by Kahlen Aymes
I inhaled. “I do. I need her to watch Dylan when I go out of town, and she’s looking forward to spending time with him.”
“But…?” The car inched forward in the line. “I sense a big but.”
I shrugged, embarrassed by my thoughts. I should be more grateful to my mother. After all, she was picking up and moving for me Dylan and me, but all I could think about was how her presence might intrude on my intimate time with Jensen. Teagan was easy to talk to, but sex with Jensen was something she had also shared, and I felt weird discussing my own experiences with her. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I do,” she said matter-of-factly.
I fiddled with the handle to my purse that was sitting in my lap. “You do?” I felt coy and timid as if getting into this conversation would push me off a soaring cliff that there was no going back from.
Teagan laughed. “Hell, yes! You’re afraid she’ll cramp your style. Or rather, Jensen’s style.”
I blushed but nodded. I just knew my face had to be showing some hideous, horrified grimace.
She pulled up to the order board and looked it over before inquiring about my choice. “What would you like?”
“Just plain black coffee,” I replied, glad for the pause in the conversation. My head was reeling.
She ordered my coffee and a green tea for herself before moving ahead in the line.
“Listen, you don’t have to feel like you can’t discuss private stuff with me,” she picked up where we left off. “Honestly, I’m happy for you both.”
“Don’t take this wrong, but it is sort of uncomfortable discussing it with his ex-wife.” I shifted nervously in my seat.
“Well, the good news is, that means Jensen finally made a move! But, really, you don’t need to feel awkward; Jensen and I never did it.”
Her tone was so relaxed as if the bomb she’d just dropped was a little feather, but my head snapped around. Wait. What?
I was dumbfounded. “But…” I began, but then stopped. “The whole time you were married, you never…?”
By now it was our turn to pay for the coffee at the second window, and she shook her head as she pulled up to it. I had taken my debit card out when we first pulled in and offered it to her. She waved it away and produced her own for the window attendant. Calmly handing me my coffee, she put her tea in the center console, unperturbed by my shock.
I sat in silence digesting what she had just told me. This was unbelievable.
“Yeah, we tried a couple of times when Remi was a baby, mostly because we both thought we should try to make our marriage work, but it just didn’t feel right. I’d just had my heart broken, and … he was Chase’s best friend. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Jensen, I still do, but as a best friend. I wouldn’t have made it through Remi’s illness or my break-up with Chase without his shoulder to lean on.”
“Wow.” I turned in my seat, clutching my untouched coffee in my right hand.
Teagan was beautiful, and Jensen was hot. How could they not have sex in six years together?
“We just kind of fell into a comfort zone and then when Remi got leukemia, we both focused on getting her better.”
“I understand, but Jensen is…”
She nodded. “I know, right? He’s so attractive, but my heart belonged to Chase and I was all messed up thinking he’d cheated. I didn’t want to feel anything sexual because it reminded me that he’d been intimate with someone else. At least, I thought he had. I mean, no love songs, no romantic movies, no romance novels... I avoided everything that would make me think of Chase or how heartbroken I was.”
What she said made sense in a way. I wanted to get rid of all memories of Derrick, too. “I understand.”
“Once the pressure was off,” Teagan continued unfettered, blowing out her breath, “we were both relieved. I felt guilty about it for a while, but Jensen was so understanding.” She chuckled gently and took a sip of her tea. “He was probably just as relieved. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful he is. He’s a catch.”
I was still struggling to figure out what to say. A million questions were racing through my head. “Did you have some sort of understanding that he could see other women?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, he could have, and I wouldn’t have minded, but I don’t think that he ever did.”
My eyes began to sting, and my throat felt thick, as emotions flooded my heart. Jensen was like no man I’d ever known.
“It isn’t something I discuss with anyone, because I don’t want anyone to judge Jensen as less of a man than he is. Chase knows, but he’s the only one besides you. I didn’t tell him right away, either.”
