Page 75 of Succeeding Love
“Our house,” he tried to correct me.
“My house!” I snapped back. “It’s mine, free and clear, afteryouleft it. I’m sorry your relationship with Arlene went south, but quit trying to get in the way of mine.”
“That’s …” He pulled at the hair on top of his head, taking a few frustrated steps back, then coming to face me again. “I’m trying to tell you I want you back, Feighlynn! I mean, damn, I made a fucking mistake! I should have never left you! I realized it the second I did I was making the wrong choice. I should have chosen you!”
A cold, tense silence stretched between us. Again, angry shock made my entire body go rigidly tense. How dare he. After all this time, how dare he try something like this? I sat back and pretended everything was completely okay when he ran off to be with his mistress. I never tried to stop him or guilt him into staying. How dare he think he has any right to stop me from moving on?
“So now that things aren’t working out with your girlfriend, you’re wanting to come back to me? Is that what this is?” I felt the icy venom in my tone. I didn’t care.
“No,” he quickly shook his head, trying to reach out to me again. I jerked away, avoiding his touch. The pain that flashed in his eyes had no effect on me. “No, Fay. That’s not it. I realized my mistake the second I left this house. I knew Arlene wasn’t what I really wanted. I knew it was always you. All I’m asking for now is a second chance.”
“You’re crazy.” He had to be clinically insane to be pulling this stunt right now.
“I might be crazy, but that’s because I’m still in love with you. You’re still my wife.”
“Your wife?!” I scoffed. “We divorced. I am no longer your wife and your mistakes are no longer my concern.”
“Please Fay,” there were tears in his eyes now, but again, it didn’t move me at all. I felt nothing but bitterness for this man. “There has to be something left in you. Some part of you that still loves me.”
“Not a single cell in my body still loves you, Nick. Not one,” I said coldly. “I know I’ve been amicable through the whole divorce. I’ve played nice and I’ve been the one to bend through it all. I tried to make things as easy as possible and remain ascivil as possible. But none of those things I did for your sake. Not one. I did those things for the sake of my kids. If you somehow mistook my friendliness and civility as any affection I might have left for you, I’m sorry. All my affection died for you the moment that you confirmed you cheated on me. There’s no way I was ever going to recover from that with you. Now, if you excuse me, I have a date to get to.”
With that, I calmly, but firmly, shut the door on his shocked face, picked up my stuff, and headed for the garage.
As I was pulling away, I saw Nick sitting on the top step of my porch, his head in his hands as his shoulders shook. I felt no remorse. No regret. Nothing but anger for the fickle, cowardly man that once again tried to steal my blooming happiness because of his own selfish agenda.
~
Vin
“Is everything okay?” I whispered in Lynn’s ear.
She smiled up at me, nodding her head. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Lynn was already here waiting by the time me and my new colleagues arrived. She had gotten a table and was just waiting in the front as they set it up, pulling three tables together to accommodate all of us.
I saw her through the glass doors before we came in, and I could tell right away that something was wrong. She was staring down at the ground with none of her adorable quirks showing. She was singing to herself, or talking excitedly to the hostess, or even looking at her phone with that cute look of concentration she gets whenever she was going through emails or texts. Shewas just staring blankly at the ground, no emotion at all on her beautiful face.
When we walked in, she instantly perked up, acting like her usual self, but I knew her well enough now to notice the tension in her movements and the way her smile seemed forced. I don’t know what changed in the time I left her this morning, but something did, and it is worrying me.
I couldn’t press her here, so I just kept a hand on her thigh as we sat with Milton and Jerry, and five of the other security officers I’ll be working with.
“What are you two lovebirds whispering about over there?” Milton asked, hiding his smile behind his draft beer.
“Mind your business,” I retorted, squeezing Lynn’s thigh one last time before wrapping my arm around the back of her chair.
Lynn just laughed softly, her smile still not fully reaching her eyes and making them crinkle in the corners like they usually do.
“If this dude ever gives you a hard time, Lynn, let me know and I’ll set him straight for you,” Milton snorted.
“Sure you would,” Jerry patted his shoulder, then winked at Lynn. It made her giggle, which I appreciated.
“Y’all are funny,” she said as she leaned into me. “So, you and Vin were in the Army together?”
“We grew up together,” Milton said. “We joined the Army together, but I got out as soon as I could. This mother fucker became a lifer. He was made for the military. Mr. Tried and Trude.”
“Don’t start with that shit again,” I muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed, and maybe nervous. I didn’t know what kind of shit was about to come out of Milton’s mouth.
“Tried and Trude?” Lynn looked curiously up at me.