THAT RING

by Dodd, Jillian

  But rest assured, all is right in the world now. I’m back with the love of my life. And I couldn’t be happier. I hope you understand that I don’t want you anywhere near my house, my children, or my husband ever again.

  I set the phone down, tears dripping from my cheeks, and try to think about this logically. If she had messaged me from her own phone, I wouldn’t have believed it. But from his?

  I check to see what time it was sent. Five in the morning.

  I shake my head with finality, knowing it’s over.

  I allow myself a good cry and then pull it together, stuffing all of my clothes into a suitcase. I’m going to go downstairs, thank Jadyn for her friendship and hospitality, and fly home.

  At least I was smart and bought a house so that I have somewhere to go.

  But the thought of going there makes me start crying again because I bought it with a family—Danny and his family—in mind.

  Taking a deep breath, I wipe my tears, grab the suitcase and tote, and make my way downstairs.

  I go in the kitchen, dropping my bag with a thud when I see Danny hunched over on a barstool, deep in conversation with Jadyn.

  He looks a little broken. And I know what’s about to happen.

  He’s here to tell me it’s over between us.

  Something I was hoping to avoid.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Jadyn says. She pours me a steaming cup of coffee, puts a warm sticky pecan bun on a plate, and sets them on the bar next to Danny. “Here, you’re going to need this.”

  “Did you sleep with her?” I blurt out. Because I have to know. Right now.

  “What?” Danny asks, his head flying up at me. “No. God, no. But she wanted to.”

  “You’re lying,” I say, shaking my phone at him. “She texted me from your phone and told me everything that happened between the two of you last night. I know you got back together.”

  “Whoa,” Danny says, “What are you talking about?”

  I hand Jadyn my phone, not planning on giving Danny Diamond one more second of my precious life.

  “Why am I not surprised?” Jadyn says as I shove a big bite of the roll into my mouth to keep from saying anything further to him. He doesn’t deserve my words. “I think you’re going to have to start over, Danny,” Jadyn says, “so that Jennifer can hear it all.”

  “I don’t want to hear any more!” I shout as Jadyn gives Danny my phone.

  “Oh shit,” he says. He rubs his palm across his face. “I can’t even—”

  That sets me off. “You can’t even what, Danny? Can’t tell me you got back together with your cheater of a wife?”

  “Calm down,” Jadyn says softly. “That’s not what happened. Danny came over here this morning to talk to you because he couldn’t find his phone. I guess, now, we know where it is.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “When I got home, she was waiting for me in my bed, wearing something sexy. I turned her down. She told me that she didn’t really want a divorce. That she never expected it to go this far. That she was just trying to make me fight for her.”

  “She cheated on you for a year, moved in with him, and was engaged to him to get your attention?”

  “That’s what she said, yes. Obviously, that didn’t resonate with me as even remotely reasonable. I told her again to leave. She asked me to make love to her.”

  “And then what?”

  “She told me that she wasn’t leaving my bed until she got her way. I said fine, walked out, went and slept up in the guest room with Phillip. I even locked the door. Woke up this morning. She was gone and left me a note, saying she was getting her nails done and we’d continue our discussion when she got back home.”

  He pulls a note out of his pocket and hands it to me.

  I read it, let out a sigh of relief, and start crying again. Danny pulls me into his arms, and I melt against him.

  “I’m so sorry she said that to you,” he says. “It must have been horrible. But you must know, I never would have done that to you. I told you that I’m going to propose soon. That I love you.”

  “Hey, wait. Pause. Rewind,” Jadyn says. “Propose soon?”

  Danny nods at her and looks into my eyes. Then, he kisses me.

  A lot.

  I’m lost in a daze of Danny’s lips when I hear Jadyn mutter, “I know what to do.”

  I pull my lips away from Danny and turn toward her. She picks up her phone and scrolls through the Contacts.

  I have no idea what she’s got in mind, but I pray she’s not going to call Lori, so the three of us can work things out.

