“I must get going. I’ve got an appointment with my divorce attorney.” She makes her way to the door, stopping before she exits. She turns and looks at me over her shoulder. “Be kind to my daughter.”
With that, she leaves.
I set the box on top of my lap aside and roll onto my knees, the pain subsiding to a seven on a scale of ten. Though I’m not sure what bothers me more—that Inara physically hurt me, that she took off and left me with her mother whom I’d never met, or the fact I came off like a giant asshat. Why do people bother getting married? If I had remained single, I highly doubt a situation like this would’ve ever occurred.
After picking through the boxes and finding a pair of pants, I make my way over to the couch. Not long after, Inara returns with her little white drugstore bag and two of the big-brand coffee-shop cups in her hand.
I prepare to be scolded for debris from the toppling boxes still on the floor. But Inara just steps over the mess and turns to hand me one of the cups. “A peace offering.”
“Thank you.” I sip the hot caffeine and sigh before setting the cup on the coffee table and squatting to stuff my belongings back into a box. When I’m finished, I hoist the box and stand. “Where can I take this so it’s out of your way?”
A quick widening of her eyes is the only sign that I’ve caught her off guard. “The storage area in the garage would be great, thanks.” She points the way and I make quick work of it, hauling the boxes away until her living area is once again tidy.
“Thank you.” She fidgets with the cardboard sleeve on her cup. “And, I’m sorry I don’t have a place for your clothes yet. I’ll try to work on that within the next few days.”
“No problem.” She flashes me a genuine smile, which I meet with a slow grin of my own. And then I blow any newfound amnesty. “Could always move my stuff to the bedroom?”
Her smile fades, her eyes widening briefly before she spins on her heel and stalks away, muttering something about a shirt and duct tape.
The man who marries her next will be one lucky bastard. I pick up my cup and suck down a long swallow, my chest constricting at the thought of Inara with another man. But this union is temporary, something I must see through to make sure I get into OCS. Staying long-term, having a family even, is not for me.