Chapter Seven #3
He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “Lenore. I really don’t want to fight with you. I want to get along with you. We have a wonderful son together, and I am so grateful that we do. Now. Do you need me to pick up Shane from Riley’s house?”
She answered his question with one of her own. “How could you—and with Shane’s best friend’s mom of all the women you could choose? People see you together all the time. It’s just wrong—and the next thing you know, you’ll be marrying her, I just know that you will.”
He almost laughed. Because he would marry Riley in a hot minute if she’d only have him. But she’d already said no. “Lenore. How long do we have to keep doing this? We are divorced. And my relationship with Riley Thompson is none of your business.”
Now her mouth was quivering. A tear slid down her cheek, and she choked out a soft sob. “I hate this. I didn’t want things to be this way between us…”
“I don’t, either. We can do better, Lenore.”
She shrugged and looked away.
“From now on,” he said in a low, even tone, “if it doesn’t have to do with Shane, please call someone else when you need help around the house or with the car or whatever.
It’s not good for either of us to get into these arguments all the time.
They go nowhere, and they just cause more trouble between us.
Trouble between us is not good for Shane.
Lenore, we’re divorced, and that’s not going to change. ”
She sniffled and brushed away another tear.
“I guess I’d been hoping…” She didn’t finish the thought, and he didn’t help her.
“Never mind,” she said with a wave of her hand.
And then she surprised the hell out of him by admitting, “I tossed two of Shane’s action figures down the toilet in the hall bathroom.
And then I threw half a roll of toilet paper in after that.
And then I flushed and flushed and flushed again. There’s water everywhere…”
He said nothing. It was not his problem to resolve.
“Go ahead,” she said sourly. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, just say it.”
“You sure about that? I’m tired of all this, Lenore. If I tell you what I’m thinking, you probably won’t like it, and we’ll be back at each other’s throats again.”
She frowned. And then she straightened her shoulders. “Honestly, I want to know what you think. I won’t give you any crap about it. Just say what’s on your mind.”
Did he believe her? Not really. But still. It was worth yet another try. “Okay, then. Here goes. Is there someone you can talk to about the things that are bothering you?”
“It’s you!” she cried. “You’re what’s bothering me.”
“Am I, really? I’m just your ex. We parent our child as a team, and I think overall, we’re doing a great job of that. Shane’s a happy kid.”
“But I want us to—”
“Stop.” He said it gently as he put up a hand. “Lenore, there is no us, not anymore. Will you please just admit that?”
“Fine,” she muttered. “You’re right. There is no us.”
“Okay, then. So you need to find someone to call when things get to be too much for you. And I’m not just referring to problems with the car or around the house.
I’m talking about someone you can trust to help you work out what’s bothering you.
If you don’t have a friend you feel comfortable talking to, maybe you should find a therapist or join one of those discussion groups where you can talk out whatever’s weighing on your mind. ”
Her shoulders slumped again. “Yeah,” she said. “Maybe I should. Maybe I will…” And then she was shaking her head. “I made a real mess in there. And for what?” She looked up and directly into his eyes. “You and I are never getting back together, are we, Josh?”
“No, Lenore. We’re not.”
She let out a long sigh. “Right. Got it. You should go.”
* * *
When Josh got back in his truck, Roger greeted him with an anxious whine. He gave the sweet mutt a pat on the head. “Don’t worry, buddy. Everything worked out fine.”
Had it, though? Really?
Josh had no idea. His ex-wife was an emotional train wreck, and he never knew what she’d try next—even if she had seemed to finally get the message this time.
And then there was Riley.
He needed to reach out to her. He couldn’t keep putting it off. They were having a baby together, and it was his job to be there for her now.
So then. Reach out, how?
A text seemed inadequate. And showing up unexpectedly at her door felt like one big step over the line considering that he’d walked out on her just because she turned down his marriage proposal.
He still didn’t really understand why he’d left like that. Who the hell did he think he was? Not every pregnant woman jumped at the chance to marry her baby daddy.
And if leaping up and running off wasn’t bad enough, how about the way he’d let almost two weeks go by without once trying to make amends?
Not exactly the way to show her he would be there for her no matter what.
So then. Maybe he could start with a phone call?
Hoping to catch her at home after Dillon was in bed, Josh waited until 8:45 that evening to make the call.
It rang three times before she finally picked up. “Josh. How the hell are you? I was starting to wonder if you’d skipped town.”
“Ouch,” he said mildly. Yeah, she was seriously pissed at him. He could hear the frustration in her voice. But still. He felt better already. “I’ve missed you. A lot.”
Silence on her end.
“I’m a jerk,” he said. “Riley, I need to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because in a situation like this, it’s very important for a man to grovel in person.”
Another silence. And then she asked doubtfully, “When?”
“Right now. I mean, if you’re available.”
“Hmm…”
“Was that a yes? I think that might have been a yes.”
“Not funny, Josh.”
“Riley, honestly, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry for…?”
“That I walked out on you and that I said I would be in touch but I haven’t been.”
She scoffed. “You ought to be sorry. That was completely crappy of you. I didn’t know what to do, Josh. I couldn’t reach out to you because you made it painfully clear you didn’t want to hear from me, that I should wait for you to let me know when you were ready to deal with me again…”
“How many ways can I say it? I’ve been a jerk.”
“You definitely have.”
“Riley, let me come over. Please.”
Yet another endless silence on her end. And then, at last, “All right.”
“Great. Now?”
“Yes. Come over now. But remember Dillon’s in bed. Don’t ring the doorbell. You might wake him up.”
“No problem. I’ll knock.”
She said nothing. It took him a moment to realize she’d ended the call.