*Beta'd by sendtherain
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15. He Wants to Cheat During a Game and Distract Me
My husband thinks he's so clever. Ever since he got his super speed more than a decade ago, he's shockingly become a winner at almost every game during every family game night. He was always competitive growing up, once he'd become truly comfortable living in the West family household, but he didn't win every time.
I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid. I know he's cheating. He doesn't do it constantly, but he does it enough to win. The twins are only four and haven't quite gotten a handle on their speed yet, so they can't keep up with him, but it is particularly bothersome to me when he cheats off them at this age.
It's ridiculous!
He catches my eye now, a glint in them and a smirk on his face. Normally it'd be sexy as hell, but I catch his meaning. I've been trying to guard our children as best as I can with them sitting closer to me than to him. (We're playing Go Fish for crying out loud.) But he's still gonna try it. I can't believe it, but he is.
"Hey, Iris," he says suavely, and I try to ignore how the tone of his voice makes me weak in the knees.
"Yeah, Barry?" I pop the 'b'.
"I have a question for you."
I glare. It's his turn, and he's chosen me to ask. I hold my cards close to my chest.
But then he leans across the space between him and his little family and kisses me, making my eyes flutter shut and warming my insides.
"Ew!" Don says, making me smile and forget we're playing a game.
"You dropped your cards, Mommy!" Nora says, and my eyes flash open as I look down and my husband quickly gathers them up for me – but not before quickly looking at what they are, I'm sure of it.
"Not again." Don shakes his head.
Barry smirks as he settles back down.
"Do you have any fours?"
I look at my hands and annoyingly find three fours in front of me. Grumbling, I hand them over to him. He's smiling like the smug bastard he is.
"Daddy, you cheated!" Nora accuses, and it warms my heart that she comes to my defense. Normally she's such a daddy's girl.
Barry mockingly gasps.
"Why would you say that?" And he looks so genuinely hurt Nora actually feels bad.
"Barry," I warn.
"I saw him do it!" Don proclaims, and now I'm the one smiling smugly. "Give all your fours to mommy."
"Oh, yes, that's a good idea!" Nora says, excitedly jumping in her pretzel position.
Barry looks at all three of us and boldly says, "That's against the rules!"
"Ha!" I say, and my children jump in.
"You cheated."
Rolling his eyes, he hands the cards over, and I gloat.
"Thank you, Barry," I say, batting my eyelashes.
I don't win every time, and I don't even win this game. Barry still does. But our children call him out every time he tries to cheat, and that's good enough for me.
