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I glanced over to Laura, who stood there pretending to sort through one of the boxes. I could tell she was uncomfortable. “Fine, Derrick, I will rethink the bags.”
Laura glanced up at us. "Okay, guys, I guess that is my cue. I'm out of here. I'll be back tomorrow to help you finish up with this," she said, slipping her shoes on and grabbing her purse. I had planned to invite her for dinner, but, given Derrick’s attitude, I knew she wouldn’t stay so I decided against it. I walked her to the door and waved as she climbed into her car and backed out of the driveway.
I closed and locked the front door and walked over to where Derrick stood still looking in at the stuff in the dining room. "What did you want to do tonight? I figured we could just stay in, curl up in front of the fire, and watch a movie, but if you have something else in mind, I’m all ears," I said, reaching up and pulling at the knot of his tie to loosen it.
He grabbed my hands, removing them from his body, and cleared his throat. "I have some work to finish up first. I'll be awhile," he barked, and without another word, he climbed the stairs to his office. “Oh and get rid of those gift bags, they aren’t needed.”
"Okay, well, I'll get dinner going," I called up, but instead of a response, I heard nothing but the slam of his office door. I shrugged, wondering what was bothering him but figured that he'd had a bad day and needed to decompress, so without another word, I left him alone and made my way into the kitchen to start dinner.
A little after seven, I yelled up to Derrick letting him know dinner was ready. When I didn’t get a response, I climbed a couple of steps then heard him on the phone. I assumed he was speaking with a client, so I made my way back down to the kitchen. I had our dinner already plated and had already started eating when he walked into the kitchen ten minutes later. He still wore his black dress pants and white dress shirt; the only thing missing was his tie. He sat down in his usual spot, picked up his fork, and dug into the salad without saying a word.
"How was your day?" I asked.
"Fine." He grumbled.
"That's it, fine?"
"Yes, Tess, that is it. Finance can be a boring business. Tell me, what are you doing with all that stuff in the dining room? There must be over five hundred dollars worth of useless garbage in there."
"I told you, it's for Thanksgiving. It didn’t cost that much. Laura let me use her discount, and most of it is returnable. I just figured we could make this meal a little special, that’s all. Besides, it's more for the people who couldn't make the wedding more than anything."
"I told you, it was their decision not to come. What was in the gift bags?" he questioned.
"Gifts, of course. Just a little thank you for coming to dinner," I said, smiling, only I noticed immediately that Derrick didn't smile back. "Is something wrong?"
Derrick let out a huff, "Never mind. It's nothing," he mumbled, picking up his wineglass and drinking down the contents.
"Oh, I have good news.”
“What’s that?”
I paid for the honeymoon today. I also called the hotel and asked them to upgrade our room to the honeymoon package. Oh, and I got notification for the flight. No times yet, but it’s confirmed."
Derrick avoided eye contact with me while I continued. "Oh, and the train over to Le Mont-Dore has been booked as well. I know you had mentioned wanting to ski more, but the resort didn't have any openings until the twenty-ninth, and that day we will spend most of it on a train. I did my best." When I looked back up and at Derrick, I noticed he wasn't paying attention to a word I'd said. Instead he sat there with a far-off look in his eyes. I frowned. "Derrick, what is it?"
"What?"
"Come on, you've barely looked at me, and have barely said two words since you came down here. I was telling you about the trip and skiing, and you said nothing. What is going on? Is something wrong at work?"
Derrick blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. Something was on his mind, and I watched as he struggled with whatever it was. It was like he didn’t want to tell me.
"Tess, I have something to tell you, and to be honest, I do not know how I am going to say it."
I blew out a breath, my stomach in knots. "Derrick, we talked a long time ago about this. Bad news is just best to be said. Then we deal with whatever it is together. So, what is it?" I gave him my undivided attention, thinking perhaps he had lost an enormous deal at work and wanted someone to talk to.
He sat there, his eyes locked with mine, a line etched between his brows. "There is no easy way to say this, Tess,” he said hanging his head. “I, um, I met someone, and she is everything I've ever wanted."
“You what?” Instantly, I felt my body heat, and the room got dark, my surroundings spinning, making me feel lightheaded.
“I meant someone. I don't want to get married."
I had no idea what to say as I sat there staring down at my plate, the contents of my stomach threatening to come back up. I swallowed hard, picked up my wineglass, and was about to take a sip, but the smell of the wine made my stomach turn faster than it already was. I put my glass down and took a deep breath, he had to be joking. There was no way he was serious.
A small smile came to my lips. "You're joking, right? Who put you up to this, Laura? One of the boys? It was Maddox, wasn't it? He's the one who's always playing practical jokes. Or wait, maybe it was Pace," I said, laughing, because otherwise the tears were going to start falling. Only Derrick didn't laugh. He sat there looking at me without an ounce of emotion on his face.
"I'm serious, Tess. It’s not a joke. I don't think it's fair that I lead you on, so I'm doing what is best for both of us. We are going to cancel the wedding. It will save us both a messy divorce later on down the road."
My eyes burned as I looked at him. There wasn't a hint of a smile on his face; he was serious. He didn’t want to get married. I looked down at the ring that sat on my finger, the large diamond that I had always said was too big for me staring back at me. I couldn't find words to say to him. Hurt, rage and anger filled me. I sat there staring at him, even though the sight of him was making me sick.
