Maggie
I’d had the night of my life.
Ronin and I had talked and laughed. We’d shared one story after the next, and we’d gone sledding. And if that wasn’t enough, we’d spent the remainder of the night tangled in each other’s arms. It was incredible. I should’ve been floating on cloud nine with visions of rainbows and butterflies.
Instead, I’d woken up in a panic—not because something was wrong.
It was just the opposite. Ronin was everything I’d hoped for and more.
He had this magnetic presence that pulled me in and made me feel safe.
I felt free to be myself—to open up and laugh without worrying about saying or doing something he might not like.
It was like he awakened something inside of me, making me feel alive and excited, and that was both thrilling and unnerving at the same time. As much as I liked him, I didn’t want to get my hopes up, especially when there were many things we didn’t really know about one another.
I knew it was crazy to be thinking like this. We’d only gone on one actual date, but I didn’t want to put my heart out there unnecessarily. I needed to know where he stood before I got too invested which led me to roll over and ask him, “You know I have two kids, right?”
“Mmm-hmm,” he mumbled without opening his eyes. “Picture on the fridge.”
“Remember me saying they can be a handful.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And I work full-time at the salon.”
“Mm-hmm.” One eye fluttered open as he asked, “You trying to get at something here?”
“Just making sure you know what you’re gettin’ into.”
“Oh, I’m fully aware of what I’m gettin’ into.” He reached down and lifted the covers, taking a quick peek. “And like I told you last night, I’m totally good with it.”
“I’m being serious, Ronin.” I tugged the covers back and sat up. “I don’t want to start something that neither of us can finish.”
“I get where you’re coming from, but I think you might be overthinking things a bit.”
“I know, but I have to.” I grabbed the blanket and carefully wrapped it around me before easing out of bed. “I’m not just some chick you hooked up with at the movies. I’m a mother. I have responsibilities.”
“You had those same responsibilities last night when you went flying down that hill, and you still had ‘em when I was going down on you on the sofa.”
“Don’t be crass.”
“Just telling it like it is.” He tossed the comforter back, got up, and walked over to me, completely unfazed by the fact that he was completely naked. “You may have responsibilities, lots of them, but you’re still you. And I happen to like you, even when you try to hide behind blankets.”
He gave it a quick tug, pulling it from my grasp.
Before I had a chance to protest, he’d pulled me into his arms and was kissing me, making me temporarily forget about all my earlier doubts.
Just as I was about to completely melt into his arms, he pulled back and said, “I’ve got responsibilities, too.
They’re not the same as yours, but they are just as important. ”
I was still in a haze and unable to speak, so I simply nodded.
“I’m not going to make any promises, especially ones I can’t keep, but like you said last night, I wanna try this. I’m willing to deal with whatever responsibilities you might have. I just ask that you do the same for me.”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good.” He gave my bare ass a quick slap, then turned and started walking towards the bathroom. “I’m gonna take a hot shower. You’re welcome to join me.”
I froze. I hadn’t taken a shower with a man since college, and thinking about taking one with him now had every instinct in my body wanting to reach back for that blanket. When he saw that I hadn’t followed, he stopped in the doorway and said, “Let me rephrase that... Get in here and join me.”
Without any further hesitation, I skirted over to the bathroom and joined him in the shower.
Needless to say, it was a heart-pulsing way to start the morning—even better than coffee, but it made it that much harder when it came time for him to leave.
I tried not to sound too disappointed when I told him, “I had a really good time with you last night.”
“Right back at ya.” He stepped over to me and slipped his arms around my waist as he asked, “When will I get to see you again?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got the kids every night until next weekend.”
“Any way we can work around that?”
“I could get my mom to watch them for a night or...”
“Or what?”
“You could just come and meet them and see how it goes.”
“Yeah, we could do that.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’d like to meet them. Just let me know when, and I’ll do my best to work it out.” He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before turning and heading for the door. “I’ll be in touch.”
And just like that, he was gone.
I only had a couple of hours before the kids came back from their father’s, so I got busy cleaning up the dishes from dinner and starting my grocery list. I felt like the clock was ticking as I rushed to the store and tried to find everything we would need to get through the week.
When I got back home, I quickly organized my haul, putting everything in its designated place in the kitchen and the pantry.
I felt a sense of satisfaction when all the bags were empty, and everything was ready for the kids to come home.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long before the back door flew open, and Nathan came barreling inside.
“Hey, sweetie. How was your weekend?”