“That must have been so hard.”
“It was,” Teagan agreed. “I felt so bad for so long, and it was worse when I found out the truth about that stupid phone call. Jensen sacrificed so much for Remi and me, and Chase… Ugh.” She shook her head in dismay. “I thought he’d cheated when he didn’t, but then, after I married his best friend, he was completely devastated. Guilt is an awful thing,” she admitted with true sincerity. “Just awful.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I said sincerely. I was still a little stunned.
Teagan pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and I pointed to the building that I lived in, so then she parked near the front.
She shut off the car and turned toward me with a serious expression on her face. “You don’t have to say anything, Missy. It might be better if you don’t even mention any of this to Jensen. I just wanted you to know the truth so you wouldn’t feel awkward around me, and I didn’t want you imagining Jensen and me the way I thought about Chase and his trainer. I don’t want anything to mess things up between you. You both deserve this.” She offered a gentle smile.
I was overwhelmed and a small sob broke from within me. I reached out my arms and hugged her close. “Thank you, Teagan. Thank you, so much. You, Chase, Jensen and Remi… you’re all so amazing.”
Teagan’s arms tightened around me, and her voice was teary when she spoke. “Birds of a feather, as they say. You are wonderful, too. You and Jensen deserve to be happy. I didn’t want anything marring your chances at a relationship, least of all his marriage to me.” Her voice cracked a bit, and it was apparent she was as full of emotion as I was.
When the hug ended, two tears were trailing down my cheeks which I quickly wiped away with my free hand.
Teagan’s eyes were full of tears as well. She sniffed and unbuckled her seat belt. “Would you look at us? We’re a pair of saps!” She flashed a smile and opened her car door.
I followed suit, and it wasn’t a minute later that I was ushering her into the stark apartment. Everything was painted off-white, and the carpet was a greyish-beige. After the homey clutter of Ben’s place and the elegance of Teagan and Chase’s home, this was like a hospital room. There were white cupboards in the kitchen, and new linoleum with a light grey tile pattern on the floor of the entryway, laundry room, and kitchen. It was nice. I was sure that after I’d had time to decorate a bit, it would feel more like home.
“This is nice!” Teagan was encouraging. “There’s a lot of space for Dylan to run around.”
She was being gracious. The apartment was humble compared to her massive house. “It’s okay. It’ll work for a while. It’s in a good location. Dylan loves his teacher.”
“Did Jensen tell you that Remi had a bully pull her hair?”
I gasped as I removed my coat. “No!”
She nodded, a bit exasperated. “Yes. I say they’re little kids, both Chase and Jensen have expressed a desire to transfer Remi to a different school. The tuition is even more ungodly. Ugh!”
“Oh, no,” I said. “Dylan loves being in school with Remi. Even if they squabble sometimes, deep down, they’re friends.” I’d never be able to afford a more expensive school for Dylan, so he’d have to stay put, even if Remi was moved. “Are you going to do it?”
“I think it will pass. We’ve spoken to t
he parents of the little boy, and they were amiable. They said they’d speak to him, but we’ll have to see how it goes.”
I invited Teagan to remove her jacket and lay her purse on the counter next to mine, and we both got busy unpacking. The boxes were labeled, and I sorted them out, carrying them into respective rooms, and making stacks once there. I refused to allow Teagan to do any heavy lifting, so she contented herself with sitting down, opening boxes, and pulling items out while I put them away. She was sitting on Dylan’s single bed and we were unpacking his clothes, then hanging them up in the small closet or folding them into the second-hand dresser Jensen and I had purchased at a flea market, along with the bed frame, and a few other pieces around the apartment.
I felt a little embarrassed by the humble belongings, and she must have realized why I was so quiet. “This furniture is great, Missy. With a few shelves and a toy box, this will be a wonderful little boy’s room. Jensen will outfit him with a bunch of boy stuff. Wait and see.” She smiled and handed me a stack of folded T-shirts.
