Page 77 of I Got You

ME: She was counting on me, and I wasn’t there.

SEAN: You’re an idiot.

ME: Thanks. So helpful. I should’ve texted Mark.

SEAN: Go ahead. He’ll tell you to kiss and make up…in the bedroom.

ME: That’s why I texted you, dummy.

SEAN: I feel so honored, dumbass. Show her differently. Tell her and then show her you’re still there. A little wooing wouldn’t hurt.

ME: Wooing???

SEAN: ***Face palm emoji***

SEAN: How are you married?

SEAN: Take her on a date. Buy her flowers. Do the things that show her she matters.

ME: I don’t think she wants to be wooed. That’s not Maggie.

SEAN: Yeah, right, shithead. All women want to be wooed. It’s just how?

ME: We don’t have that kind of relationship.

SEAN: Keep telling yourself that, bro.

SEAN: Ticket purchased. See you in a few weeks, and I’ll see for myself.

I set my phone down, trying to figure out what in the world I’m supposed to do. I’m not made for this. There seriously needs to be a freaking manual on what to do when we screw it all up. This weirdness between Maggie and me is no good. All I want is for things to go back to the way they were. I want my Maggie back, except is she mine?

It sure felt like when I held her through the night. She’d been tossing and turning and whimpering in her sleep when I scooped her up and held her against my chest while she cried.

I want to know what’s going on inside her. Yesterday shook something loose within her that’s been hidden, and now it’s haunting her. I can see it. I want to make it better, but I can’t if I don’t understand who these ghosts are or where exactly they’re coming from. I’ve wanted to talk to her, but I have no idea what to say. In church this morning, she stood with her eyes closed, head down, and barely made eye contact.

Now, I’m sitting on the patio because one more second of this might send me over the edge.

The door clicks shut, and Cole settles into a chair beside me. “What’s up with Maggie? She’s been super quiet, and I just saw her shoving some flashy gold thing in the trash before hauling it outside.”

“I didn’t make it to Carmen’s wedding yesterday,” I say, not really wanting to talk about it.

“She was there by herself?” Cole’s alarmed tone makes me want to punch myself in the face. Why does everyone have this reaction like I should’ve known something? “Let me guess,” he says. “That was the dress.”

I don’t look at him because I can’t stand to have one more person tell me how big of a jerk I am. Taking my silence as confirmation, I hear him let out a breath as he rests his arms on his knees.

“I didn’t know.” I try to defend my sorry ass. “I still don’t, at least about the issue with dresses. I should’ve probably known that she’d have a hard day, but…I’m not used to trying to analyze someone else's emotional response to things.”

Cole turns to look at me like I have two heads. “Dude, you better get used to it. You’re married…to my sister.”

I groan. “Now, you sound like Sean. Yet, neither of you are married, and you don't even have a girlfriend. This shit is hard and frustrating as hell. Trying to understand a woman is like trying to read a different freaking language blind.”

Cole laughs. “Exactly, that’s why I don’t have one.” He pauses. “Maggie’s tough. You know that, and she’ll be the last one to yell for help even if she’s drowning. She’s been like that her whole life. Sometimes, it’s gotten her into trouble.”

What the hell does that mean? I want to ask, but just like with Danny, I know Cole will respect Maggie’s choice to open up in her own time if she wants to.

“I don’t know how to make it better.” I hunch down in my chair, crossing my arms over myself. I’m irritated as hell that I don’t know what’s going on and can’t fix anything without having a freaking clue.

“Give her time. I don’t know how this works with you two, but I do know that she finally has someone. My guess is your not showing yesterday made her start second-guessing whether or not she really does. Just remind her that even though you didn’t show, you’re still here.”

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