Page 16 of Nothing But It All
She reaches across the console and flips on the radio. Once the music is on, I let out a haggard breath.
My neck is pinched. The spot just behind my eyes is beginning to throb. My jaw pulses.
Lauren thinks she’s filing for divorce?
I scrub a hand down my face.
That’s not happening.
The enormity of the situation falls heavily on my shoulders, and I struggle to make sense of what to do now. If there were signs—and apparently there were—I missed them. But I thought all this was what she wanted. She was happier with me not home. She understood that I have to put in the hours to keep the shop running and our bills paid.
Didn’t she?
My insides rage with conflicting memories and emotions at odds with one another. The one thing—the only thing—that I know for certain is that I’m not losing my wife.
I blow out a breath.
I need time. I need a few days to think.
“Kids,” I say, watching the road.
“Yeah?” Michael says.
I turn to Maddie. “We’ll bring you a chili dog when we come home.”
My daughter wraps her arms around my neck, nearly making me crash the truck into a ditch.
“This is a great decision, Daddy. You’re going to be so happy you did this.” Maddie presses a hard kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”
With a shake of my head and a small smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes, I resign myself to reality.
At least being away will give me a few days to get my head sorted ... and figure out where things went wrong.
And how to save my marriage.
“Put your seat belt back on, Mads,” I say.
Looks like I need to buckle up too.
CHAPTER FOUR
LAUREN
Ican’t hear you, Mads. Stop moving the phone around,” I say, yawning.
“Sorry. Is that better?”
“Yes.” I glance at the clock. “Why are you up so early?”
She laughs. “It’s nine o’clock, Mother. It’s not early.”
“Speak for yourself. I didn’t get to sleep until four this morning.”
“Sucks for you. Anyway, can you come and get me in an hour or so?”
What?
I climb out of bed and rub my eyes. The house was too quiet last night to sleep. With Michael gone with Jack, and Maddie texting halfway through the party that she was going home with Elodie, the silence was loud. Too loud. I finally got up at midnight and worked until after three. Then I lay in bed for another hour before I could doze off.
