Page 62 of A Me and Him Thing
“But…”
Ah, there it is.
“I worry about you. None of this seems very fair to you. I mean, it has to be rather empty.”
He’s right. Without our relationship moving forward, what we have has felt very empty lately. I treasure our friendship, but I want more. It’s the natural progression of things.
Jack looks me directly in the eyes. “You know he won’t leave her, right? It will never happen. If you think he will, you will get hurt. I’d hate to see that happen.”
I feel the blood rush from my face as my hands white-knuckle the arms of the chair. I stare blankly at Ren’s father, aware of my pulse beating madly in my neck.
Her? What is he talking about?
Chapter Seventeen
THE BACK DOORopens, and Ren says, “Bree, ready to go?”
He doesn’t sound excited and bubbly like he did earlier with the kids. He sounds solemn.
Jack nods. “See you when you get back. Ren’s going to be making dinner, just like he does every Sunday afternoon. It’s something to look forward to.”
It would appear everyone knows what’s happening except me.
As I join Ren, all I can think iswhere are we going?I study his face, wondering who HER is. My thoughts are going wild, conjuring up all kinds of crazy scenarios.
“You okay?” Ren asks.
“No.” I shake my head. If there’s a HER in his life, that’s a game changer. Something tells me he knows that already.
“Sorry, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”
I want to run out the door and never look back. I know I should. But as I look at Ren’s sweet face, I see remorse and sadness and anxiety. He rubs the back of his neck and rocks back on his heels. Without his gorgeous half smile, I notice the puffiness around his eyes and the crease between his eyebrows. Perhaps they’ve always been there, but I was too consumed with myself to notice. Whatever is going on in his life, it’s not an easy situation, that much seems clear.
He needs me. And I want to be needed. “No. I want to be here with you.”
His lips part, and his eyes blink slowly, like I’m watching him in slow motion. “Thank you, Bree.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the part of my life you need to see.”
We make our way to the door where we find Kate waiting patiently, sweater and shoes on, an envelope in her hands.
“Ethan, let’s go,” Ren says, projecting his voice toward the hallway.
We hear banging coming from the vicinity of his room, I assume.
“Hang on, I can’t find my shoes.”
So he’s a normal kid after all. Glad to hear it.
“If his head wasn’t screwed on…” Ren says as he walks toward Ethan’s room to help him.
Kate finishes for him. “He would lose it.”
I kneel down at Kate’s level. “Would you like to try some perfume now?”
“Yes, please.”
