I forced a laugh. It bubbled up, light and airy, masking the terror gripping my throat.
“Oh, Brandon! You scared me.” I walked over to him, sliding my phone into my pocket with a casual grace. “No, silly. It’s Jessica. You remember her? My friend from college?”
He blinked, the panic not quite leaving his eyes. “Jessica?”
“Yes. She called me in tears. She caught her husband cheating on her.” I shook my head, feigning disgust. “Can you believe it? After everything she did for him. So I told her to get a divorce immediately. I told her I’d help her since I know Mark, right? He’s the best lawyer in the city.”
The tension drained out of him instantly. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a long, shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.
“Oh, God,” he whispered. He pulled me into a crushing hug, burying his face in my neck. “I thought… I thought you were talking about us. I thought you were going to divorce me.”
His grip was tight. Possessive.
“You scared me to death, Maureen,” he mumbled against my skin. “Don’t ever say that word in this house again.”
I stood stiffly in his arms for a second before forcing myself to relax, to pat his back.