Chapter 15 #2
Roy turned the television off and turned to face the boys. Both boys looked between the two of us. Roy sat there like he wasn’t the reason we had to have the conversation in the first place. I guess it was up to me to start it. I rubbed my hands over my skirt.
“Your father and I are getting a divorce, and that’s why he hasn’t been here,” I announced.
“A divorce?” Brooks looked genuinely confused.
Blake was older, and I knew he understood what that meant because he had friends who had divorced parents.
“Yes. We aren’t going to be married anymore, and he won’t live here.”
Tears welled in Brooks’s eyes, and it broke my heart. I hated that we had to go through this, and I wanted to punch Roy in his face for putting us through this.
Yes, I’ve been talking to Calil, but if Roy hadn’t done the shit he did, I wouldn’t have given Calil the time of day.
“What did we do wrong?” Brooks asked.
I got up and sat down next to him. I pulled him into my arms and hugged him tightly. After I held him for a second, I pulled away to look at him.
“You and your brother did absolutely nothing wrong. Sometimes, mommies and daddies go through things, and it doesn’t always work out.
No matter what, your father and I love you so much, and we will always be there for you.
Do you understand that?” Tears streamed down my face as I looked into the innocent eyes of my youngest.
He was the perfect mixture of Roy and me. He looked so heartbroken, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I was sure telling them about going to another game would cheer him up, but it wasn’t the time. Opening that can of worms would cause more harm than good with Roy around.
“Blake, are you okay?” Roy asked.
Blake had been quiet, and that worried me.
“Yeah. Can I go to my room?”
“If you don’t have any questions, you can,” Roy told him.
“No, I don’t have any.” He stood from the couch and picked up his plate.
Brooks was still in my arms, leaning against me.
“Blake, at any time you have any questions or anything, don’t hesitate to ask your father or me. We are here for you two, no matter what.”
I had to reiterate that because I wanted them to know that nothing changes about our parenting when it comes to them.
“Okay.” Blake picked up Brooks’s plate before exiting the living room.
Roy, Brooks, and I sat quietly. I could see the remorse in Roy’s eyes, but it was too late for that.
“Are we going to go to another game one day? Coop was cool.”
I closed my eyes when Brooks asked that question because I had a feeling of what was coming next. Roy looked at me with a look that let me know he had plenty of questions, but he could save that shit for someone else.
“We will. Go upstairs and get yourself ready for bed. You don’t have to go to bed yet. Just get ready, and we can watch a movie together,” I told him.
“Okay.” He hugged me then hugged his father before running out of the living room.
Roy was silent for a minute, but I knew it wouldn’t last long.
“How the hell did y’all get tickets to a game, and how did they meet Coop?”
I laughed at his audacity in questioning me. The tone of his voice let me know he wasn’t thrilled about us going to that game. Well, at least being around Calil.
“Coop, as y’all call him, gave me tickets, and he took the boys inside the locker room to meet the other players.”
“Hold the fuck up! What do you mean Coop gave you tickets? And he was with my kids?” Roy’s voice rose a little too much for my liking.
“First of all, lower your got damn voice. Secondly, I’ve known Calil since high school. He had a family member in the hospital, and we ran into each other. He gave me the tickets. End of story.”
Roy looked at me like I had grown an extra head.
“You fucking him? Or fucked him before? Because nobody just does that for anybody. And how come I didn’t know that you knew him?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions to be my ex-husband ,” I emphasized, smirking.
“What I do is no longer any of your business. As long as your sons are good, that’s all you need to worry about.
Now, I would like to get myself ready to spend time with our sons, so I need you to leave.
They will see you tomorrow when you pick them up from school because I have plans. ”
I wasn’t going to add that last part in there but fuck Roy and his feelings. He didn’t care about mine, so I refused to tiptoe around his.
“That’s some bullshit, Sloan, and you know it.”
I stood from the couch and got in his face. “No! What’s bullshit is you doing what you did to cause the ending of our marriage. This shit is over, and that’s on you. Good fucking night, Roy,” I finished, walking to the front door and holding it open.
He hesitated for a second, but once I saw I wasn’t budging, he got up. When he got to the door, he looked me up and down like he was disappointed in me. The nerve.
“You’re right, Sloan. This is on me, but don’t let yourself get played by Coop. Bitches come a dime a dozen in his world.”
“That’s great. Bye.”
Roy gave me one last glance before walking out. I closed and locked the door. I went into the living room and cleaned up the leftover mess. Once I was done, I went upstairs to take a much-needed hot shower.
Roy told me about Calil like I didn’t already know that.
He didn’t need to know that shit already crossed my mind, and he would never know.
I knew Calil wanted me to let him know how it went, and I would, but it would have to wait.
I needed to decompress. I had a feeling that things would be rocky in the upcoming weeks, but I was prepared for it.
I had to do what made Sloan happy, and I was confident that things would work out for all of us in the end.