41. Free Therapy Session
Chapter forty-one
Free Therapy Session
Maria
I know that it’s not any of my business, but if I want things to get serious with them, I need to be aware of everything that’s going on. Drake has been doing well so far in his therapy, but I need to make sure he’s keeping up with it. He’s already lied to us once.
And that’s why I’m standing outside of Chelsea’s office, waiting for her patient to leave so that I can have a moment of her time. Hopefully, she can share enough with me without breaching her duties to Drake.
“Thanks, same time next week?” A slightly older man steps out of the office. He looks like he’s been crying, but he’s wearing a smile.
“Sure, Frank. Or whenever you need to talk. You have my number.” Chelsea comes to the door and is very surprised to see me.
“Are you... my next client?” she asks with some amount of hesitation.
“Not really. I wasn’t sure when you would be free, and I didn’t want to talk to you about this in front of other people. I’ll still pay for your time, of course.”
“Do you want to become a patient?”
“No, I just have... a few questions. About some personal things.”
“Oh.” Her brows twitch higher before she invites me in with a gesture. A sudden lump forms in my throat that makes it very hard to swallow. I probably should have thought of what to say before I got here.
Her office is bathed in soft natural light pouring in through the sheer curtains covering up the windows.
The last time I was here, the walls were a stark white; now, they’re a soft, muted teal that makes the room feel more calming.
There’s a plush sofa set in one corner of the room at an angle, and a tall leafy plant stands right behind it, the large leaves curving high over the couch like some kind of canopy.
Across from the sofa is a pair of comfortable chairs with armrests, and in the space between them is a low wooden coffee table where a box of tissues sits, along with a few random magazines. Beneath the table is a circular area rug in a shade that matches the walls, pulling everything together.
Talk about relaxing...
“Sit. What’s got you so tangled up that you couldn’t talk to me over the phone?”
“Drake Strickland. He’s one of your patients.”
“I’m... aware,” she replies, the suspicion weighing heavily in her voice.
“Before he started seeing you, he was lying to his friends and me that he was going to therapy. I just came here to make sure that he’s been keeping his word.”
Chelsea smiles and nods.
“He has. Hasn’t missed one session.”
“And he’s doing well?”
“That, I can’t tell you. Confidentiality and all that. How’s it working for that doctor? He has a son, right?”
“Alexander. Sweet boy. Curious, too. Less of a handful than Grace was at that age.”
“Ha! I can see that. What’s the dad’s name again?”
“Edward.”
“Yeah, Drake was telling me about him.”
Something snaps in the back of my brain and tells me that I might have said too much already.
“What... else did he tell you?”
Chelsea taps her pen against her clipboard.
“There’s that confidentiality thing again. If you really want to know, you should be asking him these questions.”
“That’s fair.” I turn my attention to the different pieces of art decorating the walls as I try to put my next thoughts into words.
“Is... there something else?”
“Yes,” I blurt out, thankful for her initiation of the conversation. “How do you do it?”
“I think you’ll need to be more specific than that. Working so soon after having twins? Juggling motherhood with work life?”
“It must be easy when you have three men to help you out.”
“Oh, it is.” Chelsea leans closer, and I can see a twinkle in her eye. “Is that what you want to ask me about?”
“Y-yeah.” Am I that transparent? “How do you work out your feelings for all of them? Don’t they get jealous of each other?”
“Morgan, Norman, and Clay all comfort me in different ways, fulfill different needs. If I want someone reliable who’s going to take care of stuff around the house, then Morgan’s my go-to.
I need someone to bring Grace to football practice, that’ll be Clay’s deal.
And Norman’s pretty good at keeping our bellies full.
As for the jealousy part, hardly. They’ve been best friends for longer than they’ve been with me.
Why should I be the one to tear that foundation apart? ”
“So they all just... agreed?”
“Amongst themselves, yeah.”
“And... the sex...?”
That twinkle in Chelsea’s eye grows even brighter, and the corner of her mouth curls with mischief.
“Why’re you asking all these questions, Maria?”
