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It was another GNI, this time at Angie's apartment. I’d asked Angie if she minded if I invited Jade and Maggie because I had something to share with them. Faith texted earlier to say she’d be late, a rare occurrence. I hoped nothing was wrong with Caleb. And we hadn’t heard from Laurel either, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I knew I was going to need their support in the coming days. So, I'd started by telling them about Jax's newest tattoo—my name in script over his phoenix.
I smiled. "He said the phoenix represents the break from his past and my name is his future that it’s flying toward."
I'd never shared the details of Jax's past. They knew he'd had a childhood, but I knew they assumed it had something to do with his father's death and his mom's second marriage. Close enough.
"That sounds like a proposal might be coming," Jade said slyly.
"Well, funny you should mention that," I hedged.
"What?" The word was chorused by all of them.
"Grace, do you have mo
re to tell us?" Angie shrieked.
"He, um, he’s not overly fond of weddings, but the word “elope” might have come up once or twice."
Angie pointed a finger at me. "Daddy would kill you!"
"Not to mention us," Maggie shrieked. "It's my turn to help you plan your special day."
I was saved from further explanation when the doorbell rang. Seizing the opportunity, I told Angie to stay seated and hopped up and headed for the door. "That must be Faith," I called over my shoulder.
I swung the door open with a wide smile that quickly fell once I saw Faith's face. Her eyes were red, and her mascara ran down her face.
"Faith," I gasped, pulling her into my arms. "Honey, come in. Are you okay?"
Angie joined us. "Sugar, what's wrong?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows. I shrugged in return.
"Come in and sit. Angie, get her a glass of wine." I kept my arm around Faith as I guided her to the couch. Maggie and Jade both looked at us with alarm.
Maggie put her arm around my sister. "Is it Caleb? Adam? Is everyone okay?"
Faith sniffled. "Everyone's fine. I didn't mean to alarm everyone. I thought I'd pulled myself together, but on the ride over here a sappy love song came on, and I started crying all over again."
Angie pressed a glass into Faith's hands. She downed half a glass without pause and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. I'd never seen such an unladylike gesture from her; she was the epitome of class and elegance.
She took a deep breath. "I’m pretty sure my marriage is falling apart, and I'm not even sure I care." A tear trickled down her cheek.
This time, the response was a unified collection of gasps. I grasped her hand. "Faith! Are sure? What makes you say that?"
She shrugged. "He suddenly has all these after work meetings after hours or extra work to finish at the office. I suspect the extra work is his secretary, but I don't have proof. But more important is the way Caleb is happier when he's not at home. You saw firsthand at dinner how it bad it is at Mama and Daddy's house. The thing is, I don't know if I'm more upset about his possible infidelity or about how much happier I am when he's not around. I mean, how sad is that?"
Angie pulled Faith into her arms. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?"
Faith shrugged. "Maybe. But that doesn't resolve my feelings. What does that say about me as a wife?"
Seeing my sister so sad had a sobering effect. I crawled over to her and wrapped my arms around her from behind. "It says you're a woman with real feelings, and one who's tolerated more than she should in a relationship. You've sacrificed your own needs and supported him without question. We've all seen how it is. He takes you for granted."
I didn’t add that I’d learned how that level of self-sacrifice was not a healthy one. Look what it had done to Jax.
"I thought I was doing the right thing in supporting his dreams since that's what provides for us as a family. Now I'm questioning everything."
"Maybe you can try talking to him. Let him know how you feel. See what he says. Isn't that what you'd tell one of us?" Maggie was the voice of reason in our group.
"I tried. He was mad at me for questioning him. He told me, and I quote, "I only had everything I did because of him, and he didn't need me to question him and to mind my own fucking business."
There was a collective gasp.