  Danny keeps me held tightly in his arms as she sets the phone down, turns on the speaker, and holds her index finger to her mouth, letting us know to keep quiet.

  “Richard,” she says pleasantly when a man’s voice answers, “this is Jadyn Mackenzie.”

  “You live next door to the Diamonds, right?” Dickrash replies.

  “That’s correct. And I wanted to talk to you about Lori.”

  “Is she there?” he asks, sounding relieved. “I’ve been trying and trying to reach her, but she won’t answer my calls or texts. I’m starting to get worried. I never imagined she would go back there, or I would have tried to get ahold of one of the kids.”

  “She showed up at his house—her house really until the divorce is final—on Sunday night.”

  “That’s when she left me,” he says with a sigh. “It’s all my fault. I accidentally cheated on her.”

  I stifle a giggle at the accidental cheating part.

  “She didn’t mention what happened, Richard,” Jadyn responds, “just that the wedding was off and she needed a place to stay.”

  “Are her and her husband …” he stutters, barely getting out the words.

  “Are they what?”

  “Um, together—you know, getting back together?”

  “Is that what you want, Richard?”

  “Absolutely not. I want to marry her. The cheating, it’s not new. And it’s not ongoing. It happened before she left her husband. When I couldn’t get her to commit to me. She kept telling me she was going to file for divorce, but it just never happened. And I thought we were over. I was upset.”

  “That’s understandable,” Jadyn says with a grin. “The question, Richard, is do you still want to marry Lori on New Year’s Eve?”

  “Yes, I would like to very much. She’s an amazing woman, and I would be honored to call her my wife.”

  “I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but she’s supposed to be in court tomorrow to finalize their divorce. With you two broken up and her staying with Danny, there’s no saying what she will do if you don’t get over there and make up with her tonight. But, please, Richard, don’t tell her that I told you. Her children told me what happened in confidence, and I wouldn’t want to break that.”

  “I understand. Um, Jadyn, you know Lori quite well, correct?”

  “Yes, we’ve known each other since college.”

  “How should I make it up to her? What do I say?”

  And I’m thinking, Poor Richard. He really does love her. He’d have to in order to put up with her.

  “Well, Richard, that’s the easy part,” Jadyn says cheerfully. “She’s mad, but I think she misses you. I bet if you showed up, apologized, and offered an expensive gift in return, maybe she would go home with you.”

  “I don’t like that she went back to their house,” he says.

  “Her children are there.”

  “Yes, and so is Danny Diamond. I watched his game on TV last night. He has started doing something new when he scores—forms a heart with his hands. I thought maybe it was a sign that he was still in love with her and trying to win her back. It made me feel a little sick, to be honest. Does Danny want to get back together with her?”

  Jadyn rubs her hand across her face, and I know what she’s thinking. It’s the same thing I’m thinking. Hell no.

  “I don’t know what’s happening between
the two of them.”

  “Do you think she would, you know, sleep with him?”

  “Hmm. She was awfully upset. And, technically, they are still married …” Jadyn says, letting her comment hang in the air.

  “I’m headed to the store now. She wanted a set of Louis Vuitton luggage for our honeymoon trip, and I sort of balked at the price. I shouldn’t have. Could you do me a big favor, Jadyn? I’d owe you forever. In fact, anything you want, cosmetic surgery–wise, I’ll do for you on the house. Can you make sure she’s there around six?”

  “I’ll do my best, Richard,” Jadyn says noncommittally and then hangs up.

  “Oh, you’re good,” I say to her.

  “And, now, we wait,” Jadyn says.

  “If it’s okay with you,” Danny says to Jadyn, “I’d like to wait with Jennifer up in her bedroom.”

  That causes us both to smile.

  Danny

  “Richard! What are you doing here?” Lori says as she flings open the door.

  I grab Angel and run into the formal dining room so that I can hear everything said and peek out the window. Sitting on the front stoop is a huge set of luggage.

