorce papers, and the memory of them at the airport, them kissing in all likelihood, because it conflicted with her knowledge, so likely she had feelings and emotions around that one moment. Something he himself now knew she’d thought he was cheating on her.

He’d tried to rectify it, told her the truth, she’d been the other woman he’d been talking about that day. He’d screwed this up more than he thought. No wonder she’d changed her name and moved away. She’d thought he had someone else he was leaving her for.

He’d walked in behind her, she was carrying a dress bag and was intending on going to Will and Anabell’s. Not only had she told him she would, but Wil had texted him she was also going to be at his place. Anabell had invited her, and she’d said she would drop by. He pointed to a room to her right. “You can get changed in

there, and I’ve set up a room for the boys, down the hall, it’s not much but on such short notice, it was all

could do. Mother and father stay here sometimes. They will stay tonight as well, so they’ll use the one room

set up for guests all the time.”

“And you’ll be sleeping where?” Marilyn asked as she looked into the room on

master bedroom.

ght. It was clearly the

“On the lounge, of course,” he stated, she’d never once slept over at his apartment, but it would be nice if she stayed in his bed now. “The ensuite is through that door, and the walk–in over there, you can hang your dress

in there.”

Her eyes moved to him. “Or I can stay with the twins,” she stated, and walked off down the hall, and he had to remind himself baby steps. Offering her his own bedroom could be seen as him trying to get her into his bed, he realised. It wasn’t his intent right this minute. He’d just figured she should have a room of her own was all.

He left her to walk about and explore/though as he watched her she kind of just seemed to know where things were, and he wondered once more if she had memories of being here? It kind of looked like it to him. But he left that alone for now. They were only going to be here until the third, and then she had to drive back to Virginia, so the boys could go back to school. Their return date was the 6th. That gave her two days to drive them back and a day to themselves before the new semester began.

She packed quite a bit of the boys‘ things for an overnight stay, something about they got bored easily, and then she’d driven herself out here, because the boys had wanted to be in his car and she’d let them.

She’d never once denied him or the boys spending time together. Her and the boys leaving in just three days

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was going to be hard for him. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he couldn’t just make her stay because they had children. He could ask her to move out here, but he had a feeling that would be pushing it completely.

He saw her walk into the kitchen as he let the boys out onto the balcony. “Dad, is this where we’ll see the

fireworks from?”

“Yes,” he answered them. “There will be no climbing period out here, and I’ve booked us into the restaurant

downstairs for dinner, at six.” He stated and turned to look back at Marilyn, who had made herself at home.

and was making coffee from that machine on his bench.

“It’s the only time I could get us in,” he told her.

“Huh.” She asked from the kitchen, “in for what?”

She’d not heard him over the grinding of coffee beans, it seemed. He walked over there and smiled at her. Didn’t take you long to figure out how to use that.”

“I’ve got the same one on my counter at home.” She shrugged. “In for what?” she asked once more.

“Dinner at the restaurant downstairs, six is the only time I could get a table for the six of us.”

”

“No, that is none of your business.” She told him and walked outside to stand with the boys. “It’s a nice view.” He heard her tell the boys, and they smiled up at her.

She turned and looked at Callum and then him, “Best take both of them, they don’t always eat the same snack foods.” She told him and then turned back to sip her coffee as she leaned on the railing. Much the same way that he did, he realised. “Enjoy taking them to a supermarket, and don’t get sucked into buying everything.” She half laughed. “I’ll stay here.”

He just nodded and grabbed his keys. He probably should have thought about it before pulling into the garage, but he wasn’t yet used to the life of being a dad, so it was a learning experience, and after this he’d know what to have in the house for their next visit by taking them with him, and seeing what it was that they

It was indeed a learning curve. At one point, he only had one of the boys with him and he kind of half panicked when he realised that only Vincent was standing next to him. “Where’s your brother?” he asked

Callum turned and looked up at him. “You said to get a basket and choose snacks.” He stated right back.

“I didn’t state for you to wander off. If I lose you, how do you think your mother will feel? Let alone she’ll likely never trust me with you ever again.” Calvin huffed. “Stay by my side, or there will be no snacks,” he muttered

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Callum stated, staring up at him.

Calvin took a breath in and recalled Marilyn’s words ‘enjoy taking them to the supermarket.” And he understood this was normal for them, to just run off and find things they likely wanted. Only back home in their own town, they probably knew everyone and where everything was. She likely just let them because it was their home. But this was a much bigger place, and he couldn’t have anything happen to either of them.

Marilyn would likely never forgive him. Hell, he’d likely never forgive himself. Maybe he wasn’t ready to be on his own with them. It was different out at Cliffside, she was just outside in the guesthouse, and he’d not taken them off the estate where he could possibly lose them.

“I want you right next to me at all times. If you want to go down an isle, just tell me and we’ll go down it. Do not wander off,” he stated firmly, and saw them both just frown at him.

Heard Callum mumble something about “mum wouldn’t put us on a leash.”

He ignored it, they were just going to have to deal with it until he could control and contain them, when cut shopping or going somewhere. This was likely, he now realised, the very reason she’d not let him take them Christmas shopping: He would probably have lost them among the crowds that day.

He could tell they were unhappy by the time they got back to the apartment

there was nothing he could

do about it. Marilyn was sitting on the lounge with her laptop in front of her and both boys went and sat with her. She half–smiled and shook her head. “I’m certain it wasn’t as bad as you think it was,” she told them, and although he knew she was addressing the boys.

“Callum ran off, and I had to go and find him.” Calvin muttered.

“The joys of being a parent. You found him I see,” she stated simply.

He didn’t like it, regardless of what she expected to happen. “I’d much prefer they were better behaved when out with me.”

Marilyn looked right at him and just laughed. “Oh, do you now? Just expect everyone to fall in line with your wants and needs, do you? They’re just seven and go ahead and try to punish them. See what happens,” she stated flatly. “You won’t like it. If you smack one of my boys, I’ll return the favour. You have no rights as far as I’m concerned on that matter, until you’ve gotten to know them and learned all about them. Until then, disciplining the twins is solely up to me.”

He walked away from her towards the kitchen. She’d turned his words against him, and he didn’t much like it. “I had no intention of disciplining them.” He stated, “I just don’t want them to run off again.”