Page 58 of The Broken Beginning: Part One

“Yeah, and he’s never had a kind word to say to me.”

“And why would he, when you’re his son-in-law’s mistress.”

“That’s how you see me?”

“That’s what you are by definition since I’m married, Shaina.” She huffed but didn’t say anything, because how could she argue that?

“Look, I went to see my son yesterday, but he wasn’t there. Our dads took him on a camping trip.” Her eyes lit up then.

“Aw, that’s so cute, so you met up with them?”

I shook my head. “No. While I was there, I pissed Lily off and then came back to apologize because she didn’t deserve the things that I said to her.”

Shaina rolled her eyes.

“Whether we have a normal marriage or not, we co-parent, and have a decent relationship in that regard. I didn’t want to mess that up,” I admitted. Truthfully, there had been more to it, but Shaina didn’t deserve the full truth, it would only hurt her.

“So, you apologized and what?” She flicked her hand toward me. “I’m not stupid, Damon. I can smell another woman on you. It’s been months since you used the women around the club, so what changed?”

How fucked was it that she looked like she was already set to forgive whatever fuckup I’d made? I knew that wouldn’t be the case when she realized it wasn’t a club whore I was with.

“When I got back to apologize, I overheard her talking on the phone to a friend of hers. Hell, I think she’s my wife’s only friend.”

“Well, that’s pathetic.”

“It is, and it’s also entirely my fault that all the rest were chased away after she first got pregnant with Declan.” Shaina’s eyes shifted away from me, and I knew she was thinking about her best friend who did not support our relationship because she knew I was married.

“I listened in to something I’d never even considered before. My wife has had almost no life since she got pregnant with my son. First, she was pregnant at sixteen, then nursing him, and now that he’s finally old enough to where she can leave him with our dads, she needs to get a life. The problem is that her best and only friend moved to New York for school and work, so she isn’t around all that often.” I didn’t bring up the whole lunch date with Paul thing. No point in letting Shaina know I was jealous, and that jealousy spurred on the rest of the night.

“What does that have to do with you?”

“I decided to take her for a night out and show her what she’s been missing. Give her a night where she could relax and not have to worry about our son, being safe, or anything else besides having fun.”

“You took your wife on a date?”

I shook my head. “I took her to go see a band and kept watch while she drank, danced, and had fun.”

“You kept watch? So, you watched as other men danced with your wife?”

“She didn’t dance with other men. Mostly, she danced with the girlfriends of the band that was playing.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She stood up and started pacing the room. “You took your wife out drinking and dancing and came home to me smelling like you’ve been riding, but that you were ridden hard before that. Plus, you have a fucking hickey the size of Texas on your neck!”

“We stayed at my buddy’s place because we were down in Savannah, and it was late. We got to drinking while we were there, and…”

“And? You fucked your wife?”

“Yeah, we had sex.”

“What are you even doing, Damon?”

I shook my head and blew out my frustration before answering. “That’s just it. I’ve been doing everything all wrong this whole time.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I was waiting on my wife to notice that I’d fallen in love with her, but she fucking hated me for all the shit I’d done. So, being the weak as shit man I am, I drown my sorrows and threw my pity party the same way I always do.”

“You don’t drink often or do drugs,” Shaina suggested, no doubt, knowing exactly where I was going with this.

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