by Tina Martin
When she arrived home, she saw Everson’s car parked out front, and he wasn’t in it.
She blew a long breath as she entered the garage. “Great. Now I have to deal with him. Ugh…”
She took her bags from the trunk and brought them inside of the house. On her way to the stairs, she spotted Everson sitting on the living room sofa with his head down.
“I’ll be right back,” she literally forced herself to say, taking the clothes upstairs, placing the bags on a bench in the walk-in closet. Then she quickly went back downstairs and sat in a chair across from him. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.
He looked at her. “You say that all nonchalantly like you don’t care.”
“What is there to care about?”
“Us. Don’t you want to work this out?” he asked.
June closed her eyes and pulled in a breath.
“I want to explain to you what happened, June.”
June shook her head. “Why? I heard the story. I don’t need to hear it twenty freakin’ times to know you’re a liar. I know that already.”
“Did you hear the part about me not sleeping with Eliana?”
“Yes, and I said I didn’t believe you.”
“It’s the truth, June. I didn’t sleep with her.”
“Just because you didn’t sleep with her doesn’t mean you didn’t want to.”
He sighed. “Why can’t you just accept my answer? It’s like you want this distance between us.”
“And now you’re trying to shift the blame to me.”
“I’m not—”
“Well, that’s what it sounds like! Don’t get it twisted, Everson. You’re the one who went out here and played around behind my back! I would never do that to you, but you did it to me. How do you think that makes me feel? Huh? And you supposedly have a child with this woman? How do you think that makes me feel, Everson?”
He held his head out of frustration. “The boy isn’t mine,” he mumbled.
“What?”
“I said, the boy isn’t mine, June.”
“I guess I’m supposed to jump for joy now.”
“No, but I did expect you to be happy about it.”
He just doesn’t get it. June looked up, taking a moment to coordinate her thoughts – to breathe – then she said, “Everson, we’ve been married for a little over a year now, and you’ve already proven to me that I can’t trust you.”
“June—”
“No, let me finish. We could barely get a year into this thing and already there’s another woman in the picture.”
“There isn’t another woman.”
“There was, and apparently, she was important enough for you to tell me lies concerning your whereabouts. The bottom line is, I don’t trust you anymore, Everson, and I can’t be with a man I don’t trust. I can’t.”
“What are you saying, June?”
“I think what I said was clear enough for you to understand.”
“You don’t want to be with me?” he asked with bloodshot, weak eyes.
“I don’t trust you, and I think we need a break so I can figure out where to go from here which will also give you time to figure out what you want. With that being said, we need to talk about living arrangements.”
“You want a divorce?” he asked, his face scrunched up like this was hard to grasp. His heart was beating so fast, it was difficult for him to breathe. “That’s what you’re telling me?”
“I didn’t say anything about a divorce, Everson. I said we needed a break.”
“I don’t need a break.”
“You do. You were willing to put our marriage in jeopardy by spending a weekend with an ex-girlfriend.”
“That was a mistake.”
She frowned. “No, it wasn’t a mistake. You don’t mistakenly go to a woman’s hotel room and climb on top of her. What you did was planned out. You even booked a hotel. I don’t want to sound like a detective, but this was premeditated cheating.”
Everson shook his head again and scrubbed his hands down his face. “I’m sorry, June.”
“I’m sure you are, but that still doesn’t mean things go back to normal because I don’t know, at this particular moment in my life, if I want this marriage. So, am I moving or are you moving?”
Leaving her questioned open, Everson stood up and headed upstairs. He forced away sadness as he packed more clothes. He didn’t like this feeling, but what choice did he have? He was the one in the wrong. He hurt her, and now he wasn’t sure where their marriage would go from here. Maybe it wouldn’t go anywhere because this sure felt like the end.
Chapter 28
Two Weeks Later
June was sitting at her desk, typing an email to her direct reports about the upcoming billing cycle, when she got a delivery of a dozen healthy red roses. She didn’t have to read the card to know they were from Everson. He’d sent roses every day for two weeks. She thanked the receptionist for bringing them to her and then finished the email.
She pulled one of the roses out of the vase, holding it by the stem, smelling the luscious red petals. A part of her was pleased that Everson was taking the initiative to make amends – to let her know that he still loved her and wanted their marriage to work. Another part of her wondered why a man had to buy flowers – the good ones, not those cheap grocery store ones – for you when something was wrong. But when things were going right, no flowers. No initiative. No nothing but a kiss on the cheek and occasional great lovemaking. She needed more than that. She needed to know she could trust him and that he appreciated her.
She had learned from Kalina that Everson had been on the straight and narrow for the last couple of weeks. He’d started working again, but chose to remain local so he could be close by. And he’d expressed to the family that he knew he was wrong and knew how much he’d hurt her by his actions. But something about forgiving him felt wrong, even though she knew that’s what she needed to do. If she allowed him to mistreat her, would he not do it again? Or was she supposed to forgive him, put her heart out there, cross her fingers and hope for the best?
