Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Sarah sighed, and burst into a new round of tears. “I think so.”
“Sar…”
“It’s okay. I’m all right.” She blew her nose. “Are you?”
“Yeah, but change is hard, and the kids might struggle with—”
“No, I meant you. Are you all right?”
I raked a hand through my hair. “I’m fine. It’s gonna be okay.”
She sniffed. “We’ll make sure they’re happy. I know that, but… You know, I’ve seen you with him, Coop.”
“Who?”
“Silas. He’s not out, is he?”
Sharp denial was always my first response, but this time…I supposed I was too damn weary to bother with anything but the truth.
“No.”
“And that’s not a problem?”
I leaned against the counter and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He’s leaving.”
“I want to say something, and I know it’s going to piss you off, but—you should tell him how you feel. Communicate.”
“Sarah…”
“You and I were never good at that,” she said in a tearful rush. “Not unless it was about Ivy and Chase. Kids come first. It’s a good philosophy, but…we got lost in the mix and—I’m sorry, Coop. I’m very, very sorry.”
“C’mere.” I pulled her close and hugged her as she sobbed ugly tears, her body heaving as she clutched at my shirt. “Shh. It’s okay.”
I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that, mourning the wreckage of our marriage—this time not as disillusioned spouses in a lawyer’s office, but as two people who’d once loved each other deeply…only to realize it wasn’t enough.
My heart hurt for the starry-eyed couple we’d been. And though our story didn’t have a happy ending, I had no regrets.
Sarah pushed out of my arms. “I should go.”
“See you tonight?”
“Yes. I’ll come by at seven.”
“Okay.”
Sarah grabbed her bag, hooked it on her shoulder, and kissed my cheek. “After all we’ve been through, I’m still so glad you’re the father of our children.”
I listened to the click of her heels on the hardwood flooring and the creak of the hinges as the front door opened and shut.
Silence echoed around me with a whoosh. I let it come for me the way it had when loneliness was a more constant companion. I should have been ecstatic, but this wasn’t a real victory. It was a case of winning one battle and preparing for the next. It never fucking ended.
But five minutes later, my head snapped up as Silas barged into the kitchen, carrying groceries.
“Yo! Coop!”
He set the bags on the counter next to me and smiled…and it was pure sunshine. He looked freshly showered, his longish hair brushed, and his Red Sox tee and workout shorts smelled like laundry detergent.
“Red Sox?” I plucked the T-shirt and breathed him in.
“Dude. I have no choice. According to Ger, I gotta start representing. I bought ingredients for Ivy’s summer squash salad. I told her I’d save you the trip to the market, so she texted me her list. Don’t tell her I said it sounds gross, by the way.”
“I won’t.” I cupped his neck and kissed him fiercely.
“Whoa.” Silas blinked as I released him. “I’m not complaining, but does that have anything to do with the van I saw pulling out of the driveway?”
I filled him in on my conversation with Sarah. Even the part about renting the house next door if that were an option.
He listened, and I realized he was good at it ’cause I didn’t stop talking until I’d run out of words.
Silas opened his arms wide and pulled me into a warm embrace, echoing my words to Sarah. “It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay.”
I went limp and leaned on him, wrecked with emotion and the stirrings of new worries. “Fuck, I hope so.”
“I know so. And I’m happy for you,” he said gently. “I know it’ll be tough too, but it hurts to think of them without you. You’re so good for them.”
You’re so good for me.
I bit the inside of my cheek and smiled. “Squash salad?”
Silas contorted his handsome features into a comedic ew face. “It might be time to hide a few of her cookbooks. The girl’s out of control with the healthy stuff. Luckily, I bought ice cream too.”
I laughed and took his lead.
It was okay to leave the heavier burdens for later.
CHAPTER 23
SILAS
Water licked the edge of the dock, swaying in the wake of a passing boat in the distance. I hefted myself up and tossed a faux scowl at Chase, smugly raising his arms in victory.
“I won!”
“Boo,” I grumbled, shaking my wet hair and spraying him liberally.
Chase giggled and did a little dance. Then he flopped onto his towel, shoved a pair of too-big sunglasses on his nose, and propped his hands behind his head.
I spread my towel next to Chase’s and waved to Cooper, Ivy, and her friend Jade, who’d decided not to join our boat-to-shore race. I tilted my chin skyward and soaked up the idyllic scene of lake and forest and squeals of laughter drifting on the midsummer breeze…along with the occasional pecking noise of Wood Hollow’s infamous scoundrels.