“Hmm. Bacon, biscuits, and an omelet. This looks so good. Thanks, Bliss.”
He pulls out a bar stool and sits down to eat.
I feel his eyes on me as I gather the rest of the dishes and add them to the sink.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Zane making quick work of the breakfast. His mouth is full of biscuit, so I wait a moment before I try speaking.
I turn back to the sink and scrub away at the dishes.
Maybe I shouldn’t spring an ‘I love you’ on someone who isn’t quite awake. But I can’t hold it in anymore.
“What’s the occasion?” Zane asks as he sets his plate down in the sink when he’s finished.
Tossing the rag in the sink, I turn to face him. We’re only a few inches apart as I stare up at him. “I love you.”
There. I said it. It’s all out in the open. No more hiding. I. Love. Zane.
Zane’s jaw drops a little, but then it snaps closed, and he steps toward me, erasing the small distance between us. He presses a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “You’re so good to me.”
Then he walks out of the kitchen and down the hallway.
He walked away.
I’m flabbergasted. In all of the different scenarios I had imagined, I had never once thought of this.
I thought maybe he would tell me he didn’t feel the same way. The other possibility was that he would tell me he loves me, too. I also imagined him demanding a divorce immediately. But I never thought he would calmly walk out of the room.
Less than ten minutes after me telling him ‘I love you’, he’s pulling out of the driveway as though I released the hounds of hell on him.
Safe to say he doesn’t love me back.
Ignoring the mess in the kitchen, I walk slowly into the living room and melt into the rug.
I lie in the middle of the living room floor for an hour after Zane left. My heart is in pieces on the kitchen floor. I’ve tried to think of a practical way to put it back together. Not a single solution comes to mind.
There’s only one person I can call.
Staying on the floor, I reach up to the coffee table and flop my hand around, looking for my phone. I finally latch on to it and make a phone call.
“Hello? Are you calling to see if I’ve had the baby yet? If you are, I’ll tell you the same thing I told the other forty people who have asked me. The baby will come when the baby wants to!” Briar exclaims in a breathless rush. “Just because it’s the due date week…this baby could still stay in here another ten days!”
I hiccup. “That wasn’t why I was calling. But I’m glad to hear you’re having such a lovely pregnancy experience …”
“Oh. Okay. Well, in that case … how are you? It’s nice to hear your voice.” Briar’s tone is back to her regular pitch.
“I’m okay.” I squeak out, trying to hold back the floodgate of tears right behind my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asks immediately. “I’m okayis code for something horrible.”
“It’s fine, really. I’m fi—” My voice cracks on the last word.
Soon, I’m telling my oldest sister everything.
Why I got married. How Zane proposed. When I fell madly in love with my own husband.
She gets to hear the entire sordid ordeal.
I’m lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. I’d hoped talking to my sister would’ve given me clarity. But instead, I’m just sad. It did give me enough gumption to climb off the floor and onto the couch, though.