June wanted a guarantee. Unfortunately, marriage had no guarantees. The people closest to you were bound to hurt you in one way or another and a testament to the degree of your love for that person manifested itself in how you reacted to being hurt. She’d reacted by telling Everson she needed time – not by seeking revenge – but simply by telling him she needed some time to think. He responded by giving her that.
Her cell phone buzzed, taking her out of her trance with the roses. She picked it up and saw Bryson’s number.
“Hello.”
“Hi, June. How are you this morning?”
She smiled. “I’m fine, Bryson. What about yourself?”
“I’m good. I’m at work, had a moment to spare, so I figured I’d give you a holler.”
“It’s rare that I get a call from you, so am I correct to assume this is about Everson?”
“Busted,” he said.
She giggled.
“My brother misses you.”
“I miss him, too,” she said honestly because she did miss him. He was still her husband. They’d shared the last three years of their lives together. Those feelings couldn’t be fanned away so easily no matter how mad she was.
“If you miss him, do something about it.”
“It’s not that easy, Bryson. He really did hurt me.”
“I know. It wasn’t easy for me to move on after Felicia cheated on me, but I did it, partly thanks to Everson. He told me not to give up on love because of what she’d done. I listened to him.”
June did say a word. Just listened.
“He’s struggling without you. He won’t say it, but I can sense it, and I’m sure you know it, too. He’s been through quite the ordeal—running into his ex, her lying about the boy being his—it’s taken a toll on him. And he didn’t sleep with her. I know he’s telling the truth about that.”
“So what…he didn’t sleep with h
er. He could have if he wanted to.”
“June, if we were punished for wrongs we could’ve done, then we’re all doomed, don’t you think?”
She hadn’t thought about it that way. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Talk to him.”
She paused. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“Good. How are you liking the job?”
“I love it. It feels good to put my skills to use again.”
“Great. I’m glad you like it. Hey, I’ll see you at the cookout tomorrow, right?”
“At Cali and Barry’s?”
“Yep.”
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Bryson, and thanks for calling.”
“You’re welcome.”
June placed her phone on the desk. She’d almost forgotten about the cookout that Cali told her about a week ago. She’d put it in the back of her mind because she knew Everson would be there. Still, she would go. Just because he was there didn’t mean she had to talk to him. Then again, maybe a family, backyard cookout was the perfect occasion for a conversation. She’d find out for sure tomorrow.
Chapter 29
“Oh, it’s so good to see you, honey,” Elowyn said, embracing June like she hadn’t seen her in years. Well, it had been a while, especially since they didn’t have the family dinner last month. That’s usually when she would see her in-laws.
“It’s good to see you, too, Elowyn,” June said as Elowyn released her. She kissed her mother-in-law’s cheek then caught sight of Theodore heading their way.
“Hello, June.”
“Hi, Theo,” she said, embracing him and as she did so, her eyes caught sight of Everson sitting comfortably at a patio table with Bryson and Garrison. She blinked away from his gaze and focused her attention on her father-in-law.
“How have you been, daughter?” Theodore asked.
“Oh, I’m hanging in there.”
“I heard you were working now.”
Her eyes brightened. “I am, and I love the job. It’s nice to do meaningful work.”
“I’m sure it is,” he said.
“Hello everyone,” June said, doing one full wave with her right hand.
While everyone greeted her, she zeroed in on Everson. She couldn’t much help it. He was staring at her so intently, she had to look back. And he had on a pair of jeans and those plaid shirts he loved to rock, lounged back in the chair, looking well-groomed and debonair.
Tearing her attention away from him, she glanced at Barringer manning the grill, wearing an apron and all. Rexford and Colton were gathered at the grill with him, both holding a beer.
Calista was in the kitchen preparing sides – baked beans with onions, deviled eggs, potato salad and macaroni and cheese. June decided that the best way for her to get out of the heat of Everson’s gaze was to escape to the kitchen to help Calista. As she turned to do so, she heard Kalina say, “Hey, June, come on over.”
Kalina and Candice were sitting at a table opposite of Bryson, Garrison and Everson. Candice was holding Junior in her lap. So much for escaping…
Everson followed June’s every move, checking her out when she sat down, staring at a set of lips he hadn’t kissed in a month. A gorgeous, well-toned body he hadn’t touched. A head full of curly, bouncy hair he hadn’t sunk his hands into. He missed her. Everything in him wanted to go over there and get a small serving of her lips, but he still didn’t know where they stood in their marriage.
“Jeez, Everson. Stop drooling.” Garrison chuckled.