I turned and put them in the second drawer from the top. “I’m sure you’re right. He promised to take Dylan to a game this week. He’s so excited.” My thoughts turned to Jensen and how terrific he was with my son. “I hope things work out. I’m sure Dylan would be as heartbroken as I would.”
Teagan rolled he dark brown eyes. “I’m sure it will. Jensen is happy. I haven’t seen him smile this much in a long time.”
My phone rang in the other room, so I jumped up to answer it. “That might be him, now. I’ll be right back.”
I rushed into the kitchen and to my purse on the counter, pulling out the phone. I didn’t recognize the number, but maybe Jensen was calling from a land-line at the offices in Bristol.
“Hello?” A smile laced my voice. A few seconds of silence followed, as a feeling of dread spread through me. “Hello?” I said again, this time more urgently.
“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice sneered. “Looks like you’re moving up in the world. I saw you on ESPN Sunday.”
My heart fell to my stomach with a sickening thud. I sucked in a deep, startled breath. I expected Derrick to find me eventually, but I didn’t think it would happen after my very first assignment. My instincts were to hang up, but that would only infuriate him, and incite him to show up in Atlanta. I couldn’t have that.
I made my voice defiant, desperately trying to hide the utter terror I was feeling. “Good for you. What do you want, Derrick?”
“Is that any way to speak to me? I only called to wish you good luck at your new job.” His voice took on that smooth, condescending tone that made me want to vomit.
Yeah, right, my mind screamed. One thing was certain; Derrick never wished anything positive for me. “Thank you.”
“I want to see Dylan.”
“Well, we don’t want to see you,” I snapped.
“You can’t keep him from me forever.”
“Watch me. In the years since our divorce, you haven’t even tried to call him, so what the hell makes you so interested now?” Hate dripped from my words. No longer could I hide my real feelings from this bastard.
“Maybe I’ve changed.”
“Maybe Hell has frozen over, too.”
“Don’t be nasty, Melissa. It doesn’t become you. Give me a chance.”
“Look, just stay away from us. Dylan is happy. Leave us alone!” I hung up the phone without waiting for a response. Only then did I realize how my heart was beating a thousand times a minute; so hard, I could literally hear the blood rushing in my ears, and I was shaking from head to toe.
I put a hand to my forehead and leaned against the counter to gather my composure before going back into the bedroom to Teagan.
What the fuck did Derrick want?
“Missy?” Teagan asked. She’d come into the kitchen, and her face was concerned. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing. Your voice was loud enough to carry down the hall. What happened?”
I walked the few feet into the living room and sank down onto the sofa, clasping my hands together to steady them. “My ex saw me on Sports Sunday.” I shook my head, frustrated tears filling my eyes. “I was afraid this would happen, but I’d somehow managed to push it out of my mind.”
“Oh, shit,” Teagan murmured, sitting down beside me and covering my hands with one of her own. “What does he want?”
My eyes met hers. “He said he wants to see Dylan.” Panic broke out inside me and I shook my head frantically. “He can’t! Dylan will be scared to death!”
“I thought you had a restraining order against him,” Teagan’s voice was soothing.
“I did, in Wyoming. It doesn’t cross jurisdictions.”
“Well, we’ll just get another one in Georgia. I’m not sure what the law is, but I bet because you travel for your job, we can get one that encompasses the entire country.”
All sorts of awful thoughts were racing through my mind. “That might make it worse. Derrick is like a wounded animal. Confront him, and all hell breaks loose.”
“But you can’t just let him rule you; not after everything he’s put you through.”
I brushed the tears from my face. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I can see you’re afraid, honey. I’ll look into the lawyer, and we will speak to Jensen and Chase.”
At the mention of Jensen’s name my head snapped up. “No! I don’t want to dump this on Jensen. We’re getting close and I don’t want my bastard ex-husband ruining things. Please don’t tell him. Or Chase. Teagan, please, promise me.”
