Chapter Thirteen: The Morning After

                                    

                                          
The morning after the gala... I stand in the kitchen, doing my best to pretend like it's just any other day. I pour myself a fresh cup of coffee while Mason and Mickey eat their wheat germ oatmeal at the counter.
"Sorry about your breakfast, boys, but it's the best I could do with Sofia's new diet guidelines." I frown, looking at the sad breakfast.
"It might not be so bad if it came with a side of bacon." Mickey shyly smiles.
"I don't think even that would help. Besides, Aunt Sofia got rid of all our bacon, remember?" Mason pouted.
"Good morning!" 
I try not to flush as Ezra enters the room. Just the sound of his voice is enough to bring the memory of last night rushing back.
One flashback...
"... Tell me what you imagine when you touch yourself at night, Y/N. Do you think of me?"
Another...
"... Are you sure you want to do this?"
Again...
"... Y/N!"
"Y/N? Are you alright?" My cheeks flush. I shake myself out of my reverie and turn to Ezra.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... Thinking about last night." I watch him closely, seeing if he'll take the bait. He doesn't say anything, but I see something flash in his eyes before he can control it.
"Yeah! Carter said you went to that fancy party thing with Dad!" Mason smiles.
"Did you pull any pranks?" Mickey giggles.
Ezra keeps his expression completely under control as he looks at his kids. "Not this time. Maybe we just needed someone to show us how it's done."
"I'd rather stay home and eat pizza, thanks!" Mickey scrunches his nose.
I glance at the boys, then back at Ezra, dropping my voice to a whisper. "Can we talk later?"
Ezra stiffens, keeping his eyes glued on the boys. "...Yes. Later."
I note the emphasis on the word, but before I can respond, Ezra grabs his cup of coffee and heads to his home office. I watch his retreating back, trying to ignore the pain in my heart.
After breakfast, I help Mason and Mickey get ready for the day when Ezra knocks on their bedroom door. "I'm about to go into the office, but I wanted to talk to you first."
My heart stutters at Ezra's declaration... until I realize he's talking to the twins. 'Get it together, Y/N. Now is definitely not an appropriate time for us to discuss our horizontal tango.'
Ezra takes a seat, then clears his throat as Mason and Mickey put their arms around him.
"What's wrong, Dad? You look sad..." Mason frowns.
"I'm not... sad. I just know you're not going to like what I have to say." Ezra sighs.
Mickey gives him a small smile. "Then you gotta just rip it off. Like a Band-Aid."
"Right, like a Band-Aid." Ezra returns his smile but takes a deep breath. "I have to go to Italy for a business trip... as soon as possible."
I gasp, "What? You're fleeing the country, just like that?"
Ezra glares at me. "I wouldn't call it 'fleeing'. Fitzgerald Enterprises has been in negotiations for months, and after the Milan breach... Well, my dad just doesn't trust anyone else to handle it."
Mason frowns, "What about us?"
"Aunt Sofia isn't staying here, is she?" Mickey gets a little nervous to hear the answer.