AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nate slams his phone down onto his thigh. “Well it seems you knew, too. And you kept this from me. Damn it, woman! Did you not see fit to tell your husband?”
“It wasn’t for me to tell!” she yells back at him.
They get into it the entire way home. I tune them out after a while, watching the road instead, my mind going through every possible scenario I will encounter once we arrive. What will Owen say? What will he do? Does it really matter who I slept with? It shouldn’t, but I know it does.
It occurs to me to call him, or text him at the very least. But even I know he’s not going to be looking at his phone right now. And if he does, he’s not going to respond, he was so angry with me.
The drive home takes a good twenty minutes, and with every passing mile my heart thrums harder and faster. By the time we arrive I am sitting straight up on the edge of my seat, and practically burst out of the car the moment it stops in front of my drive. From my peripheral vision, I register people across the street at the Jensen’s house. Bo’s large truck is parked there as well.
Jane drives away just as I fly through the front door. Katie is hastily gathering her things and a bag she packed for Mia.
“I’m taking Mia to the park for a little while,” she says. Even though she’s smiling, I can tell she’s flustered. Perhaps all the pounding sounds coming from upstairs did it. “We’ll be back in about two hours. Is that all right?” she asks, though I know what she really means is, “Is that enough time for you people to get your shit together?”
“Yes, thank you, Katie.”
“Bye, Momma,” Mia says sweetly, sadly. She looks worried, not to mention confused. And when I lean in to give her a kiss, she holds my face with one hand, completely breaking my heart for any innocence this may have taken away.
Fuck! I hate it when any part of this affects Mia, even if she has no clue what’s going on. Kids are so much more intuitive than we give them credit for.
“Momma loves you, baby. Have fun with Miss Katie, okay?”
When they leave, I take a few calming breaths and head up to find our large gray suitcase on the bed, clothes being thrown into it. He is just throwing them in there, hanger and all.
“Owen, let’s talk about this,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice calm, hoping that will help diffuse the situation somewhat.
“About what?” His voice is emotionless, though I know the anger it really carries.
“Nothing has changed since this morning.”
“Everything has changed, Cris.”
“Like what? I haven’t done anything wrong.” Today that is. “We can still have our chance. What does knowing who it was matter now?”
He stops in front of me, two hanged shirts in his hand. “Because I know who it is, Cris! And now all I see are images of you and him wrapped up in each other, of him coming over while I’m at work. Of you looking at him every time I turn my head!”
“He doesn’t live there!”
“No, but he’s always there. Which means I can’t be here. Not right now. I need time away from you.”
“How much time?”
“I don’t know. A while. Maybe forever.” At my intake of breath, he rephrases, his tone changing. “Look, I just need space to think clearly.”
I know what he’s telling me, though I don’t want to hear it. After throwing in everything he would need for a long time away from home, he zips up the bag and takes the heavy thing down stairs. I follow him all the way, through the house and out the door.
We both pause when we see the small group of people in the middle of the street close to the house. Nate, Jane, Jess, and Bo, all grouped together looking our way. Bo is watching me so intensely I can feel it all the way over here, but then his eyes move to the man standing next to me. Bo’s and Owen’s eyes meet briefly, something exchanged between the two men that I can’t interpret.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Owen asks me. “The Jensen’s son.” Though he’s heard of Bo, he’s never actually met him.
“Yes.”
“The way he looks at you, Cris, it’s like he owns you.” Owen looks down to me when he says it. “Does he?”
I remain quiet because honestly I don’t know anymore. Instead I say, “Please don’t leave.”
“Tell Mia daddy will see her in a few days. Tell her I’m out of town or something. I’ll figure out how we can spend time together without her suspecting something’s wrong.”
“I think it’s too late for that,” I say and he pauses only slightly before he throws his luggage into the backseat.
