Fragments of Us (A Contemporary Broken Hearts Romance) (Book Book 2)

worry too much.”
They walked into the kitchen, and Rayna sat down in her chair. “Daddy, can you make pancakes?”
He frowned. “Sorry, Rayna. I wish I could, but I don’t have time. Otherwise, I will be late for a very important meeting.”
Her lips turned down. “Okay. I’ll just have cereal.”
Davis’s heart twisted. He promised himself that as soon as he took care of the nightmare he was embroiled in, he would spend the rest of his life making pancakes and whatever else Rayna wanted.
*****
Nicole spent way too much time in the shower trying to wake up. After, a superhuman effort, she finally managed to get dressed. Her butt was dragging so badly that she needed coffee or something to get her through the morning. Then Nicole remembered. I think there’s Vivarin in the bathroom.
She rushed to the medicine cabinet, and just as she thought, there was a brand-new box winking at her. Nicole didn’t like to take them, but over the past few months, they had been a lifesaver. She popped the pill into her mouth, turned the water on in the sink, and cupped her hands together as she drank thirstily to swallow the pill down. Nicole hoped it kicked in fast.
She made her way back to the bedroom, looked around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, then scooped up her shoes, and ran out of the room. Nicole made it downstairs and was hopping on one foot as she attempted to put on her heels. She could hear voices in the kitchen and stopped short when she spotted Jane.
She smiled warmly. “Hey! I thought I heard you.” She slipped on her other shoe then walked over and hugged her tightly. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh. Didn’t Davis tell you? I’m taking DJ to the doctor.”
There was a hint of guilt on his face. “I called Jane late last night. I couldn’t change my meeting time, so she agreed to take DJ for us. I was going to tell you this morning . . .” He wanted to say—but you were too busy losing your shit. “I didn’t get the chance.”
The temperature in the kitchen increased a hundred degrees. Nicole’s eyes blazed as she turned them onto Davis. “Un-be-lievable!”
“Do you really want to do this in front of Rayna and Jane?” His voice was clipped. Davis wanted to keep their issues private, but apparently, Nicole didn’t care.
Jane looked confused as her eyes darted between them. “I-I’m . . . is everything alright?”
Davis responded first. “Everything is fine.”
Nicole walked over to Rayna and kissed her. “Mommy will see you after school.” She turned around. “Everything is not fine.” She grabbed her keys from off the hook on the wall and stormed out.
After she’d gone, Jane turned to Davis with her hands on her hips. “What did you do?”
Frustrated, he sighed. “Apparently, not enough. Whatever I do is never enough, and when I make a little mistake, Nicole blows it all out of proportion.”
Jane turned to Rayna. “Sweetheart? Can you run upstairs and check on DJ for me?”
Rayna nodded and quickly left the table to do as she was asked.
Jane turned accusatory eyes on Davis. “You and Nicole have been strained for months now. I don’t like the direction things are moving. Have you talked to her?”
Davis poured two cups of coffee and handed one to her. “We talk all the time. I just can’t get her to understand that I’m working my ass off because I have to, not because I want to be away from my family. I get it. She’s exhausted feeling like she has to do everything on her own, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Well, she does! Nicole has a job. Granted she works from home most of the time, but she still has a job. I’m a stay at home mom, and even though the twins are nine, they are still a handful. I can’t imagine working, taking care of them, and being active on the board for the Angel Foundation. Why the hell won’t you just hire a nanny?”
Frustrated, Davis raked his fingers through his hair. “She’s dead set against having help thanks to being raised in foster care. She thinks that if I don’t spend time with her and the kids that I don’t love them, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m doing the best I can.”
“You are both stretched way too thin.” Jane pressed her lips together into a firm line. “I know you love your family, but today’s a big day for her. The board is requesting money for that foster-care facility.”
“Shit. I forgot about that.” Davis ran a hand down his face. “Look, I know that Nicole has a lot on her plate, but I’m providing for our family! She has no idea the kind of pressure I’m under trying to keep them living in the life they’ve grown accustomed to.”
Jane placed a soothing hand on Davis’s shoulder. “I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but Nicole is not your ex, Anne. Allowing your company to consume you was partly to blame for ruining that marriage. Don’t make the same mistakes. You must talk to her. I mean really talk to her.”
“I’ve tried.”
“Let me clarify. You have to be honest with Nicole.”
“What am I supposed to say? That the nightmare from the fiasco with the Liberation of Shebet isn’t completely over? That the network that almost killed her is fucking with my business?! She would freak out. Or do I tell her that I’m working day and night to keep our good old US Government from freezing all of my