Chapter 24
Gabe
Of all the ways that I wanted Sarah to find out about me and Elle, this wasn’t it.
I went back to my room and put on more clothes.
Elle did the same. We didn’t speak as we did.
I could hear Sarah moving around the penthouse.
She was never one who liked surprises and this was a big one.
There was no way to ease her into what Elle and I had been doing or what she meant to me.
I just hoped that Sarah would be open to accepting us.
I walked out into the living room to see Sarah pacing in front of the couch. Elle hadn’t come out yet and I took the opportunity to talk to my daughter alone.
“Sarah, let me explain,” I said.
“Explain?” Sarah turned and glared at me. “What is there to explain? You’re sleeping with my best friend. My best friend! How could you?” Sarah asked.
“We never meant for this to happen. We tried to fight our feelings for each other, but we just couldn’t. I’m sorry if this is a shock or if it hurt you.”
“A shock? That’s the understatement of the century. Did you plan this? Did you want Elle all along? Did you seduce her to be with you? Was this some sick game you were playing?” Sarah asked.
“No. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
“Were you lying to me when you said you didn’t remember Elle? Were you playing coy with me so I wouldn’t know what you really wanted to do?”
“I honestly didn’t remember who she was. If I had, I might not have ever agreed. If I had any idea how attractive she was or how much I would want to be with her, I would have avoided the temptation,” I admitted.
“Somehow, I doubt that. You’ve never avoided temptation in your life. You certainly didn’t when you cheated on my mother,” Sarah said.
“I thought we had moved past that. I was young when I married your mother. I made mistakes. I’ve learned from them. I’m trying to be a better man. Elle makes me a better man. She makes me want to be a better man.”
“You shouldn’t need to sleep with my best friend to be a better man,” Sarah said. “How could you do this to me? To her?”
“He didn’t do anything to me,” Elle said as she walked into the living room.
Sarah turned to glare at Elle. “Then what did you do to him? What makes you think it’s okay to use my father that way? Are you hoping to find some sugar daddy so you don’t have to work?”
“Sarah!” I said and Elle let out a shocked gasp.
“I would never do that. Not to your father, to you, nor am I that type of person. I can’t believe you would ever ask me such a thing,” Elle said. I could see how hurt and shocked she was by Sarah’s comment.
“Gee. I never thought my best friend would sleep with my father so we’re both learning a lot about each other tonight,” Sarah said.
“I’m sorry, Sarah,” Elle said.
“Are you? Are you really sorry? What are you sorry about? Are you sorry that you slept with my father or are you sorry that I found out?” Sarah crossed her arms and glared at Elle.
I walked over and stood between the women. I didn’t want Sarah to be mad at Elle. If she was going to blame someone, I wanted her to blame me.
“We were going to tell you. It was why I asked you to dinner tomorrow night. We were going to tell you then. It wasn’t that we were keeping this from you, it was just we wanted to find the right time to tell you,” I said.
I hoped to change the narrative but Sarah wouldn’t have any of it.
“The right time? Do you think there is ever a right time to tell me this? If there was, it was before you even started fucking each other. But apparently you two didn’t have enough respect for me to give me that courtesy,” Sarah said.
“It wasn’t that,” I said.
“We didn’t want to tell you-” Elle said and Sarah cut her off.
“That’s what I thought. You were going to keep this from me forever, weren’t you?” Sarah asked.
“No. We wanted to tell you when we knew it was serious enough to tell you,” Elle finished.
“Because sleeping with my father isn’t serious enough?” Sarah asked.
“You’re twisting my words,” Elle said.
“No. I think I understand perfectly what’s going on here.
” Sarah turned to look at me. “You were bored and thought you needed a little excitement in your life. So, you being you, decided to sleep with the first woman who walked into your life. It didn’t matter that it was my best friend.
You didn’t think about how I would feel when I found out.
You, as usual, only cared about yourself. ”
Before I could say anything, she turned to look at Elle.
“And you. What? You were tired of living from place to place and thought it would be nice to hook your claws into a nice pad. What better way to do that than sleeping with my father? It’s one way to secure your living arrangements and if you can get him to pay for things for you along the way, even better. ”
“Sarah, please, listen to us,” Elle said. I could see unshed tears in her eyes.
“No. There’s nothing to discuss. There’s nothing I want to hear from either of you. I can’t stand to be around you. I can’t even comprehend that you did this or how much it hurt me. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for this, much less want to see or listen to you,” Sarah said.
“I’m sorry,” Elle said and walked toward Sarah
Sarah stepped away from her. “Don’t. Don’t be sorry.
Don’t try to make this better, or explain yourself away.
You two are so sure about being together, then fine, be together.
But that doesn’t mean that I have to like or even be around you.
If you ever thought you were going to get my blessing, you’re wrong. It’s never going to happen.”
“Sarah, I don’t want to lose you over this,” Elle said.
I stood in front of Sarah, “Don’t do this. We can talk about this,” I said.
“No, there’s nothing to talk about. I’m done with you. I will never talk to you again as long as you two are together. That is final. Now, let me go,” Sarah said and pushed past me.
Elle and I watched her go, not saying anything.
I winced when the door slammed behind her.
I slowly looked over at Elle to see her crying.
I walked over to her and put my arms around her.
I hurt for her, for Sarah, for how horrible everything had gone.
Elle leaned into me and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
I held her while she cried, rubbing my hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. Trying to do anything I could to make this better for her.
“She’s just angry,” I said after a few minutes. “Once Sarah’s calmed down, she’ll see that she overreacted and come around.”
Elle shook her head and pushed away from me. “No. She won’t. I know Sarah. When she says she’s going to do something, she’ll do it. She’s too stubborn to be any different. When she said she would never talk to us again, she meant it.”
“No, she didn’t. She’s just upset.” I needed to believe that she was. I needed Elle to reassure me, but I could tell she wasn’t going to.
“I wish that were true, but it isn’t. I had a feeling she was going to say what she did, act the way she did. We were only deluding ourselves when we thought she would be okay with this. But she isn’t. She never will be,” Elle said.
“So, what are you saying? What do you want to do?” A feeling of dread filled me.
“The only thing we can do. We have to break-up,” Elle said.
“No. That isn’t an option. I can’t accept that. I won’t accept it,” I walked closer to Elle and squeezed her hips.
“It isn’t how I want it to be, either. But I can’t do this to Sarah. I can’t hurt her like this. No matter how much I want to be with you, I can’t if it means that I hurt my best friend. And in the long run, you wouldn’t want to hurt your daughter that way either. She means too much to us.”
“You mean as much to me,” I said. I wanted to tell she meant more.
“But it isn’t right for us to be happy, to have this, if it causes so much heartache for Sarah. That isn’t who we are. That isn’t who we should be.”
“I don’t want Sarah to come between us. It isn’t fair,” I said.
“It isn’t. But it’s the way it has to be. I’m sorry. Until Sarah is okay with us, we can’t be together.”
“Elle,” I sighed.
“I’m sorry. I wish this could be different. I don’t want to leave you, I don’t want this, but I don’t see it any other way.”
Elle slipped out of my embrace, I let her, even though everything in me wanted to pull her back to me.
I watched her go, feeling the door closing in her bedroom through the penthouse.
There was a finality to it that I didn’t want to comprehend, that I would not comprehend.
I stared at the hallway she walked down long after she had gone into her room.
I couldn’t believe that I had lost not only Elle but Sarah as well.
I could understand that Sarah was upset but she would come around. She had to. This wasn’t the end. I wasn’t going to let either woman go. I had to have Elle in my life and I needed to find a way for Sarah to see that we belong together. No matter how long or what it took.