Everson came out of his trance. Any man would be lucky to have an amazing, beautiful woman like June. He had her and blew it. She wouldn’t even take his calls or call him for that matter. She even got a job, was establishing her independence from him like she was putting everything in place before she decided that she didn’t want to be with him any longer. That she wanted a divorce. He didn’t know what he would do if it came to that. What he did know was, he loved his wife and wanted to reconcile with her. Giving her time was growing more excruciating by the day.
“Don’t worry, Everson,” Bryson said. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to talk to her at some point before the day is over.”
“Not likely,” Everson said. “I’ve sent her flowers every day for the last two weeks and haven’t received one ‘thank you’ in the form of a text, email or anything else.”
“You need to give her time to come around,” Garrison said. “Unfortunately, you’re the guilty party. The ball is in her court and, if you rush her, she may just want to can the whole thing. So, I suggest you be patient and give her time.”
“I’ve been patient for two weeks. Do you know how difficult it is to be patient when every time I see her, I want to grab her and make love to her. I don’t even care where we do it, I just want her?”
“Okay, keep your fantasies to yourself,” Garrison said, amused.
“I’m serious, man. She’s my wife, and I can’t touch her because of this mess between us.”
“Again, give her time to come around.”
Everson leaned back lazily in his chair and stared at her again. As if she felt his eyes on her, June looked at him. Their gazes held. Fused.
Dang.
The memories of her on their wedding day suddenly came to his mind – her standing there in a perfect, sleeveless gown, her hair done in curls, looking at him with tears in her eyes as they promised to love each other for all eternity. His indiscretions had interrupted those plans, and thus the waiting game began. Would she take him back after this?
* * *
The gazing and staring at each other carried on throughout the evening. She was just as guilty as he was in that respect, watching how he chewed his food – he, in turn, gazing at her when she would nibble on a rib, paying particular attention to her mouth. Even the way she sucked barbecue sauce from her fingers made heat stir inside of him.
Later after everyone had eaten and the deck lights illuminated the area, Theodore walked over to Everson and pat him on the shoulders. “How are you holding up, son?”
“I’m doing the best I can, considering…you know.”
“Yeah. I know. Tell me, what do you think about June?”
“What do I think?” Everson grinned. “You already know what I think, Dad. I married her. She’s wonderful. She’s everything I could ever want.”
“Then you have to ask yourself…what were you doing lying to her, son?”
Everson sighed. “I was caught up with the things Eliana was telling me and recalling the way I used to feel about her in high school. But even still, she doesn’t compare to June. No one does.”
Theodore smiled. “You’re going to be all right, son. Trust me.”
“Thanks, Dad, and I’m sorry about dragging you and Mom into my mess. I should’ve done my due diligence to make sure Jaxson was my son before telling you about him.”
Theodore waved off his apology. “Don’t worry about that. Just focus on June. Get that situation cleared up and then have some babies of your own.”
Everson smiled. His family loved June. He couldn’t let her slip away. He glanced over at her again. She was talking to his mother.
“It’s such a pleasant night, isn’t it?” Elowyn asked June who’d been sitting alone, eating a slice of plain cheesecake. Calista was talking with Barringer. Candice and Kalina went inside to change Junior’s diaper. Why it took two women to change one baby’s diaper was beyond her but she didn’t ask any questions.
“It is,” June answered.
“How’s that cheesecake?”
“It’s good,” June told her. “It’s rich and creamy. Calista did a good job. She did a good job with everything, actually.”
“Yes, she did. I might try a piece of cheesecake later on.” Elowyn exhaled roughly and said, “Have you had an opportunity to talk to Everson tonight?”
June smirked. She’d had plenty of opportunities. She just didn’t
bother taking advantage of any of them. “No, I haven’t. I mean, I have. I—I just chose not to.”
“Waiting for him to make the first move, huh?”
“I don’t even know if it’s that, Elowyn. It really doesn’t matter to me who makes a move first.”
Elowyn rested her right hand on June’s left hand. “Do you still love him?”
June held Elowyn’s gaze. “I do, but my view of him has changed and I fear it’s a permanent change. I always told myself that I wouldn’t be one of those weak-minded women who went running back to a man after they’d hurt them.”
“Sweetheart, it takes a lot to keep a marriage afloat. It’s not a sign of weakness to go back to him. If anything, it’s a demonstration of your strength. Now, ultimately, the choice is yours, but as his mother, I watched my son change for you. I didn’t think that hard-headed boy of mine would ever settle down.”
June chuckled.
Elowyn did, too. Then she said, “In fact, he told me he wouldn’t. But then you came along and he changed. He changed for you. I know you might not see it now because, like eyeglasses, anger has a way of making us see things differently, only not for the better. But I can tell you this for sure…Everson does love you and he knows he hurt you. I think it’s worth a conversation. I’m not saying go running into his arms right now and confess your undying love for him, but what I am saying is, if you love him, at least give him some kind of indication that you still do.”
