AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tristan snorts. “If they’re even half as high maintenance as their mother, they won't allow that.”
“Hey!” Piper squeals. “That's not fair. No one would want their uncle to wear a T-shirt talking about how handsome he is on their wedding day.”
“Okay, I'll compromise. Just to the reception.”
Piper chuckles. “Let's discuss it in thirty years, okay?”
“Alright, deal.”
Before we say our goodbyes, Piper reminds me to send her the recording. As soon as we hang up, I text it to them both.
Tatum's demeanor is off, and I can't pinpoint what happened to upset her.
“Everything okay?” I ask, shifting closer to her.
She smiles, but it looks forced. “Absolutely! That's really exciting for them.”
“Yeah, considering my brother isn't getting any younger and Piper probably wants a dozen babies, they were bound to start having kids as soon as possible. Twins will keep them busy as fuck though.”
“She's lucky. I struggled to get pregnant. It can mentally fuck you up as a woman.”
Wait, what?
“You did? I had no idea, Tatum. Was there nothing that could be done to help you?”
“I should rephrase that. I could get pregnant, but I struggled to keep the pregnancies. I miscarried. Over and over. It was frustrating and mentally exhausting.”
My heart squeezes at how sad she is right now. I can't even imagine what that was like or how it made her feel. “I'm so sorry.”
“I wasn't trying to make this about me. I’m sorry. It's just a trigger that still haunts me.”
I grab her hand. “Don't apologize. I’ll never understand how it felt to go through losses like that, but it doesn't mean you have to hold back. I can sympathize with how painful that must’ve been,” I tell her, not knowing much about pregnancy or babies but seeing the anguish written on her beautiful face.
“About ten years ago, I made it to the second trimester. I was so damn happy and followed the pregnancy books to a T. I was twenty-five weeks along when I lost him. They called it a stillbirth. I was devastated, and it was one of the darkest times of my life.”
I shake my head. “Do they know why?”
“No. It's rare, but it happens more often than most people realize. That was the first time Justin hit me.”
I blink. “What? He hit you after something so tragic happened?”
I must be hearing her wrong because what kind of man does this to his wife after losing a baby?
“He was upset and took out his anger on me. Of course, he apologized, but it was the start of my emotional spiral.”
I grind my teeth, shocked and pissed that Tatum went through a horrific experience with a shitty fucking partner.
“We stopped communicating. Instead of grieving together, he used me as a punching bag to relieve his stress, and the support I needed wasn't there. I was too ashamed to tell anyone because I thought he'd snap out of it. Then I blamed myself. If only I hadn't lost the baby, we'd be happy. If only I was a woman who could handle pregnancy, we'd have a family.”
I want to bash that motherfucker's face in the concrete.
“You're strong, Tatum. You went through something unimaginable and came out ahead.”
She scoffs. “I'm not sure that's true.”
I brush the hair off her face, then tilt up her chin to look at me. “It might not matter anymore, but in the event it does, you can open up to me about anything. Cry in my arms. Let it all out. Whatever you need, okay?” I give her a reassuring smile. “You deserved better. You shouldn't have had to deal with that mental warfare.”
“I think it would've been different if I had a support system, but I was already isolated from my friends and family. I hadn't noticed it at first, but then Justin told me I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. As if he was embarrassed I couldn’t carry full-term. Truthfully, I should've gone to counseling for my grief, but he refused to pay for it. Instead, I was expected to just pick up where I was before we lost him like nothing had happened.”
“He's a piece of shit, Tatum. You have no idea what I'd like to do to him.”
She wipes her cheeks as a couple of tears fall. “Trust me, a few horrible thoughts have crossed my mind, and I don’t even want to tell you what Oakley says about him. It took a few years after that to realize he was a narcissist. So many ups and downs, controlling and manipulative behaviors, and me being naïve by thinking he'd eventually change.”
I want to hold her tight right now.
“But Easton, I'm sorry to be a Debby Downer. I don't want to take away from your amazing news. I’m really excited for you and your family.”
“I'm not upset, Tatum. I mean, I am, but not about that. I wish I could’ve been there for you, that’s all.”
