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I sigh. “Seared scallops and mushroom risotto with chocolate molten cakes for dessert. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who could ruin those dishes and make such a mess doing it.”
“I appreciate the gesture but I wasn’t looking for a domestic goddess when I married you.” He slides some strands of hair from my face, securing them behind my ear. “Was this the worst thing about your day?”
“No.” I swallow the rising emotion threatening to make me cry. As far as I’m concerned, I’m all cried out and want nothing to do with any more tears. “I actually don’t know if I can decide what was the worst. It’s a competition between not having a job to go to this morning, receiving a box containing all the items from my work desk that were just dumped in there like they don’t even know me or care about me, being called awful names on social media for being a homewrecker, being stared at and whispered about, and being ignored by my father when I called him.” My voice catches in my throat when I mention my father, telling both of us that this was in fact the worst thing about my day.
Bradford’s arms circle me and he pulls me close as he curses softly. He cradles my head and I rest my cheek against his chest.
I wrap my arms around his body and feel instantly safe. “Having everyone know that my own father has disowned me…it’s awful. And I know I shouldn’t worry what other people think, but it was how I was raised and it’s fucking hard to unwire that thought pattern.”
“Who knows about it? I don’t imagine he’s broadcast the news.”
“Some people at work. I received emails today advising me that I won’t be able to access the building anymore due to my father’s instructions. It won’t take long for word to spread. And then everyone will have even more to gossip about.”
“I’ve got my team working on the social media slander. Hopefully that will die down soon. Did you speak with your mom today?”
I lift my face to look at him. “No. She called a couple of times but I couldn’t bring myself to answer her calls. I’m too hurt and still making sense of everything. But then there’s this part of me that wants her to force her way in, to explain it all to me. The fact she didn’t even try to force herself on me…that hurts almost as much, you know?”
He nods before saying, “I found out what the history is between our families.”
“What is it?”
A look of misgiving flashes in his eyes and I know thatthiswas why he came home wearing the expression that warned me to search for hard liquor. “This isn’t going to be easy to hear.”
“Nothing about today has been easy. Just tell me.”
He stalls for another moment before giving me a nod. “Our fathers knew each other in college. They were friends, but rivals. My father said your dad was the competitive one, but I don’t doubt for a second that Dad was also so inclined. And then there was your mother who they also knew.” He pauses, searching my face like he’s looking for reassurance that I’m ready to hear the next part of what he has to say. “Fuck, Kristen, this is going to change so many things for you.”
Apprehension skates down my spine, and my breath quickens. “What did she do?” A million scenarios clamber for space in my brain and if Bradford doesn’thurry up and just tell me already, my head may explode.
“She was close with my father and he thought a relationship might develop, but your father pursued her. Dad used the wordrelentlessto describe his style. Again, that was his version of events. The three of them drifted apart after your parents began dating and I got the impression Dad didn’t have anything to do with your mom again until years later.” He stops for a moment. “They slept together twenty-eight years ago, and based on your father’s reaction to our marriage, Dad suspects your mom told him about it.”
I stare at him as the wordsthey slept togethersplinter into random letters and float around my brain individually. It’s like I can’t catch them and put them back into words that make sense.
What did he say?
I blink. “What?” My mother. His father. “They had an affair?”
“Not according to Dad. He said it was a one-time thing.”
“Twenty-eight years ago?” My mind whirls. My heart fractures. “That would have been just after I was born. Mom had sex with another man just after having me?”Mom cheated on Dad. Four words I never imagined saying.
“Yes.” He only says one word, but Bradford’s devastation can be felt in every letter he utters.
“Does your mom know about this?”
“Yes. Dad told her not long after it happened.”
“God.” I release a long breath. “You know, if someone had told me that one of my parents cheated on the other, I would have guessed it was Dad. And maybe he did too. Maybe they both had affairs. Maybe—”
Bradford puts his finger to my lips, quieting me. “Don’t let your mind run in any direction yet. Wait until you talk with your parents about this.”
He’s right, but if he thinks I’ll be able to stop my mind from doing all that wild running, he has a lot to learn about me. I mean, a twenty-eight-year-old woman doesn’t end up in the middle of a midlife crisis without doing a lot of wild mind running. It’s my special talent. And on top of that,my mother cheated on my father. AndI’mthe one who has to suffer now because of that. There’s no way my mind won’t be running in all the directions tonight.
I take a long look at him, at the strain on his face. “How are you?”
“This came as a shock today. I don’t know what to make of it yet.”
“How about everything else that’s happening. Are you okay?”
