Page 155 of One Wild Wish

Her laugh drifted through the line. “That day was nuts. But seeing you punch Mike in the face was a highlight back then.”

I flexed my hand, as though it still throbbed. “Felt pretty good, considering. How are you?”

She paused, and I leaned back in my chair, spinning the pen on my desk. It was nice to hear her voice. The familiarity sucked time into a vacuum, like we’d never lost our friendship.

“I imagine you’re asking if I’m still with Mike, and the answer is yes. We moved past what he did, with a crapload of therapy, but things are really good.”

Not sure I had it in me to forgive a spouse that kind of betrayal, but if there was one thing my disastrous marriage had taught me, it was that there was no judging other relationships. We weren’t privy to what happened behind closed doors. “Glad to hear it. I know you wanted to make it work.”

“It’s not all smooth sailing, and the distrust creeps up from time to time, but we both put in the effort we deserve now. What’s going on with you? Why’d you reach out?”

Summer had always been a straight shooter. It was one of the reasons we got along so well. “I left Tessa shortly after the last day I saw you, and things have been…rough.”

I launched into the whole mess: the cheating scandal that never happened, losing my friends, the divorce from hell, meeting Ainsley. The last bit came out soft and low, words I wanted to sink into.

“You sound smitten.”

“Yeah.” Even thinking about Ainsley had my stress ebbing. “But I need to end this standoff with Tessa if I want things to move forward with us. I didn’t cheat on Tessa, but she thinks I did. Since you got past what happened with Mike, any chance you have advice on how to handle things?”

The sound of clanging bit out, then, “Sorry. Trying to cook a late dinner.” More noises filled the pause. “Okay. The thing about Mike’s affair was, it wasn’t the cause of our problems; it was the effect. We’d drifted, as you know. We had money issues and his father had passed away, and a thousand other stupid things piled on until we didn’t recognize each other. He knows if he ever cheats again, I’ll be gone faster than he can blink, but I believed in us and wasn’t ready to let go. Getting past what he did was about us both owning our part in the cause. So I guess the question is, have you done that? Have you apologized to Tessa? Have you taken ownership of your part in things?”

My heel was restless again, bouncing in time to my agitated thoughts. Tessa held a solid portion of the blame for our failed marriage. For years, I’d blamed her for it all:

Tessa didn’t want kids.

Tessa chose work over me.

Tessa cared more about money than love.

Then came her accusations, and my anger had blocked out the rest, including my role in our collapse. I hadn’t been able to focus on much besides my resentment and hurt. I would cast blame, and she’d bite back, an unending circle of animosity. Never once had I said I was sorry.

The more I spun the idea, the more it made sense. This was the wrench in our divorce.

I’d never accepted my blame.

“Summer, you’re a genius.”

“I try. Look, I’ve gotta go, but I’d also like to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I meant to get in touch after the last day I saw you, but Mike assumed you and I were seeing each other. That’s why he thought you hit him.”

A wave of guilt rocked me. “I’m sorry if I made things worse.”

“Don’t be. Like I said, seeing that made me feel better, and he knows the truth now. But things were too fragile then to reach out to you, and time went on…”

“Don’t think twice about it. I never messaged you, either. But it’s nice to reconnect.”

“It is. Don’t be a stranger.”

We hung up, and I stared at my phone. When Tessa had first accused me of stepping out on her, I’d racked my brain, trying to figure out why she’d thought I’d cheated and who she’d believed I’d been seeing. Summer had come to mind briefly, but we’d never gotten together outside the build, never talked on the phone. Tonight was the first time I’d even sent her an e-mail. It hadn’t made sense, nor did any other acquaintance I’d had at the time.

Unless Summer’s husband had said something to Tessa. Found out who I was married to and tried to start trouble.

If so, nothing to be done about it now. Now was the time to shoulder my side of the blame for my failed marriage. Sift through my actions and offer my own apology.

I kept my e-mail to Tessa short: