Page 79 of Blindside Love

“Be right back, get comfortable,” I tell her, sneaking off to my room to change. I’m definitely not wearing a costume, but I’ll throw on an Olaf onesie any day of the week.

By the time I make it back out into the living room, the girls are snuggled on the couch, practically salivating at all the food laid out on the coffee table. There’s pineapple dole whip, beignets shaped like Mickey and Minnie, funnel cake, corn dogs, and what seems like a million other things, all Disney-themed to choose from. I can’t help but laugh at the excitement in their eyes, happy they’re enjoying themselves tonight.

“You can dig in whenever, but Addy, if you want, I can give you the Elsa braid you asked for last time. I learned how.”

If I thought she was happy before, it’s nothing compared to right now. At this moment, I feel like I’ve peaked, like everything else I do after this will be inconsequential because this is everything.

A night of braiding and eating treats with my girls, there’s absolutely nothing better.

Chapter 27

Ellie

Ifeel like I’ve been floating these last few weeks, happy about everything and just high on life. Don’t get me wrong, splitting time with Addy has still been hard, but I’ve filled my weeks without her with things that bring me joy, mainly painting and spending time with Trevor.

After Betty continued to pester me about the opening she had in her schedule, I finally caved and agreed to do a show. She was ecstatic while I stayed up all night looking at every piece I’d ever done, convinced everything was trash. Trevor sat and talked me through until the early morning, yet by the end, I felt stronger, more capable like I somehow believed in myself more just by having him believe in me so wholeheartedly.

It also inspired me to create new art, pieces that have excited me and made me feel things I haven’t felt in so long. I finally feel ready to take everything on.

Trevor finally announced his retirement last week, and he’s been the most relaxed I’ve seen him. He seems so light, so carefree, and it’s a good look on him. We went to Sunday dinner this last week with his parents, and seeing their interactions and the way they laugh makes me so happy to know that he has that kind of relationship with his family. His mom thanked me for being a positive impact in her son's life, even if I think it’s the other way around.

She said that Trevor had always been an honest man; that’s the only thing he’d ever cared about, so finding a woman who truly cares about him is all she’d ever wanted for her son.

But now he and I are on our way to meet up with my parents. Apparently, they talked to Tom’s parents after Trevor had a few words with my mother. They finally started to put all the pieces together, realizing they had it all wrong, and they wanted to meet Trevor and me for dinner. They want to know the whole story, and my newly found confidence is definitely coming in handy, giving me the courage to tell them why I’m divorcing him and why I want sole custody of Addy, at least for now.

It definitely helps that they already have a bad taste in their mouth about Tom. I guess my father needed to get some paperwork from Tom last week and spent over an hour trying to call Lena and got no response. So, when he headed back to the office and went into Tom’s office and found them both naked, let’s just say he was less than pleased.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, squeezing Trevor’s hand in my own. He’s refused to let go of my hand since we got in the cab, and honestly, I’m more thankful than he realizes.

“Of course, kitten. I’ll go anywhere with you. Remember, they love you. They’re your parents. Hear them out before you make any decisions.”

“Fine, Mr. Smarty-pants. But if I’m following your rules, I better get spankings tonight. I’m feeling wound up and feisty,” I grumble, earning me a swat on the butt as we walk into the restaurant.

It’s easy to find my parents, and as we approach them, they both stand up nervously.

“Hi,” my father says, looking between Trevor and me. “It’s nice to meet you, Trevor. Thank you for treating my Ellie so well.”

My heart stops as Trevor squeezes my hand, the sadness in my father’s voice immediately getting to me.

They shake hands, and we all sit down. Surprisingly, it’s my mother who starts.

“I told my husband about when I saw you, and you were taking care of Ms. Addy. It was… different, the way you stood up for her, but I respected you for it. Tom was never that way. He went with the flow of conversations and never stood for anything. My Ellie deserves someone to stand by her proudly.”

With that bomb being dropped by my mother, the rest of our meal goes rather smoothly. I told them about my marriage with Tom and his lack of respect for our vows and our daughter, and they apologized for not supporting me.

It was cathartic and hard, but I feel relief at no longer keeping secrets from them. Although it sucked that they didn’t support me, I realize I could’ve fixed that by showing them what I had on Tom, but I couldn’t bring myself to start that battle before.

They asked Trevor a million questions, and by the time the night ended, I had to pull Trevor out of the restaurant because he found out my father loves hockey.

I feel like things have been going well lately, almost too well, so I’m constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. So, when Trevor and I are walking off the elevator after dinner, and I see an envelope taped to my door, with handwriting I’d recognize anywhere, I get the sinking feeling that my nightmare is coming true. Grabbing the envelope, I tear it open, the feel of Trevor’s eyes on mine the entire time.

“Come with me. We’ll go to my place. I’m not sure I trust yours right now,” Trevor says, his voice solemn like he has the same feeling as me. He’s no longer the bright and cheery Trevor I know and that hurts.

Knowing Tom is causing his solemnness and that in some ways, I am too, is heartbreaking. I hate it.

Tom is officially raining on my fucking parade.

He’s pissed about Trevor and me, especially after Addy told Tom’s parents about everything Trevor did for her with the Disney night. My sweet five-year-old even did the damn doe eyes and told them her daddy had promised to take her to Disney World but changed his mind last minute.

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