Chapter 15
A week had passed since I took the boys to the basketball game, and they hadn’t stopped talking about it. I was surprised they hadn’t mentioned it to Roy, but he hadn’t been around that much. They thought he was still away on business.
Calil and I had talked on the phone every day since then.
On the days when he had practice, he would send a good morning message, but he would still call when he was free.
It was refreshing talking to him. We not only talked about high school, but we also talked about things in our adult lives.
He had way more stories than me since I’d been with Roy for so long.
Some of his stories were crazy but very entertaining.
I couldn’t believe some of the lengths fans would go to just to get close to him.
The women were a mess. It made me wonder if I could see myself being with him for the long haul.
I didn’t want a repeat of Roy, and with so many women after Calil, anything was possible.
I was still married, so I had no business thinking like that anyway.
I was in my office going over paperwork when there was a knock at my door.
“Come in.” I focused on the enormous bouquet that entered the room before the person did.
“Hi, I have a delivery for Sloan Martin,” the young guy said as he peeked around the flowers.
“That’s me. You can just put them on the table over there. Do I need to sign anything?”
He walked over to the table and put the flowers down next to the last bouquet I had gotten.
“No. Have a good day, ma’am.”
When he walked out of my office, I got up and walked to the table. There was a card sticking out of the flowers, but I already knew who they were from. Only Calil used my maiden name. I never corrected him either. I smelled the flowers then read the card.
Pretty girl, I know today is going to be rough for you, but you got this. Call me if you need me. ~Calil
Those few words made me smile because he paid attention to the things I said.
He was right about it being rough because I had officially served Roy with divorce papers, and we planned to talk to the boys about what had been going on.
Of course, we wouldn’t tell them about what Roy did, just that we were getting a divorce.
Roy hadn’t been too happy about it, but he knew there was no point in trying to fight me on it. My mind was made up, and there was nothing he could say to change it. He didn’t know about Calil, but even if Calil weren’t around, my decision would have remained the same.
The night Calil and I had sex, I felt a little bad about it.
Two wrongs didn’t make a right, but I needed it and enjoyed the hell out of it.
Calil did things to my body and made me feel things I hadn’t felt in forever.
Roy and I didn’t have bad sex, but things weren’t as passionate as they used to be.
I hated to compare the two because they were different.
Of course, things with Roy would be different because we’d been together for so long.
Calil and I hadn’t had sex since we were teenagers, but would he always be that passionate after years of being in a relationship?
That was a question that neither of us could answer.
I took the card back to my desk and placed it in the drawer with the other cards he sent over the last week. I checked the time, and practice should have been over, so I called Calil.
“What’s up, pretty girl?”
He sounded out of breath, and my mind went to something it shouldn’t have. He wouldn’t answer the phone while he was with another woman. Would he?
“Hey, I can call back later.”
“Nah, you’re good. Julian and I were just running some drills, but I have time to talk to you. How are you feeling?”
I heard him tell Julian to give him a minute, and then the background got silent. I sighed and sat back in my chair. My office was carpeted, so I took my shoes off and rubbed my feet on the plush rug beneath me.
“I’m okay. I called to say thank you for the flowers. I think it’s the biggest bouquet I’ve seen in my life.”
He chuckled, and I closed my eyes. I loved the sound of his laugh.
“They were kinda big. I hope it wasn’t too much.”
“No, they are perfect.” I sighed again.
“Talk to me. What’s going on?”
I closed my eyes and thought about how much I wanted to share.
Things with Calil and me had been good. He hadn’t overstepped and had been giving me time to process my impending divorce, but he also made his intentions clear.
Hence the constant phone calls and the flowers.
He even sent me lunch a couple of times over the last week.
“I know that what I’m doing is the right thing because I can’t be with a serial cheater, but I’m also afraid of what happens next.”
Tears filled my eyes. I no longer knew who I was outside of being a mother and a wife, and that scared me.
I knew I liked to shop, but what else? If I wasn’t working, I was being a mom or a loving wife, and it felt like it was never enough.
