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“When did you find out about this?” He pointed again.
Calista told him about suddenly realizing she hadn’t had a period since she’d been with Austin, and going to Walmart with Katrina to do the pregnancy tests.
“I moved out of Alphé’s house when I found out I was pregnant with your baby. I tried to hide it as long as I could, but with twins, that’s been hard.
“I’m not sure what my neighbors think. No one is going to ask ‘who’s the father?’ My friends know they’re yours.”
“How’d that go over?” he asked, knowing that the answer probably wasn’t something he was going to like.
“They are all furious with you, Austin. What you did was pretty awful, but it wasn’t against me, exactly. And it turned out okay. I wish I would have handled it differently.”
She shook her head, so confused. Part of her wondered why she was even bothering with Austin. Could he be trusted? That was the big issue. He still needed to prove it.
“In what way? I’m not sure I deserved anything different.”
“I wish I would have given you the opportunity to prove that you could be trusted. If it was due to jealousy of Alphé, I’m not sure I can live with that.”
He looked down into his coffee like it would provide the tough answers. “If I make any attempt at trying to explain my behavior, it’s just going to sound like I’m making excuses.”
“Well, I’m listening. I want to know.”
“It didn’t add up, that’s all. I couldn’t believe Alphé didn’t know his wife was messing around with your husband.”
“But I didn’t know, either.”
“You didn’t suspect anything?”
“Maybe I did, Austin, but you have to understand that the way I was raised, it wasn’t unusual for a man to have a lot of freedom. They came and went, and you didn’t question it. And honestly, after living with Alphé for that short time, I can see why he didn’t suspect Lola was cheatin’. He is the most unaware man I have ever met. His life revolves around that fishing boat and his kids. It’s almost like he doesn’t care, like he’d rather not have to give so much.”
“Like he’d be relieved some other guy was doing all the work?”
“Yeah, as creepy as that sounds.”
“But you thought enough of him to move in.”
“He needed a wife. Those were his words. We were going to ‘give it a try.’ But obviously, there was nothing there for either of us. I think he hoped I wouldn’t need anything from him.
“What’s the next step for us?” she asked, sitting down on a stool next to him. “I’m not sure we can pick right up where we left off.”
“Can we start over?” he asked. “If you give me a chance, I’ll try to earn your trust.”
“I’ll give you a chance, Austin. Can we take it slow?”
“We can. Give me a definition though. I might need specific directions.”
“Well, for starters, you stay in your RV, and I stay here. We make dates to see each other.”
“I’ll try. How long before the babies are due?” he asked. “I feel like I missed so much already.”
“Trust me, you aren’t missing out on this last month. I’m miserable in the heat. I have body parts that are not functioning optimally. I’d rather keep some mystery in our relationship.”
“I don’t need mystery. I want to experience what’s left of the incubation with you.”
She laughed out loud. “I’m more than willing to share that with you.”
They leaned in and gave each other a kiss.
***
