“Do you want to add anything else?” I ask Decker. “Clearly, her name holds a lot of weight in this room.” When Decker doesn’t respond, I turn back to Foster. “What’s the context of that relationship now?”
“There is no context. I’m engaged and have a daughter with another woman.” He glances at Decker, but Decker’s attention doesn’t shift away from the window.
“Decker, you seem very disengaged right now.”
Foster turns his body toward Decker, and he’s fighting a smile, which I find odd given Decker’s mood.
“I don’t want to rehash it all.” Decker finally turns to look at me.
“Why?”
“Because me saying sorry will never be enough.”
Foster blows out a breath and shakes his head.
“I’m missing something, fellas, fill me in?” I look between the two of them.
Foster waits a minute, but Decker doesn’t talk. “Fine, I’ll do it. I was dating Penelope, we broke up, and I showed up at Decker’s one morning shortly after. Penelope was there, half naked and wearing his T-shirt.”
Decker winces.
The room goes quiet.
I lean back in my chair. I should’ve predicted it all came down to a woman.
“I have no excuse.” Decker turns to face his brother. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
“I know you are,” Foster says, but it’s a Band-Aid.
We need to dig deeper.
“Can we start from the breakup, Foster? The relationship ended. Who ended it?”
“I did. I was focused on the season.” He blows out a breath. “Draft was coming. I moved on.”
“Decker?”
He’s back to looking out the window. “I called her.”
Foster turns at his confession.
“I waited five days,” Decker says. “And then I called her.”
I note the precision of it. The waiting. As if five days made the call something other than what it was.
“Did Foster know you were calling her?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
He swings his gaze away from the window. “Because I knew what I was doing. And I knew if I told him, I’d have to stop.”
I let that sit. It’s the most honest thing he’s said in six sessions, and I don’t want to move past it too quickly. It might be the last time Decker Davis crossed a line he shouldn’t have.
Foster’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t speak.
“What happened from there?” I ask Decker.
