Page 84 of The Seven Month Itch
Like hell.
His voice strains. “She’s a fucking therapist!”
I still, unable to discern what he said. My mind tells me to leave him, but my body has other plans. I gasp when I turn and lock eyes with him. Terrence grips the railing like he doesn’t have the strength to stand. He looks broken, so broken. I’ve never seen him this emotional before, not even when I left him over a year ago.
Pissed?
Yeah.
Angry?
For sure.
This is new territory.
There’s pain he can no longer mask buried in his words. Vulnerability shines in his eyes and how terrified he is that I’ll walk out of his life forever. He opens his mouth to speak but has to catch his breath. “Reina gave me resources on how to cope with our separation.”
Reina. The woman who was on the video call. If she’s his therapist, why is she here? “So that justifies you going back to her hotel room? Let me guess. It was a house call?”
His reply is instant. “No, baby, you got it all wrong. Chris, my business partner, told Reina where I was. She’s at a hotel in West Hollywood with her fiancé. Reina is marrying Chris’s little brother, who plays soccer for the Los Angeles Mambas. Kenny and I went back to their hotel to see them. It got late, and Ethan, Reina’s fiancé, thought I should spend the night and skip the hour commute since I had plans to train him this morning.” He takes a breath. “Remember when I said I’m here to finish out a contract?”
I nod.
“That’s Ethan.”
Gravity forces my body to sit. For a multimillion-dollar home, these steps aren’t comfortable. I look at Emma’s wide eyes. She stares with her hand over her mouth. Her view is still on Terrence, and if my eyes don’t deceive me, there are tears in her eyes. Shenevercries.
“How should I feel? You kept therapy a secret from me, your life partner. The way your hands were on her, I thought you two were lovers.”
“We have history.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes and laugh. The actual nerve of this man. “Of course you do.” I rise to my feet.
He holds out a hand. “Wait! I can explain. I know I’m doing a shit job, but it will all make sen—”
Three things happen. The front door chimes, a flash of black and gray speeds into Terrence with the force of a bullet, and Emma and I scream. Miles pulls him to the foyer, lifts him in the air, and slams him to the floor.
“Please don’t kill him!” I scream. Terrence clutches his gut from the blow that has me scared for his life. He’s big, but Miles is a tank. Every muscle in that man’s shoulders, chest, and back is on full display. He left Emma’s house in nothing but sweats and sliders and lookspissed.
Miles crouches down to put a finger in Terrence’s face. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Is this how you treat your wife? Your fuckingwife? You know better! If you want to do that shit, don’t stay married.“ He shakes his head. “You were supposed to be better than me, T.”
Terrence grimaces. If I went airborne and got rag-dolled, I’d be in pain too.
“Bro, I swear I didn’t cheat. I was with Reina. She’s been a listening ear from time to time,” he winces, “unofficially.”
“Why didn’t you tell Justice about her the second you two got back together?”
Bingo.
“I wanted to…” He grips his side and pushes against the wall to stand. “You know how it is. Guys where we’re from don’t talk about feelings. It looks weak.” He turns to me. “Life became meaningless when you left. I couldn’t eat, barely slept, and drove past your apartment each night to be closer to you. I didn’t know how to live without you or get you back. It’s not easy to admit my shortcomings, so I got help to become the man who deserves you.”
“Justice?” Miles’s gaze is on me, but my eyes are on my husband. A man whose stare pleads with me to believe him.
“Don’t you think I deserved to know?” It sounds like I ate a bowl of rocks for breakfast.
He runs a hand through his hair. “I planned to tell you on this trip. Reina referred me to another professional who’s been helping me, but she sends me general tips from the trade on occasion. I want to go to couples therapy if that’s something you still want to do. I wasn’t ready when you asked the first time, but I found a Christian counselor to help us.”
He continues at my nod.