  “I came to apologize,” Richard says sincerely. “You rushed out of the house and didn’t let me explain the situation.”

  Lori crosses her arms in front of her. “What’s there to explain? You cheated on me.”

  “Technically, yes, but I was upset because you wouldn’t file for a divorce. I thought you were just stringing me along. And that’s hard for a man’s heart. I love you. I want to marry you.” He moves out of the way and gestures toward the pile of luggage. “I was saving these for our honeymoon,” he lies. “I bought them ages ago and had the store hold them. A full set of your favorite luggage seemed like the perfect wedding gift. Symbolic of how I hope to travel through the rest of my life in luxury with you.”

  I gotta give old Dickrash credit. He’s pretty smooth.

  And, knowing Lori, those are the exact words she wanted to hear.

  “Oh, Richard!” she cries out dramatically, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you so.”

  “Will you please forgive me and come home with me? I’ve missed you terribly.”

  What follows after is a gross display of personal affection. Dickrash is a messy kisser. Jennifer told me that, on set, she learned how the perfect kiss should look. Let’s just say, if I were a director, I’d be yelling, Cut, right about now.

  But maybe that’s what Richard represents to Lori. The ability to not be perfect. To make a little mess of her life. And I suppose if you thought you always had to be on the way she does, that you always felt you had to impress, that could be attractive.

  They suddenly stop kissing, and Lori tells him, “I’ll go grab my things.”

  Shit!

  I run through the dining room and into the kitchen, pretending I didn’t see or hear anything. But it doesn’t matter. Lori doesn’t have a clue as to my whereabouts as she heads up the stairs to Devaney’s room, gathers her belongings, and quickly makes her way out. She doesn’t stop to tell me or the kids, who are downstairs, that she’s leaving.

  I give Angel a kiss, tell her what a good girl she is, and then set her down to run free. She rushes straight to her water bowl.

  She takes a few laps then, and before I know it, she has both her front paws in the bowl and is digging in the water.

  “While that looks like so much fun,” I say, picking her soaking little self up, “that’s a no. No, Angel. Come on; let’s go tell Jennifer the good news.”

  December 6th

  Danny

  I get up early and decide to make breakfast for the kids.

  “Wow,” Damon says, coming down the stairs. “You’re cooking bacon!”

  “And pancakes. Go tell your sister.”

  “Dani!” he bellows. “Get down here!”

  I roll my eyes and chuckle.

  “I’m getting ready!” she yells from her room.

  “Dad made pancakes!”

  “Oh,” she says, rushing down the stairs. “What’s up?”

  “Today is the day,” I tell them as I dish them up each a plate. “It’s our court date.”

  “Are you nervous?” Devaney asks.

  “No, but I wanted to talk to you about a few things that are happening regarding me and Jennifer.”

  “Are you getting married?” Devaney says at the same time Damon asks, “Did you get her pregnant?”

  “Um, neither,” I reply. “But if those things were to happen, how would you feel about it?”

  “Thumbs-up on all accounts, Dad,” Damon says. “Including the bacon. It’s perfection. Crispy but not burned.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  Devaney shakes her head in agreement and smiles. “It’s obvious you’re in love with Jennifer. You’re almost silly around her. Mushy. If it wasn’t so gross, it might be cute.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” I laugh. “I think you both know that Jennifer has been—”

  “Dad, stop hemming and hawing around and just spit it out already,” Devaney says. “I still need to curl my hair.”

  “Fine,” I say. “I asked her to move in with us. I’m going to propose at Christmas, and I want your blessing, I guess. You’ll always be my—”

  “First priority,” Damon finishes. “We know, Dad.”

  I roll up my sleeve and show them the tattoo I got on Monday night. “She told me she wouldn’t move in until we had some kind of a commitment.”

  “You got a tattoo? Of her name?” my daughter says, looking slightly horrified. “Isn’t that a little, um, permanent?”

  “Yes, that’s the point,” I say.

  My daughter studies my arm. “It almost looks like she wrote it.”