“It was alright.” He continued towards his room as he told me, “Dad took us to eat pizza and to the new Spiderman movie.”
“That’s great.”
Seconds later, Samantha came rushing through the door, and her eyes were wide as she told me, “Hey, Dad’s coming in.”
“What?”
Before she could say anything more, Chad appeared in the doorway.
He was wearing his Sunday clothes, a pair of khakis and a button-down with dress shoes, and his hair was neatly combed like he’d been to church.
But I knew that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t been to church since he and Crissy got together, but he was still dressing the part.
I never understood why he felt it necessary to put on a show.
It repulsed me and made it hard to even look at him.
He didn’t say a word.
He simply stood there and watched as Samantha came over to me and gave me a quick hug. Once she’d disappeared into her room, he cleared his throat and muttered, “Hey, Mags.”
“Hey, Chad.” He wasn’t one to chat, especially during drop-offs, so I had a bad feeling that something was up. “You need something?”
“We drove by here on the way to the movies.” He sounded wounded as he said, “I saw a black SUV in the driveway.”
I didn’t respond. There was no reason to. We were divorced. He had no say in my private life, so I just stood there and stared at him.
“It was still here this morning when I went to get the kids’ breakfast.”
“And?”
“Whose was it?” I just stared at him blankly. “So, are you seeing someone?”
“How is that any of your business?”
“Because you are my wife, and...”
“I am your ex-wife, and who I’m seeing or not seeing is none of your business.”
“I just...”
“What?” I pushed. “Did you think I was going to sit here and pine for you for the rest of my life?” I crossed my arms with a huff. “I hate to break it to you, but that’s never going to happen. I deserve to be happy, too.”
“I want you to be happy. I just... You’re the love of my life, Mags. I don’t know if I can take you being with someone else.”
“The love of your life? You’ve gotta be kidding me!” I could feel my blood pressure rising as I fussed, “You’re with Crissy! You’ve been with her for God knows how long, and you left me, the love of your life, to be with her!”
“I should’ve never done it.” He stepped through the doorway and started over to me as he said, “I had it so good, and I...”
“Just stop. I don’t want to hear it.” There was a time when I would’ve given anything to hear those words from him, but at that moment, it sickened me. “You need to leave.”
“Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not giving up on you, Maggie.” He turned and started out of the room. “You will be mine again. Just wait and see.”
“That’s never going to happen.” He’d already closed the door and was halfway to his truck when I shouted, “Never!”
Tears of frustration welled in my eyes as his words echoed through my head. After everything he’d put me through, hearing ‘You are the love of my life’ was like a cruel twist of the knife. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to say those things to me.
He’d shattered our marriage with his betrayal, and now, after a year had come and gone, he wanted me back. It was ridiculous. He had his chance, and he threw it away. I was still fuming when Nathan peered into the kitchen and whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m fine.” I walked over and gave him a hug. “Your father and I were just having a little chat.”
“I heard.” He looked up at me with worry in his eyes. “I wish he wouldn’t do stuff like that. It’s not right.”
“No, it’s not, but let’s not let it ruin our day.” I turned and started for the fridge as I asked, “What would you guys like for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Whatever is fine.” He cleared his throat before asking, “So, is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Was there some dude here?”
“It wasn’t just some dude,” I corrected. “His name is Ronin.”
“Is he the one you’ve been textin’?”
“Yeah, we’ve talked a couple of times.” I was treading on new waters and wasn’t sure how much I should and shouldn’t say. “He was the one who helped me when the car broke down.”
“Oh, okay.”
I could only imagine how hard this must’ve been for him. He had been the man of the house for over a year, and the thought of someone new coming into the fold had to be a little daunting. I tried to reassure him by saying, “He’s really nice, honey. I think you will really like him.”
He didn’t respond, which made me nervous, so I added, “He works construction and has a great sense of humor. He’s really tall and reminds me a little of your grandfather.”
Again, no response.
“I’d really like you and Samantha to meet him... I was thinking we could meet up at Dano’s for some pizza and...”
“Meet who?” Samantha asked from the doorway.
“Mom’s new boyfriend.” Nathan let out a breath. “She wants us to go have pizza with him.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Samantha gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, first, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. He’s just someone I’m seeing.”
“Since when?”
“Not long.”
Sam put her hand on her hip as she sassed, “How long is not long?”
I knew then it was going to be a long night, and a long night it was.
But in the end, they both agreed to meet Ronin and promised to have an open mind. I just hoped they could keep that promise, because my future with Ronin depended on it.