Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“And,” Maddie says, chiming in, “you two are never on the same page. If we wanted to pull a fast one on you guys, we could. But we wouldn’t. I’m just saying we could.”
I glance at her out of the corner of my eye again.
“Something is going on if we aren’t going to the cabin,” Michael says.
Shit. My stomach wobbles. I think he’s right.
“This is between the two of us,” I say.
“Yeah, like it won’t affect us at all,” Maddie scoffs beside me. “This isn’t just between the two of you. It’s between the four of us.”
“I told you we aren’t getting divorced, Mads.”
“Okay, let’s regroup, Maddie,” my son says, taking control. “Dad says they aren’t getting divorced. He would know. So let’s focus on getting that chili dog.”
Maddie stares at me for a long moment and then switches her attention to Michael. “I can’t go. I have a cheer party, remember? But you guys should get Pops and go.”
I slow the truck and turn on my signal. How did I miss this?
“So, will you?” Maddie asks, her voice filled with hope. “Please?”
I flip down my visor and sigh.
Story Brook is my favorite place on earth. There’s magic there, a spot for relaxing and appreciating life. I’ve always loved sharing it with my family.
But my family includes Lauren. I can’t go without her. But if I ask her to go after she’s said no, she’ll just accuse me of not hearing her. Again.
My stomach twists so hard I groan.
“I mean, you can do that now since you and Mom are getting divorced. We’re not ignorant. We’re just surprised it didn’t happen before now.”
Lauren set up an appointment with a divorce attorney. What the hell?
“You’ve already taken time off of work. And Pops would love it,” Maddie says, refusing to give up. “It would be good for him. He needs this trip, Dad. You know it.”
Damn it.
She’s right—Dad does need this trip. He’s forever regaling anyone who will listen with tales of trekking through the woods with the kids, looking for wild berries. He talks about the time that Lauren left food on a picnic table, and he and Michael were sure they saw a bear. The stories of sitting around the campfire while lightning bugs flicker around the forest are a part of our family lore.
He lives for these two weeks every summer.
I probably broke his fucking heart by feeding him two lies as an excuse, and that’s nothing compared to what he’s going to do when he learns Lauren and I are having problems. He loves her maybe more than he loves me.
“There’s no good reason to go fishing and not go to Story Brook Lake. You can fish there,” Maddie says. “You already have a place to stay with running water. Snaps will have so much fun running around the yard. It covers all the bases.”
Her freckles shine just like her mom’s. “Why do you care? You’re staying with your mom this weekend anyway.”
“You’ll understand when you get there,” she says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just being optimistic, Dad. I’m manifesting. There’s power in manifestation.”
“Who have you been hanging around with?” I ask.
“Daniel,” Michael says, gagging.
I lift a brow at the mention of my daughter’s so-called boyfriend. “So, Daniel is still a thing?”
“Daniel is the love of my life,” Maddie says, dreamily.
“What do you know about love? You’re fourteen,” I say.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I don’t think age has anything to do with it.”
I hum, not wanting to delve into this topic with my daughter. I have my own problems to worry about.
“You can’t control who or when you fall in love,” she says, a knowing twinkle in her little eyes. “I could say I don’t love him. I could pretend. But that wouldn’t change anything, would it? Because once love is there, it’s always there.”
Oh, I see. I chuckle, the sound ending on a near growl. “Can we not do this?”
“Do what?” Maddie asks innocently.
“You know what I’m talking about, Mads.”
She reaches across the console and flips on the radio. Once the music is on, I let out a haggard breath.
My neck is pinched. The spot just behind my eyes is beginning to throb. My jaw pulses.
Lauren thinks she’s filing for divorce?
I scrub a hand down my face.
That’s not happening.
The enormity of the situation falls heavily on my shoulders, and I struggle to make sense of what to do now. If there were signs—and apparently there were—I missed them. But I thought all this was what she wanted. She was happier with me not home. She understood that I have to put in the hours to keep the shop running and our bills paid.
Didn’t she?
My insides rage with conflicting memories and emotions at odds with one another. The one thing—the only thing—that I know for certain is that I’m not losing my wife.