poignant. A roaring filled her ears. She shook her head to clear the sound.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
If possible, his chest puffed out. “I’m going to be a dad.”
The announcement hit her so hard all the air fled her lungs in a whoosh. She stood frozen, unable to move even though her brain shouted at her to leave. Like a masochist, however, she wanted more because she knew the wound was going to bleed bright red.
“Rebecca is pregnant?”
He nodded. “Due in June. It’s the family I’ve always wanted.”
“Yeah,” she managed to say. She swallowed down the bile rising from her gut. “Let me ask you something, were you always a dick and I’m just now realizing it?”
Anger creased his brow. “Why am I the dick when you made your decisions without consulting me?”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “Don’t you remember? We had discussed it before I had the operation. I thought you understood.”
“Yes, you told me it was for medical reasons, but I didn’t understand the ramifications of such an operation until I was in the waiting room and saw a family. A man holding and laughing with his son.” He took a deep breath. “It hit me then, exactly how deep your knife was cutting me, just as the doctor was slicing part of you away. I realized I couldn’t give up the chance to have children. That’s why I left you, Madeline.”
“Still would’ve been nice to know how much you wanted kids,” she whispered.
He gestured to her body. “If I had stayed with you, you would’ve taken away my decision to be a father. Don’t you think that’s more of a dick move?”
Madeline had nothing to say to that. Supposedly, they’d been two people in love, ready to get married, for better or worse. Only now did she realize how taking the chance to be a father away from Kevin had embittered him so much.
Suddenly, there wasn’t anything else to say to one another.
“C-congrats, Kevin.”
The anger left his face and he nodded. “Thank you, Madeline. You know, I wish only the best for you. Maybe one day you’ll be able to find happiness like I have.”
His words were a fatal blow, and with a desperate nod, she turned and hurried out of the house and away from his presence. He’d manage to sink the blade so far into her heart she doubted she’d ever be able to pull it out.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she drove home. The book still lay in her pocket. A fucking joke to the happy ever after she once thought she’d have. Hunter popped into her mind, and she realized that any feelings she might have for him was best ignored. As Kevin had reminded her, happiness wasn’t in her cards. She had nothing to offer Hunter except a friends with benefits relationship. It was better than nothing, but now she felt the clock on their togetherness winding down.
****
“Do you like blue cheese dressing?” Madeline asked as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear. The carrots and celery sticks she had cut up earlier rested neatly in plastic bags. She’d done everything she could, mindless tasks, to get her mind off the scene with Kevin.
Tonight was bowling night with her friends and she was determined not to ruin it. Or, more specifically, she wasn’t going to let Kevin ruin her fun.
“Except for one night at Lucky’s, you’ve been mostly MIA, and all you manage to do now is call to ask if I like blue cheese?” Lacey harrumphed through the line. “Which is yes, of course. Who doesn’t like blue cheese? But that’s so not the point right now.”
“I’m smuggling veggies in tonight. I refuse to eat bowling alley fried food. ”
“Wait just a minute,” Lacey said. “Where’ve you been? You skipped ladies happy hour downtown. You missed drinking so the mind is boggling.”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Madeline replied. “Hunter and I—”
“I like how that sentence started!”
Madeline pulled the phone away, hit speakerphone then set it down on the
“Excuse me?” she asked.
If possible, his chest puffed out. “I’m going to be a dad.”
The announcement hit her so hard all the air fled her lungs in a whoosh. She stood frozen, unable to move even though her brain shouted at her to leave. Like a masochist, however, she wanted more because she knew the wound was going to bleed bright red.
“Rebecca is pregnant?”
He nodded. “Due in June. It’s the family I’ve always wanted.”
“Yeah,” she managed to say. She swallowed down the bile rising from her gut. “Let me ask you something, were you always a dick and I’m just now realizing it?”
Anger creased his brow. “Why am I the dick when you made your decisions without consulting me?”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “Don’t you remember? We had discussed it before I had the operation. I thought you understood.”
“Yes, you told me it was for medical reasons, but I didn’t understand the ramifications of such an operation until I was in the waiting room and saw a family. A man holding and laughing with his son.” He took a deep breath. “It hit me then, exactly how deep your knife was cutting me, just as the doctor was slicing part of you away. I realized I couldn’t give up the chance to have children. That’s why I left you, Madeline.”
“Still would’ve been nice to know how much you wanted kids,” she whispered.
He gestured to her body. “If I had stayed with you, you would’ve taken away my decision to be a father. Don’t you think that’s more of a dick move?”
Madeline had nothing to say to that. Supposedly, they’d been two people in love, ready to get married, for better or worse. Only now did she realize how taking the chance to be a father away from Kevin had embittered him so much.
Suddenly, there wasn’t anything else to say to one another.
“C-congrats, Kevin.”
The anger left his face and he nodded. “Thank you, Madeline. You know, I wish only the best for you. Maybe one day you’ll be able to find happiness like I have.”
His words were a fatal blow, and with a desperate nod, she turned and hurried out of the house and away from his presence. He’d manage to sink the blade so far into her heart she doubted she’d ever be able to pull it out.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she drove home. The book still lay in her pocket. A fucking joke to the happy ever after she once thought she’d have. Hunter popped into her mind, and she realized that any feelings she might have for him was best ignored. As Kevin had reminded her, happiness wasn’t in her cards. She had nothing to offer Hunter except a friends with benefits relationship. It was better than nothing, but now she felt the clock on their togetherness winding down.
****
“Do you like blue cheese dressing?” Madeline asked as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear. The carrots and celery sticks she had cut up earlier rested neatly in plastic bags. She’d done everything she could, mindless tasks, to get her mind off the scene with Kevin.
Tonight was bowling night with her friends and she was determined not to ruin it. Or, more specifically, she wasn’t going to let Kevin ruin her fun.
“Except for one night at Lucky’s, you’ve been mostly MIA, and all you manage to do now is call to ask if I like blue cheese?” Lacey harrumphed through the line. “Which is yes, of course. Who doesn’t like blue cheese? But that’s so not the point right now.”
“I’m smuggling veggies in tonight. I refuse to eat bowling alley fried food. ”
“Wait just a minute,” Lacey said. “Where’ve you been? You skipped ladies happy hour downtown. You missed drinking so the mind is boggling.”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Madeline replied. “Hunter and I—”
“I like how that sentence started!”
Madeline pulled the phone away, hit speakerphone then set it down on the
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