Page 39 of Before We Were Us

I shove his shoulder, he falls to the side laughing, and almost dumping his beer.

Dick.

“So how is the wife?” he adds and it takes all I have in me now to tackle him.

“Exactly the same, man,” I tell him while chugging my beer.

“So, a conniving bitch that enjoys making everyone around her miserable?”

“Pretty much.” I let my head rest back on the couch as I slouch to get comfortable. “How I ever lived with that woman is beyond me.”

“It was a short couple of years.”

“Nope, it was the longest two fucking years of my life.” And I’m still living in hell!

twenty-four

. . .

Jensen

Of all the times I’ve been to my mother’s,all the dinners and lunches and occasional breakfasts, I’ve never felt so uncomfortable. I can’t bring myself to look up from my plate, with only the sounds of silverware hitting plates and glasses being placed onto the table harder than necessary. I know it's simply to gain my attention but I don’t have to look at any of them to know they are all glaring.

“Have you even reached out?” I know the question is meant for me. Jenna isn’t as pushy as Naomi, but she is a romantic. She was the first person to tell me that Chrissy was a bad seed and wasn’t the right woman for me. Had I listened I wouldn’t be stuck in the ongoing hell I’m in now.

“Send flowers maybe?”

“I plan on explaining everything,” I say, still staring at the broccoli I’m mindlessly moving around on my plate. “Right now I can’t even seem to get close to her. She’s got all her watch dogs running interference.”

My brother chuckles and I ignore him.

“Watch dogs?” my mother’s voice interrupts and I then look up to find her staring at me.

“Her best friends, her brother.” I shrug. “I tried to go after her that night, I’ve tried calling and she doesn’t answer, she’s pissed and I get it. I’m giving her time.”

“Giving her time is a terrible idea,” Naomi interjects.

“Yes,” Jenna adds. “Right now she’s sitting around talking about what an ass you are. She’s forming an opinion, her friends are all following suit. They’re all thinking you are an adulterous whore who cheats on your poor innocent wife who’s waiting at home.”

“Chrissy is far from innocent,” Myles adds.

“Well, we all know that, but does this woman. A woman who from what Na says is gorgeous and kind and the exact opposite of the self-centered judgmental bitch you chose to marry.”

“Can we discuss something other than my failures, please?”

“No,” Jenna wastes no time. “I watched you go through days of torture and we all knew how unhappy you were. That dick tricked you into marrying her with some fake pregnancy.”

“We were already engaged when she told me she was pregnant.”

“Maybe, but you were having second thoughts and she knew it.” Jenna isn’t wrong but I choose not to tell her that. “She sensed you were about to back out and so she threw out the ultimate hook.”

This evening has been exhausting.

“This version of you is not the brother I know and love,” Jenna tosses out almost sadly.

I glance over at her husband Jarod. “Are you gonna offer me any help here?”

“I know better than to go against this one.” He juts his thumb over toward my sister. “We have a lumpy couch and I can’t sleep for shit on that thing. Sorry man, I love you, but I love the comfort of my wife and my bed more.”

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