Evelyn’s POV
After dinner, the kids disappeared upstairs, leaving with the phone call I needed to make. I stared at Calvin’s contact for a full minute before pressing call.
To my surprise, he answered imdiately.
"You don’t have a job anymore?" I asked dryly. "Normal people don’t answer their phones that fast."
"In the information age, answering quickly ans I’m efficient," Calvin countered. "So of us can multitask, Evelyn."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Look, the kids want to go to the lake this weekend and they’ve requested you join us."
"I’ll be there," he said without hesitation.
His imdiate response startled . "Just like that? Is Bloodbane Pack going bankrupt? I thought Alphas were chained to their desks."
"Unlike so people, I can delegate," he said, amusent in his voice. "Speaking of which, when was the last ti you took a break from your lab? The kids ntioned they barely see you these days."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"Don’t lecture about parenting," I snapped. "Just be there Friday afternoon. The kids are handling the details."
I hung up before he could respond, my heart racing.
Friday morning arrived too quickly. I’d planned to finish analyzing the latest test results before leaving, but Rowan insisted we stick to his schedule.
"Mom, you promised," he reminded as I tried to squeeze in one more hour of work. "Everything’s planned."
"Fine," I sighed, closing my laptop. "Where exactly are we going anyway? You’ve been vague about the details."
Rowan handed a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. "It’s a nice cabin by Crystal Lake. Dad will et us there later."
The drive was filled with the kids’ excited chatter. Alexis kept asking when we’d arrive, while Rhys and Rowan whispered in the back seat. Sothing was definitely up with those two.
When we finally pulled into the driveway, my suspicions were confird. Instead of two separate cabins, there was only one rustic wooden structure nestled among the pines. It was beautiful with large windows overlooking the sparkling lake, a stone chimney, and a wraparound porch, but definitely not what I’d expected.
"Rowan," I said slowly as we got out of the car, "I thought you said there would be two cabins."
He shrugged innocently. "They only had this one available. But it’s bigger!"
I explored the cabin while the kids unloaded our bags. Just as I feared, there were only two bedrooms—a master suite and a room with bunk beds. The living area was spacious with a stone fireplace, and the kitchen was well-stocked with groceries I definitely hadn’t packed.
An hour later, I heard the crunch of tires on gravel. Calvin had arrived.
I watched from the window as he stepped out of his sleek black SUV, dressed in casual clothes I imdiately recognized—dark jeans and a gray henley I’d bought him years ago. He’d kept them all this ti?
I opened the door before he could knock. "You’re late."
"Just wrapped up so work," he replied, his eyes holding mine a mont too long.
The kids rushed past , surrounding Calvin with excited hugs and chatter. Seeing them so happy to have their father there made my heart ache despite everything.
We’d barely settled in when Rowan approached us.
"Phones," he demanded, holding out his hands. "Both of you. Now."
"Excuse ?" I raised an eyebrow.
"This weekend is just for the five of us," he explained with authority. "No work calls, no emails, no distractions."
Calvin looked amused. "Your mother won’t survive without her lab updates."
"And you’re surgically attached to yours," I shot back.
"You’re both too busy all the ti," Rowan continued. "This weekend is for family."
Guilt washed over . I handed over my phone with a sigh. "Just let send Gary a quick ssage first."
Calvin surrendered his device without argunt, which surprised .
"What about ergencies?" I asked.
"The cabin has a landline," Rowan inford smugly. "And only I know where it is."
"When did you get so sneaky?" I muttered, but couldn’t help smiling.
Outside on the deck, Rhys was setting up what looked like a ga with wooden boards and bean bags.
"Cornhole tournant!" he announced excitedly. " and Alexis against Mom and Dad!"
I froze. "I don’t think—"
"Co on, Mom," Rhys whispered. "You and Dad work well together. We’ll definitely win!"
The simple childish faith in his words made it impossible to refuse. Calvin stepped up beside , offering a bean bag.
"For old tis’ sake?" he asked quietly.
I took it reluctantly. "Fine. But no gloating when you miss."
To my surprise, we fell into an easy rhythm. Calvin would line up his shots, then adjust my stance when it was my turn. Each ti his hands touched my shoulders or waist, I tensed before forcing myself to relax. This was just a ga, after all.
"Daddy, help Mommy!" Alexis cheered from the sidelines, clapping her tiny hands.
After we’d thoroughly beaten the kids, Rowan suggested we move indoors for Pictionary.
"I’ll be the referee," he announced, pulling out cards. "Dad, you’ll guess what Mom draws."
"That’s not how teams usually work—" I began.
"New rules," Rowan interrupted, handing a marker.
I glanced at the first word and suppressed a groan. "Family dinner." How obvious could they be?
My artistic skills were terrible, but sohow Calvin guessed correctly within seconds.
"You always draw people as stick figures with huge heads," he explained, smirking.
The next card read "road trip." Then "cuddle." Then, most embarrassingly, "first date."
"Look at Mom’s expression," Rowan coached when Calvin hesitated. "Think about what she likes."
I was drawing what I thought was a recognizable movie theater when Calvin suddenly snapped his fingers.
"That indie film festival we went to," he said confidently.
My marker froze suddenly. "How did you—"
"You dragged to that terrible French movie," he reminded . "You were the only person in the theater laughing."
"It was supposed to be a cody!"
"No one else got the jokes."
We were both smiling now, the mory sweet rather than painful.
After the gas, as Calvin helped Rhys start the grill for dinner, I pulled Rowan aside.
"How exactly did you plan all this?" I asked.
"I researched online," he said with a shrug that was too casual. "Don’t you like it?"
"It’s lovely," I admitted. "I just didn’t realize my little boy was such a skilled vacation planner."
His eyes darted away. "Just wanted us to have fun together."
I decided not to push further. The kids were happy, and despite my reservations, I was actually enjoying myself. Even Calvin’s presence was less annoying than expected.
As evening fell and we gathered around the firepit to roast marshmallows, I watched Calvin help Alexis construct the perfect s’more, patiently showing her how to toast the marshmallow without burning it. He’d always been good with the kids, even if he’d failed as a husband.
"You’re staring," he murmured when he caught my eye.
"Just making sure you don’t set our daughter on fire," I replied, but there was no bite in my words.
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