Page 78 of The Wedding Situation Romance

“So, as much as I am excited that this is the route the two of you have decided to go, I do have some concerns. Sometimes therapy can seem like the fix-all solution at the very beginning, but like anything else, the magic can wear off. Chances are, you’veonly scratched the surface of your problems at this point. But eventually, you’re gonna get down to things that neither of you really want to address or discuss. Now, I’m not saying that you should go through with the divorce, but I do want you to keep in mind that whatever brought you through my door is going to have to be dissected. And it’s probably going to be painful.”

“We are aware of that,” Michael admits. “In fact, it’s kind of funny because Allegra said the exact same thing.”

Of course she did. It would make sense that my best friend and I would say the same thing.

“But the thing about that,” he goes on. “Because it doesn’t intimidate me. I think it’s safe to say that it doesn’t intimidate either of us, especially since my wife never wanted the divorce to begin with.”

“But what about you?” I ask as I take a sip of my wine. “No offense, but it’s not a secret that you were the one that wanted to end everything. How did one therapy session change that?”

Michael takes a moment to think about that. Then his eyes come back to me and he says. “Fear mainly. I think when things got hairy, I just didn’t know what to do. And more so, I realize something. When women are unsatisfied in marriage, they will pull the plug if they have the means to do so. And despite her modesty, Ashley is more talented than she lets on. Maybe she never finished her degree, which is my fault. And she never sought a career either because she was too busy following me around the country. But all of that said, this woman could be anything she wants to be. And she wouldn’t need me to accomplish it. And as a man, that is very intimidating.”

I listen to Michael talk, and I have to admit. I’m very impressed. Not many men are willing to be this vulnerable. And that tells me one thing. He really doesn’t want the marriage to end either. And I take a sip of my wine because if I don’t, they will probably notice that my eyes are filling with tears. Of course, when I look back at Ashley, it doesn’t really matter anyways.

“I definitely think that the two of you have the potential to figure things out,” I tell them.

“Absolutely,” Ashley agrees.

“Once I heard that she got a lawyer, it also kind of lit a fire under my ass. Especially considering the lawyer she hired.”

I chuckle at that. “He really is the best.”

“Honestly, when we went to mediation, I realized just how good he was. And just how much I have to lose,” Michael goes on to admit. “I chose one of the most solicited and well-known divorce lawyers in the state of New York.”

I stop at his words. Because despite the fact that I asked my dad the other day, just who is representing Michael in the case, he didn’t tell me. But there’s nothing wrong with me asking the man himself. Especially if the divorce is not going to go through.

“Might I ask who you hired?”

“His name is Remington,” he tells me.

“That’s his last name…” Ashley says.

“Remington,” I echo. “I haven’t heard of him.”

And it’s true. For a moment, I wondered if perhaps his lawyer was Reid. But I guess that’s not very likely. Despite the fact that he labels himself the most skilled divorce lawyer in all of NewYork, I think he thinks he’s the most skilled everything in all of New York. Some of those statements might be true, but that’s beside the point.

“I think he’s Italian,” Ashley states. “At least that’s what the name would imply.”

“Either way,” Michael says, taking his wife’s hand in his own. “I don’t think it matters anymore. Because as far as both of us are concerned, the divorce is off.”

“Well, I love to hear that,” I say, raising my glass to cheers both of them. We all clink them together and then they share a kiss.

Suddenly, Ashley turns to me. “All of that said, letting you know that we want to try to make things work isn’t the only reason we wanted to meet with you tonight.”

“Oh?” I asked, my brow arching in curiosity.

“As we were having dinner, we came up with this thought. And while it might be a little bit premature, we wanted to run it past you. Seeing as how your life's work is making sure that people who need counseling for their marriages have access to it,” Ashley says.

“I realize something…” Michael goes on when he can tell that I am still in the dark here. “In the middle of our mediation, we had one hang-up. A piece of property that I hadn’t mentioned to anyone, including my own lawyer. A vacation home. Ashley knew about it, of course, but she didn’t know that I was hoping to keep it for myself. Despite wanting to split everything else.”

“Okay…” I say, waiting for him to go on. I’m not so sure where this is going, but at the same time, the smirk on Ashley’s face tells me that it’s going in a good direction.

“We are going to continue therapy, of course,” she says. “But we’ve also agreed to something else.”

They weigh a beat mostly for anticipation, and I have to admit that I am on the edge of my seat here.

Finally, Michael, let’s go of the big reveal. “We want to renew our vows,” he says. “At the vacation home.”

“Well, that’s lovely!” I say, and I truly mean it. Though, if I’m being honest, I don’t see how that merits asking me to come to my office in the middle of the night.