Page 44 of Finally Home

Ten minutes pass before she hangs up and my worry is through the roof. Whoever that was, it doesn’t seem like good news based on the way she curls into herself with her arms around her knees.

“Wren? Who was that?” I rub my hand across her back in slow circles to help keep her calm, but it’s hard when I can barely keep myself in check.

Clearing her throat, she turns fear-filled eyes my way. “That was my lawyer. They moved up the divorce proceedings.”

She looks terrified, but shouldn’t she be happy? It’s not like they’re going to deny the divorce or grant the crazy fucker alimony. “Okay…that’s a good thing, right? Why do you look like you’re headed for a guillotine?”

She takes a shaky breath and finally looks me in the eyes. “Rhodes, the hearing is tomorrow in Seattle.”

Her whole body trembles, so I pick her up and plant her sideways in my lap, replacing her arms with mine where they rest around her knees. “I know, love. But why do you look so scared?” She just stares at me blankly for several seconds until it clicks, and I instantly feel like a jerk. “Because he’ll be there, and you’ll have to see him.”

“Bingo,” she whispers.

“Baby,” I sigh, resting my head on the top of hers. The scent of apples and honey and home wash over me, and I take a deep breath and let it center me. The last thing she needs right now is another pissed-off man scaring her. “I know you’ll have Archie and your lawyer, but do you want me there? Or do you think that would make things worse? My only priority is you.”

A sniffle is the only answer I get for a few minutes, and I give her space to think it through. Obviously, I would give anything to be there, but I mean it when I say she’s my only priority. Her safety and comfort will always come first, and if she doesn’t think rubbing our relationship in his face is the right move, then I’ll stay home and trust that Archie will take care of her.

“I think…you should be there,” she says hesitantly. “Worst-case scenario, he loses it in front of the judge and proves my point—that he’s too unstable to be married. Best case, he’s on his best behavior and we get through the day without any metaphorical bloodshed. I do worry he’ll bring up our relationship as evidence of infidelity on my side…”

“So, we don’t say a word about it. I’ll talk to our parents, and if they flat-out ask you can be honest, but you did say it’s a no-fault thing right? I bet it wouldn’t matter either way since we can prove nothing happened before you got here.”

She sighs but nods. “Thank you so much, Rho. I’ll feel a million times better with you at my back for this.”

I keep my face impassive but on the inside I’m melting with relief. “Anything for you, Starling.”

CHAPTER 26

WREN

We’ve been waiting for the better part of an hour as the judge reviews our case, and I feel like I’m about to throw up. Rhodes, his parents, my dad, and I flew in late last night, so I didn’t get much sleep, and it has me on edge. I only saw Derrick for a moment when we came into the courthouse and he looked awful. His cheeks are sunken, and his hair is longer than I’ve ever seen it. His game day suit that used to fit impeccably now hangs at awkward angles on his too-thin body.

Did he really fall this far in four weeks, or have I just been oblivious to his appearance?

No. No way. Because the first video was from the same week, and he looked the same as always, so why does he look so terrible now? It can’t just be because I left. I barely saw him when we lived together. And based on the string of partners he’s been trying to throw in my face, he’s not hard up for company.

“You alright, baby girl?” My dad’s voice startles me out of my daze, and I turn to look at him guiltily.

“I’m okay. I was just thinking about Derrick,” I whisper to him. Rhodes is on the other side of me, but he’s on the phone with his agent talking about a brand deal he just landed with a major sportswear company. I’m so dang proud of him.

My dad’s eyebrows rise in shock, and he stares at me. “Not like that!” I hiss, glancing at Rho. He blows me a kiss, and I wink before I return my gaze to my father. “I just mean, he looks…different. And I was wondering if he really changed that much in a month or if I was a worse wife than I realized by not noticing.”

He shakes his head and tosses an arm over my shoulder. “Let’s call a spade a spade here, Starshine. The boy looks like shit.”

I snort and quickly cover my mouth. “Daddy.”

Shrugging, he glances around the room. “Sorry, Wren, but I can’t find it in me to say a single nice word about the man who disrespected my daughter. Honestly, he’s lucky he can still walk. The guy is as worthless as gum on a boot heel when it comes to basic human decency.”

I sigh because he’s not wrong. “I know that, but I was with him for over five years if you count college, and it wasn’t all bad. Just…most of it.” I grimace and then it’s his turn to sigh.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Starshine. If I had known?—”

“You would be in jail, and I would be a widow,” I interrupt him with a knowing look. “And for what it’s worth, I didn’t want anyone to know. It was easier to stay than it would have been to rock the boat by leaving.”

He goes to respond when we’re called into the courtroom, and my nerves resurface with a vengeance. Before I can make it through the door, Rhodes yanks me sideways into a semi-hidden alcove. Without a word, he grips the back of my neck and pulls my mouth to his for a kiss that is definitely not appropriate for a public setting.

Our breaths are loud in the small space when he pulls away and runs his thumb under the side of my lip, probably fixing a smudge. “I just needed to remind you that I’m here. Whatever they say in there doesn’t change anything between us, you hear me?” His voice is barely more than a whisper, but it’s still firm.

“I hear you, Rho.” I whisper back.

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