  “That’s because she did. The night we met all those years ago, she signed my arm, just like this,” I admit.

  “Hmm,” Devaney says. “I’ve been wanting a tattoo, and Mom says that I shouldn’t get one unless it means something to me—that it’s personal. Like, I shouldn’t get a dolphin because I saw one on spring break kind of thing. All your tattoos are deeply personal, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, they are. Your birthdates. My championships. My college.”

  “Has she seen it?” Devaney asks.

  “Not yet, but I’m hoping she’ll think it’s enough of a commitment for now. So, what do you think?”

  “I think it’s really romantic, Dad.”

  “She’s a good cook,” Damon says, “and my friends all think she’s hot. I’m all for her moving in.”

  “Would you like some privacy tonight, Dad?” Devaney asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  Both kids roll their eyes at me. “Dad.”

  “Oh. Actually, I was thinking you might want to come out with us tonight. Celebrate. Let her know you’re happy to have her.”

  “Where would we go?” Damon asks.

  Devaney smacks her brother. “It’s not always about your stomach.”

  “No, this is about Dad’s dic—”

  “Damon!” I scold.

  He just snickers. “Well, it is.”

  “We need to choose a place that Jennifer would like. Right?” Devaney says sweetly.

  “I think that would be nice,” I agree.

  “Has she ever been to our favorite barbecue place? It’s nice but not too fancy,” Damon offers.

  “On our first real date, I wanted to take her there but didn’t. Your mom and I weren’t divorced, and I was worried about us being seen together, so I brought home takeout.”

  “So then, it’s perfect. We’ll go there for dinner, and when we get home, Damon and I will make ourselves scarce,” my daughter says with a grin.

  “Cool. I love that place,” Damon says.

  I clean up the kitchen, send the kids off to school, and then call Jennifer.

  “I don’t know what I should wear,” I say.

  “I’ll be right over.”

  “
What’s the problem? You look very handsome,” she says to me, eyeing my navy suit when I answer the door. “Are you ready for this?”

  “I don’t know that you’re ever ready for something like this. I want the divorce, but I’m still sad about it.”

  “That’s understandable. Fifteen years of marriage is a long time.”

  “Yeah,” I say, finding it hard to put into words how I’m feeling.

  She glances at her watch and kisses me good-bye. “I guess, next time I see you, you’ll officially be a free man.”

  “Yeah,” I reply.

  I go outside, get in my old truck, and drive to the courthouse.

  I’m barely through the front door when I see Lori. She’s dressed like she’s going to a funeral—black knit suit, black stockings, and designer patent leather pumps. I take a seat on the bench next to her, and when she looks up at me, I’m surprised to find tears in her eyes.

  “It’s sad today. Isn’t it?” she says.

  “Yeah, it is. I’m sorry for whatever I did or didn’t do.”

  “That’s just like you, Danny, shouldering the blame for something you had no control over.”

  “Say what you want about our marriage, but two great kids came out of it. And I hope we can all get along for their sake. And that means you not trying to jeopardize my relationship with Jennifer.”

  “I was hoping she’d rush off and not tell you. But then Richard came back, and I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t like it though when she came out of your bedroom.”

  “You can thank her for being adamant about not sleeping with me when the children were there before I was divorced. You should know, however, that we’re dating exclusively now.”

  “Oh, you’re boyfriend and girlfriend. How cute,” she mocks. “I hate what you’ve done to the place.”

  I chuckle. “That doesn’t really surprise me.”

  “Look around you, Danny. At all these people. They all seem sad. There was a guy who just went in who was begging his wife to give him a second chance just minutes before they went inside. I don’t feel that way though. Your world seemed so big, and mine seemed so small. And it made me feel lonely. And when you feel that way, you start looking for attention. Richard pays attention to me. He thinks I’m interesting. And it’s nice to be the center of attention when you walk in the room. At one point, Richard told me I didn’t need any work done. He told me I was beautiful.”