She sighed heavily. “I’m not used to keeping things from Chase, or Jensen, for that matter, but this is your business, so I won’t mention it. Why don’t you stay at the house tonight, just in case?”
Relief flooded through me at her suggestion. I had no way of knowing if Derrick was even in town, but I couldn’t take the chance. I had to protect my son. “Thank you, Teagan. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
“No, problem. I can see how scared you are. Let’s leave this for now and get back to my house. Do you think Derrick will go to the school?”
Panic seized my chest again. “I don’t know. If he’s in town, yes. In Dallas, he had the school in his pocket. They called him if Dylan was sick, or even if I picked him up early.”
Teagan shook her head in disgust. “He sounds like one devious asshole.”
“Worse; he’s the devil,” I murmured.
Teagan stood and put on her coat then handed mine to me. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. Chase is picking up the kids, so what if Derrick confronts him? I think we should tell him.”
I took the coat from her. “I just didn’t want my relationship with Jensen overshadowed by Derrick’s baggage.” I slid my arms into the sleeves and reached for my purse.
“Have faith in him, Missy. Trust me, Jensen won’t bail on you.”
I didn’t think he would end things, but I was enjoying the rush of emotion between us, and the newness of us. I was afraid all of this garbage would take some of the bloom off of our magic. “I know he won’t, but I don’t want Derrick’s harassment hanging over us.”
She slid her arm around me after we walked out of the apartment and I locked the door behind us. “Then, he must be dealt with.”
“Okay. Tell Chase, and I’ll tell Jensen when he gets back from Bristol.”
She smiled. Her friendship wrapped around me like a reassuring blanket. “Good. Let’s have a movie night with the kiddos tonight, shall we? Nothing takes your mind off of your troubles like a Harry Potter marathon complete with a big blanket picnic! We can spend the afternoon making treats! I’ll have Whole Foods deliver the ingredients.”
I tried to smile. I needed to relax. Everything would be alright as long as I stayed rational. “Sounds good. Thank you, Teagan.”
“What are friends, for?” she asked as we climbed into her car to start the drive back.
JENSEN
“Jensey!” Dylan called from
his new bedroom. “Come play with me!” He was playing Sports Center on the PlayStation in his room. I’d just finished hooking it up to the small computer screen I’d brought over from my house. It was an older one that I didn’t use anymore and would also work with cable TV. The little boy would be able to watch shows he liked, leaving the bigger TV in the living room for the adults.
“In a minute, D!” I called down the short hall toward his room.
I’d seen Missy at the station earlier in the day but hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to her, and she’d been introspective; which I thought was strange considering how we’d left things Monday morning.
She was still very quiet as she put away some of the kitchen utensils, pots, and pans out of the cardboard boxes stacked on one side of the kitchen. After the last night we’d spent together, I was expecting a little more enthusiasm. We’d ordered a pizza because the kitchen was a mess and were waiting for it to arrive.
“What’s wrong?” I asked astutely. I leaned up against the counter’s edge as I studied her. I wanted to hold and kiss her, but it felt like there was some invisible wall between us. I couldn’t figure it out. Dylan seemed unperturbed, so whatever was bothering Melissa must not involve him.
Her eyes flashed up briefly before returning to her task. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”
I wasn’t buying her story, but I offered one single nod and folded my arms across my chest. “Did you get a chance to talk to David about how he thought Baltimore went?”
“Sure,” she answered, without stopping the unpacking the glasses and dishes we’d purchased at the local Walmart. “He said he thought it went well. Why? Didn’t he tell you the same thing?”
“Yeah. He did.”
We’d bought a bunch of second-hand stuff on one of the online sales apps, and she’d had a few things shipped from Wyoming, but she left her husband with literally the shirt on her back, so she had no household items. Maybe the lack of belongings was getting her down. I was already mentally cataloging what I could spare from the things at my home or when we could make time to shop for needed items.
