Choked (Devoured #3) by Hazel Kelly Page B

supply of edge and corner guards
they had for what seemed like every table, every book, every square picture
frame, and every cereal box.
    Sure it was overkill, but she was happy. And when
Madeline was happy, Kirk was happy. He felt grateful every day that he had come
out the other side of the affair with Julianna with his marriage unscathed. He
loved Madeline more than ever, Julianna was long gone back to Emhurst to finish
her graduate degree, and their life was back on track like nothing had ever
happened.
    Of course, he hadn’t tried half of the things he did
with Julianna with Madeline yet and he probably never would, but that didn’t
matter. His basic needs were still being met, and it was only the most fleeting
instance when he would have a flashback of Julianna sucking him off or her
breast in his hand or his dick disappearing into her as he did her from behind.
And those would fade away in time. They were already becoming far less frequent,
and it had only been a few months.
    The only time he really felt guilty was when he had
moments where he didn’t regret it, moments when he felt like he was entitled to
get that raunchy sex out of his system so he could be a better husband to his
wife. Because he knew that wasn’t true. There was nothing right about what he
did. In fact, he figured the only reason he’d gotten away with it was because
he must have done something good in a past life.
    Whatever the reason, he didn’t want to overthink it.
He just wanted to focus on enjoying every blessing, every day, as it came.
    As he squatted low to bring the roller all the way
to the ground, he heard the door slam downstairs followed by the sound of keys sliding
across the entryway table.
    “Honey?”
    “I’m upstairs.”
    He put the roller down and walked to the landing. “I
see you stopped by your parents shop?”
    “I know!” Madeline held up two second hand baby
gates. “How lucky is that?”
    “At least they’re useful.”
    Madeline rolled her eyes. “Does that mean you
haven’t come around to the Care Bears nightlight yet?”
    “It doesn’t even work!”
    “Yeah, but it’ll work until we get one that works.”
    “Don’t make me say it again.”
    “I do not have pregnancy brain!” she said, heading
up the stairs. She waved a letter in the air. “This came for you while I was
out.”
    “That can wait. Did the doctor give you any news?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    He greeted her with a peck on the lips. “About the
sex of the baby?”
    “I thought we didn’t want to know?”
    “Well, yeah. That’s what we agreed, but I thought
you would change your mind at the last second for sure.”
    “Sorry to disappoint. I guess I’m not as flaky as
you thought.”
    Kirk’s shoulders dropped. “I’m so sick of looking at
everything through gender neutral lenses. I just want to know.”
    “Tough.”
    “Nothing else to report then?”
    “Nope. I’m healthy. The baby’s healthy. Everything
seems fine.”
    “I guess that’s the most important thing.” 
    Madeline poked him in the chest. “That’s absolutely
right!”
    Kirk groaned.
    Madeline shoved the letter at him. “C’mon, open it.
It looks official.”
    Kirk looked down at his lilac hands. “I’ve got paint
on me. You go ahead and open it.”
    Madeline wiggled her tiny finger underneath the
envelope’s sealed edge and pried it open. “It’s from the N.A.A.S?”
    Kirk’s eyebrows went up.
    Madeline kept reading. “The National Association of
Addiction Studies.”
    Kirk gestured with his hand for her to hurry up.
    “Dear Professor Jenkins, blah blah blah.”
    “Read it!”
    Madeline laughed. “You’ll never let me open your
mail again.”
    “C’mon!”
    “Dear Professor Jenkins, We have reviewed the
results of your study following its publication in the American Psychological
Society’s esteemed addiction newsletter, The Fix . We would like to
invite you to speak at a meeting of our board of directors to be held on