Chapter 43
forty-three
Tristyn
Jeremy’s been distant since we were in the ER a couple of days ago.
I can’t blame him, I know it’s a lot to take in. I know that something like this was his biggest fear.
I roll over, but my arm hits the mattress. His side of the bed is completely empty. I don’t even know how long he’s been gone.
It’s a little after three in the morning, and I have no idea where he is.
Then I hear it.
Running water.
I pull myself out of bed and head towards the bathroom.
“Jere?” I push the door open, peaking my head in, and that’s when I see him. Fully clothed, standing under the water.
I don’t even think about it, I open the door to the shower, and sneak in behind him. The cold water thrashes against my skin as I wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his back.
“Baby, come back to bed,” I whisper.
“You deserve better than this.” His words are soft. “This is the kind of life—”
“This is where I want to be,” I promise. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“We don’t know what will happen during the surgery. There are so many risks and—”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
I press my lips against the fabric clinging to his back. Then I reach for the knobs and turn the water off.
“Let’s go back to bed.”
I open the door to the shower and help Jeremy out. He’s in a trance state, out of body in a way.
I pull off his wet shirt and throw it to the floor. Then I grab a towel, dry his face and hair, and wrap it over his shoulders.
I reach up and cup his face in my hands. His skin is cold, ice cold.
“Thank you.”
I give him a small smile, grabbing some clothes from the closet for him to change into.
After he changes into dry clothes, I walk him back to bed and kiss his head once he’s lying down.
“We’ll get through this, okay? Everything will work out exactly how it’s supposed to.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I crawl into bed next to him, resting my head against his chest.
“You don’t have to find out.”
Icould never ask you to do that.” I grab a box of cereal off the top of the fridge.
“You’re not asking, I’m offering.” Jeremy sits on the stool and leans onto the counter. “The guys and I were going to skate around a bit, maybe shoot around some hockey pucks. Henry would love it.”
I want to ask him if he should really be doing that. With everything going on, and his impending back surgery, if getting back on the ice is smart, but there’s also a small part of me that doesn’t feel like it’s my place.
The last thing I want is for Jeremy to end up fully clothed in the shower again like he did the other night. We haven’t really talked about it since it happened. Every time I try to, he brushes it off. He just tells me it was a hard pill to swallow, but he’s coming to terms with needing surgery.
I don’t know if I believe him.
I do know, I want to do anything that’ll keep him smiling.
“Are you sure?” I grab a handful of cereal and toss it in my mouth as I grab the milk from the fridge. “I don’t want him to cramp your style.”
“Cramp our style?” He chuckles. “Trust me, the guys will be happier to see Henry than they will be to see me.”
“Okay. Only if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
I pour milk into my bowl and smile at him.
“You’re the best, you know that?”
“I do.” He winks, and I flip him off. “I’m kidding.” He waves me off. “I would do anything for the two of you, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do.” I place my hands on the counter, lifting myself off the floor, leaning forward, and kissing Jeremy. “I love you.”
My feet meet the floor as Jeremy reaches out and squeezes my hand.
“I love you too.”
Henry, baby, you almost ready?” I zip up his backpack and shove his water bottle in the side pocket.
“Coming, Mama!”
Henry runs out with the toothiest grin.
“You seem excited for school.”
“I’m excited to hang out with Jeremy,” he begins. “And play hockey with real players.”
Henry is out of school early today, and unfortunately, I still have to work at the rec center until three. I originally was just going to pick him up during my lunch break and bring him to the rec center to hang out, but thankfully, he doesn’t have to sit behind a counter all day.
“Well, you should grab all your gear that we got from your summer camp.” I point to his room. “Want to be prepared, right?”
“Right!”
He jumps and turns to head to his room. The doorbell rings, and I glance at the clock on the oven. Who the hell is here?
“Henry, hurry up, baby, we got to leave in fi—”
I open the door, and the last person I would want to see is standing on the opposite side of the door.
“What are you doing here?” I step out of the apartment and leave the door cracked behind me.
“I was in the neighborhood.” Andrew leans against the bar behind him and crosses his arms, the cockiest smirk on his face.
“Sure. Seriously, what do you need, Andy? I’m going to be late for work.”
“Well, when the love of your life keeps dodging your calls and avoiding your texts, you have to get creative.”
I scoff. Love of your life? Seriously.
“Most people would get the idea. If I’m not responding, chances are, I don’t want to talk to you, okay? If it’s not regarding Henry and spending time with him, then I’m not interested.”
“But I am.” He takes a step towards me. “You told me you’d think about us giving it another shot and—”
“I’m seeing someone.” The words slip out.
I don’t think I even planned on telling Andrew about Jeremy. Maybe once we were married, it would be harder for Jeremy to run the other way when he met my largest piece of baggage—
My ex.
But now it’s out in the open, and there’s no taking it back.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. So, I don’t think us is something that is going to happen again, okay?”
“You got your brace off.”
I should’ve known he’d change the subject. I give it a week before he’s calling me to get back together again.
“Yeah, I did.” I instinctively rub my wrist, but my eyes stay on his. “I’ve got to get Henry; we’re going to be late for school.”
Before I have time to open the door, it opens behind me.
“I’m ready to go, Mama.”
Henry’s face falls when he sees Andrew. It breaks my heart. I remember when Henry was a baby, he looked at Andrew like he hung all the stars in the sky. It didn’t last long.
By his second birthday, Henry looked at Andrew as if he were a stranger.
In some way, he still is.
“Hey champ.” Andrew doesn’t bend down to Henry’s level; if anything, he stands taller. “How’s school? Getting straight A’s?”
“School just started.”
Andrew’s eyebrow twitches. I can see his tongue run along his inner lip. I step over to block Henry.
Andrew’s never hurt him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t.
“Baby, go get your bag. I’ll get in to help in a minute.”
The door closes behind me.
“He’s definitely your kid.” Andrew steps closer, invading my personal space.
The way he says it, I know he means it as an insult, but I don’t take it as one.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I open the door behind me and step inside, “he is mine.”
I give him a fake smile and slam the door behind me.