Right Side Up ((MMG Novella)) Read Online Free PDF Page B

he wasn’t feeling well. Finally, when I’d heard enough, I told him I hope he would be able to come to the party tonight. Before he could answer, I escaped from the room. As I passed by the stairs on the way to the garage, I heard Mac crying upstairs. A part of me wanted to run. Max could take care of Mac. In the end, my maternal instincts took over, and I headed up the stairs to my son. When I got to Mac’s room, I locked the door behind me. Then I walked over to the bookshelf where the monitor sat and turned it off. After a quick diaper change, I carried Mac over to the rocking chair. He was fussy, so I sat down to rock him. Finally, I let the tears fall.
    *     *     *
    Two weeks later
    “Yes Piper, Max, Mac and I are coming to Joss and Kurt’s on Sunday. Remember, Garrett and the guys want to talk to everyone.” I watched Max walk into the house carrying Mac. The boys had been in the back yard having guy-time when Piper called to remind me about the upcoming pool party. I took in Max’s windblown hair and chiseled features and sighed. My husband sure painted a pretty picture…one I was afraid to get close to, much less touch anymore.
    A lot of crazy had taken place in the past two weeks. As it turns out, Dillon’s friend, Isabella, is actually more than a friend. He met her shortly before he met me, at which time, he unknowingly got her pregnant. As it was a one night stand, Isabella did not tell Dillon about the baby. However, that changed when her ex claimed the baby was his and decided he wanted paternity rights. This forced Isabella to come clean to Dillon and ask for a paternity test. By the time the test came back positive, Dillon had already screwed things up and Isabella had gone back to Charleston. Shockingly, Dillon stepped up and went after her. He brought both she and Amelia back to Charlotte to live with him.
    “What was that about?” Max asked, as I hung up the phone.
    “Piper is excited about this weekend. She was checking to make sure we weren’t going to bail.”
    Max and I still hadn’t talked about what happened two weeks ago. I didn’t bring it up and neither did he. He also hadn’t touched me. At first I didn’t care. I didn’t want him to touch me. I was beyond hurt by his actions. Then, I started thinking about it. The more I thought, the angrier I got. Every night, we lay side by side in our bed, a bed where he once couldn’t get enough of me, and pretended everything was okay. Everything was far from okay. I know it was childish and petty, but with my anger came a need to fight back. I needed for my husband to see me as a sexy, desirable woman, again. So, one night last week, while standing in my closet, I noticed the bag full of lingerie I had purchased. Sucking in a deep breath, I slid off my tee-shirt and shorts and slipped into a peach bustier and boy short getup. I stared at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t able to breast feed Mac any longer, which saddened me. However, when I lost the baby weight, my breasts hadn’t gone with it. They were huge. The Pilates and toning made my body look better than ever, something Max would know if he bothered to look. I pulled the ponytail holder from my hair and twisted it back up into a messy, sexy bun on top of my head. Then, casually, I strolled out into the bedroom. The look of pure lust on Max’s face when he saw what I was wearing, confirmed he still wanted me. I slid into bed next to him and waited for him to jump me.
    When he turned off the light and muttered a low, “Night,” my heart broke in two.
    For the next five days, I proceeded to torture my husband. Each night, I picked a new outfit. A few times, I stood in the closet and held my hand over my mouth to muffle the hysterical laughter that threatened to break free. Some of the outfits were downright raunchy. How I kept a straight face, while prancing around so skimpily clad in his presence, I will never know. I knew my husband still wanted me. It was impossible