Page 56 of Dream with Me

A few days in, when we needed a break from the sun, we went to the aquarium in Charleston. Afterward, we went to an amazing outdoor market. That’s where I first saw and fell in love with these boxes. They require certain maneuvers—twists, taps, turns—to open them instead of using a key. They felt more intimate. Only the owner—and maybe the person who made it or gifted it—would know how to open it. I loved the boxes, but they were expensive, and as a young family having spent a lot on a vacation, I refused to let Troy buy me one. I promised him when we were in a better place financially and we came back, I would get one. But life got in the way, and we never went back there.

Honestly, the entirety of last evening was perfect, except for when I came downstairs after putting the kids to bed. I found a spotless kitchen, one of my cherished pottery mugs, and a bottle of wine already opened, sitting next to it.

But Troy was gone.

I was hoping to ask him to meet me for a drink so we could talk about everything that has happened with us physically, but also so I could open up about the confusing feelings I’ve been having toward him. I’ve been hesitant to share any of my emotions because I don’t want to risk giving him false hope. If what I’m feeling is just a reaction to everything changing in our lives, it wouldn’t be fair to risk hurting him.

But... what if it’s not?

CHAPTER30

SHANNON

Relief washes over me when Dr. Linden tells Troy and me that Oliver is making good progress in his therapy.

“The one-on-one time that you’ve been spending in the workshop with him seems to have really made an impact, Troy. He was very excited about the special projects you both worked on.” Dr. Linden smiles as she places her computer off to the side, and I don’t miss her quick glance at me. “He was very secretive about what it was you were making, but he says you loved them, Shannon.”

“I did.” I sneak a quick glance at Troy, but he’s watching Dr. Linden. “Very much.”

When I look back over at Troy, it’s obvious from his posture that he’s more relaxed than when we came into the room before we knew what Dr. Linden was going to say.

“I’m guessing he had quite a bit of help?” I say.

Troy turns to look at me and grins. “I can neither confirm nor deny that.” I roll my eyes at him, and we both turn back to look at Dr. Linden.

“Can you also tell us what your thoughts are on Chelsea’s play therapy? She seems to be doing okay at home and school, but I want to be certain we’re not missing anything.”

Dr. Linden reaches over to the side of her desk and pulls out a separate folder.

“Chelsea is doing very well. She’s been able to talk a little bit about your separation, saying it’s sad that you aren’t all living in the same house. At the same time, when she talks about the time she spends with each of you, it’s clear she’s feeling the love from you both.”

There’s a slight burning in my eyes as I try to hold back the emotion threatening to overwhelm me. Troy and I both hate the thought that anything might be hurting our kids, but we’re both committed to trying to make this as easy as possible on them.

“I also want to follow up on how Chase did after our session to explain the changes at home to him. How is he doing with his regression?” Dr. Linden’s brow furrows with curiosity.

As if on the same wavelength, Troy and I both look at each other before turning back to her.

“It’s going okay. The bed-wetting seems to have almost entirely stopped. There are still some nights where one or the other of us has a hard time getting him to sleep. Initially, we were doing this thing where we would go to the other’s place when he was having a difficult night and help him drift off. After a couple of nights in a row, though, we realized he learned how to get us to do that and started showing the behavior every night.”

“How did you handle that? You’re not going to each other’s house every night, are you?” Dr. Linden frowns.

“Oh, no,” I say. “We started doing a video call instead. It’s hard because the first few nights were pretty miserable, but eventually, we all got used to it. Now it seems to be a way to give him what he needs from both of us without invading each other’s evenings too much.”

Dr. Linden nods and then watches us closely for several long seconds. It’s almost like I can see the wheels turning in her head, and I’m eager to hear what she’s thinking about saying. She opens her mouth and then shuts it again, which is unusual for her because she seems to always know what to say.

I’m about to ask what she’s thinking when she saves me the trouble.

“Shannon, Troy, may I be frank with you?” Her voice has a cautious, serious edge to it. My heart beats harder against my chest wall, and an anxious feeling settles in my chest. Maybe I misunderstood everything she was saying, and things weren’t going as well with the kids as we hoped.

“Of course,” Troy says.

I nod and watch her eagerly, awaiting her next words.

“I would normally not involve myself in a situation I wasn’t asked to be involved in, either personally or professionally. However, I am the therapist for several of your children. So, what I’m about to say next could benefit them as well. Because of that, I’m okay discussing it.”

What the hell is she going to say?

“I understand you’re separated and moving toward a divorce, but have you considered whether counseling between the two of you might help preserve the marriage?”

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