I was surprised I shared that with him because I hadn’t said it to anyone else.
That was the first time I admitted it to myself.
“Sloan, listen to me. Nobody ever knows what’s going to happen next.
All you can do is live in the moment. Whether you are married or divorced, you are still an amazing mother and a dope social worker.
Those things won’t change. What happens next is whatever you want to happen.
I’ll be with you every step of the way. If you need a friend to talk to, I’ll be that.
If you need me to talk to that pretty pussy, I’ll do that.
Whatever you need me for, I’ll be that. I don’t know if you thought I was playing, but I’m serious about how I’m coming behind you, Sloan.
I’m willing to move on your time, though. ”
Sheesh. This man had my body temperature scorching with the way he talked.
He said all the right things, and I ate that shit up.
I wasn’t trying to rush into anything, but I wanted to be open to see how things went with Calil at some point.
The way he talked, that time would come sooner than I expected.
“I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“There is nothing for you to say except, yes, Calil, I’ll let you be all of that for me.”
His words made me smile, especially when he tried to imitate my voice.
“That’s not how I sound, but yes, Calil, I’ll let you be that for me.”
“See? Simple. If you need to call me later after the conversation with the boys, don’t hesitate. How are they, anyway?”
“They are good. They won’t stop talking about the game.”
I liked that Calil asked about the boys no matter what because he knew how important they were to me. I couldn’t talk to someone who didn’t understand that I was a mother before anything. My boys would always come first.
“That’s what’s up. Let me know when you want to bring them to another one, and I got y’all. I’ll make sure they are courtside this time.”
“Oh, they will lose their minds.” I giggled.
Calil chuckled. “I’m sure they will. I’m for real, though, Sloan. I got y’all. Your boys will always be included in that.”
More tears filled my eyes again. It might have been crazy of me, but I believed him.
“Thanks, Lil. Let me let you go. I also need to finish up this paperwork so we can have this talk. I’m really dreading it, but I know it needs to happen.”
“It’s going to be fine. The boys probably won’t fully understand, but it’s for the best. How about I take you somewhere for a day if possible? I have a two-day break, and I really want to spend it with you. We can disconnect from the world.”
Having a day to myself to do nothing would be perfect. Having Calil there would be even better.
“That’s a good idea. The boys are supposed to go with their dad anyway. They just don’t know it. He hadn’t seen them in a few days and wanted to spend some time with them. Plus, we think it would be good for them after our talk.”
“Cool. I got everything covered. The only thing I need is for you to show up. Bring an overnight bag and a bathing suit.”
“A bathing suit?”
It had been a while since I wore a bathing suit. I think we went on our family vacation a couple of years ago. Maybe it was time to buy a new one and something sexier.
“Yes. Trust me on this.”
“Okay. I will. I’m hanging up for real this time.” I tittered.
“Talk to you later, Sloan. And remember, everything will work out.”
“Thanks. Talk to you later.”
We hung up the phone, and I sat staring at the wall for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what I was doing with Calil, but I enjoyed it so far. There was nothing wrong with having a little fun.
After a few minutes, I went back to reviewing the paperwork I had been working on, but the closer it got to the time for me to leave, the less interested I became in it.
My stomach was tight, and for the first time in forever, I dreaded going home, but it had to be done.
I couldn’t fully enjoy myself with Calil or anyone else if Roy and I weren’t divorced.
Since I could no longer focus on work, I closed out my computer and headed home.
Roy and the boys were at the house by the time I arrived. He had picked them up from school and taken them to get pizza. We both pretty much dreaded the conversation, and neither of us wanted to cook dinner. I didn’t want Roy in the house longer than he needed to be anyway.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted them when I walked into the house.
The three of them were in the living room watching something on television with their pizza and soda in front of them. I took my shoes off and went to sit on the couch.
“Your father and I wanted to talk to you about something.” There was no point in me beating around the bush or stalling. My stomach felt queasy, so I wasn’t sure if I would eat dinner, but I wanted to shower and relax if I could.