AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Struggling to pull my body up as it feels heavier than a lead balloon, I move myself up to the top of the bed and rest my back against the cream velvet headboard; the girls sit up on the mattress and cross their legs yoga style.
“I think I messed up.” I fiddle with my fingers.
“We think you’re fed up.” Candy tries to make me feel better.
“I hurt him.” And hurt me in the process. “I didn’t mean to.” Didn’t want to. “I packed my bags.”
“We know.”
I look up at them. Knowing how private Ash is, he wouldn’t have called his friends.
Bree kills my curiosity. “He was drinking in Home & Away.”
Drinking?
Ash rarely drinks.
“Ricky called Brayden. Dustin called too. He was hopping mad.” Candy cringes. “Ash quit his job via text message. Which Dustin didn’t accept.”
I can’t believe he texted the Eagles’ general manager. I thought he was kidding when he did that. Ash is the paramount of professionalism, that’s so unlike him.
He was trying to do the right thing by me, but that’s not what I wanted either.
Why is this so confusing?
I cover my face with my hands. “I feel terrible. I’m so confused.” I space my fingers to peek through them. “I need to speak to him. Is he okay?” I tried calling him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I’ve cried a river already. I feel like crying again, although I don’t know if I have any more tears left inside of me and my eyes feel like they’ve been stung by a thousand cacti.
“You’re both hurting.” Comforting me, Bree rubs my knee.
Still covering my face, I hang my head in shame. “We were always so close and now we barely see each other. I don’t know what happened to us.”
I can see why Candy sold her shares in the clubs she was an owner of before she got married. They are now the largest chain of exclusive clubs, not just in the city but throughout Canada. There is no way she would have time in her schedule for that now.
She did what I didn’t do; she prioritized her family over business.
I love my business, but it’s taking over my life, just like Ash’s job. That’s what they have become, jobs, not careers.
Candy says, “Life happened to you. You’re a successful businesswoman. You have one of the top businesses in the city. You’re the best wedding planner in the country.” Candy emphasizes her last three words. “You’ve remodeled this house while building your empire. You have multiple properties you rent out and manage yourself.” Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. “And your husband is the head coach for one of the top performing teams in the NHL. He’s not home very often. He has a demanding job. The press is never off his back and he is forever on call to those unruly players.”
Ash always says his job is worse than herding a gaggle of geese. He’s not wrong.
Bree adds, “I think you’ve done a great job holding everything together. You’re a great wife.”
“And friend,” Candy says. “Oh.” She wiggles about, then holds her swollen stomach. She was definitely hiding that bump at the dinner party eight weeks ago. She’s much further along than I thought she was.
I lean forward and worriedly ask, “Are you okay?”
She rubs her tummy. “We have a wriggler, maybe a football player.” Looking at me, she bites her lip, then tentatively asks, “Do you want to have a feel?”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Can I?”
She nods her head excitedly and I move onto my knees.
“Just there.” Candy takes my hand and lays the palm flat against her bump. “Wait.”
I look down at where I’m touching her stomach and can’t imagine what that must feel like to grow a life inside of you. It’s magic.
I jump when the baby kicks. “Oh, wow,” I cry in surprise, and then another little kick makes me laugh. “Strong,” I say in awe.
