Page 26 of Before We Say I Do

It took a few minutes before the door opened, eyes wide, then a smile settled across Mrs. Jones's face.

"Kyle, I didn't expect you today. How are you?"

"I'm okay. How are you, Mrs. Jones?"

She sighed, and the wind blew her shoulder-length hair as her eyes dimmed.

"I've been better, but I suppose things could be worse."

Kyle's eyes faltered, grimacing. "I've just been made aware of Mr. Jones and his…" he was careful not to misdiagnose him with depression in the case that it wasn't his ailment, "…mood. Is he here?"

"He is, but I'm afraid he's not the best company right now."

"That's fine. I need to see him."

Mrs. Jones's nodded and opened the door wider.

Entering the hall, she closed the door, and Kyle followed her through the corridor he recognized from visiting previously. He could admit, with his and London's businesses taking off and all the commotion surrounding the wedding, Kyle hadn't had much time to visit his father-in-law. For that, he was sorry and determined to make it right.

Mrs. Jones stopped in front of his library and turned to look up at Kyle.

"He stays in there, almost sunup to sundown." Her voice wavered, and somberness made her eyes droop. “He’s so inside his head these days, I can barely get anything out of him."

"If you don't mind me asking, does he eat?"

Mrs. Jones nodded. "That's the one thing he does do." Her smile was short-lived, but that gave Kyle hope that depression wasn't the thing bogging Mr. Jones down.

"The things he did before, that he loved, were they mostly activities done with Dexter?"

Mrs. Jones thought for a moment. "Besides eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and watching me garden…" she cleared her throat, "…and sex, of course, everything else was with Dexter here at the house. We could barely get Dexter out of here, so he often stayed over. Even had a few of his belonging in the guest house outback. I'm certain that Dexter was the closest person to my husband beside me. Maybe even more so than London after she moved out of the house."

Kyle nodded. "I see. Does he still watch you when you're in the garden?"

"I would've told you no because he doesn't make himself known like he used to. Previously, he would make little growls and catch me bending over and run up and spank me." She blushed and averted her eyes from Kyle, then continued. "Now, he doesn't know I know it, but I can feel him when he's there. Watching. But he never says anything. Doesn't run up, and if I look back for him, he disappears behind the column before turning to leave the area altogether."

She sighed.

"I don't know what to do to get through to him. I've considered he may need counseling, but I've been hesitant to push him one way or the other."

It was clear to Kyle that Mr. Jones wasn't depressed at all. He was a man having a hard time with having a bromance with someone he thought he could trust, only to be betrayed in the worse way.

As it was, Mr. Jones was still doing the things he used to with his wife: eating, watching her in the garden, minus the sex. It just wasn't as jubilant as before.

Kyle was convinced then, a conversation with Dexter was what Mr. Jones required to move past the devastation he brooded in.

"I need to make a phone call, do you mind?"

"No, take your time." She shrugged, "Aaron's not going anywhere."

Kyle gently patted Mrs. Jones's back.

"Everything will be okay. Mr. Jones will come around."

"I hope you're right." She glanced at the open door, then back to Kyle. "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen preparing dinner."

"I'll come get you when I'm getting ready to leave."

"Okay."

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