“Are you asking as a therapist or as a friend?”
“That depends.” She holds out a hand and repeatedly curls her fingers towards her palm. I reach into my purse and slap a fifty into her hand. I know what she’s getting at.
“Because I recently found myself in a situation I don’t know how to navigate without driving myself crazy, and I wanted to know if you had any tips to... make the transition go more smoothly.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not the part I can help you with?”
“Can I get my fifty dollars back?”
Chelsea smirks and shoves it into her coat pocket before leaning back in her chair.
“Sorry, no take-backsies. The reason I said I can’t help you is because this isn’t a cookie-cutter type of situation. What works in my situation might not work for yours. It’s a conversation you need to have with all three of them to make it work.”
“And if we can’t come to an agreement on anything...?” The last thing I want to do is break their hearts again.
“Are you having fun with them, at least? Are they good in bed?”
My cheeks warm; Chelsea continues before I can answer.
“Then stick with that. If you’re all better off with this being casual, then what else is there to talk about?”
“The problem is, I might want it to be more than that.”
“Oh, well, now we’re getting somewhere. Have you told any of them?”
I shake my head. As good as the sex is, as much as they leave me feeling completely satisfied, I still haven’t found the bravery to be emotionally vulnerable with them.
“What do you think might be holding you back?”
“The when. The how. If I tell them one at a time or all together. Would that diminish the meaning of it if I tell them at the same time?”
“Not if you spoke from your chest. Not if you conveyed to them that they’re each special to you in their own right. Not if you truly love them each individually.”
Chelsea leans closer again and offers her hand. I take it and sigh with relief; this is exactly what I need right now.
“Honestly, I’m surprised that you’re not surprised,” I say, wondering why I’d been so nervous about any of this at all.
“I had a feeling. I’ve seen the way those guys have given you googly eyes every time you walked into my hospital room. Then, when I heard you were working for one of them, I knew there was some kind of development there but didn’t want to jinx it.”
“You could’ve said something,” I hiss. “That would have saved me so much trouble.”
“Would it? You needed to go down this path for yourself. Even through the stuff with Oliver.”
“You know about that too, huh? That Drake’s a big mouth.”
“Oh, no, he’s not the one who told me. You wouldn’t shut up about Oliver every time you came over. Frankly, Norman was ready to throw you out if you kept talking about him much longer.”
Damn, had I really been that annoying?
“Sorry. I didn’t... It was all so strange but wonderful and...
” I sigh and squeeze her hand. “I still wanted to feel connected to Ben in some way. I didn’t want to feel like I was abandoning him and moving on without him.
And I wanted to get to know him better through his family. I wanted to keep them close.”
“A little too close, if you ask me,” she mumbles under her breath. “Water under the bridge now. You’ve grown from it, and looking back isn’t going to fix or change anything... Unless you’re having doubts. Unless you think you can rekindle things with Oliver.”
“I think I’ve hurt him too much for that to happen,” I say with a shake of my head. He’s always going to be wondering if I truly like him as a person or if it’s because he looks too much like his deceased father.
“Then you know what’s best for yourself at this point. You just have to grab it by the reins and make it yours. Don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.”
She makes it sound so damn easy.
“By the way... do you know which one of them is the father of your twins?”
“Honestly? No idea, but it doesn’t matter. They’re all their fathers, and that works for everyone.”
“But... how does that work legally?”
“Very, very carefully and with a good lawyer to do all the paperwork for you. I don’t know the exact logistics of it, but Norman’s assured me that it’s taken care of.”
I knew she was involved with all three firefighters, but I didn’t think she wouldn’t know which one of them was the father.
“So what you’re saying... is that I’m worrying too much.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It doesn’t hurt to sit down and just have a conversation with them. What’s the worst that can happen?”
A repeat of last time is what, but I don’t want to manifest that kind of conclusion.
“I guess you’re right. Thanks, Chelsea. You’ve helped me figure out a lot of things.”
“I wouldn’t be a professional therapist if I didn’t. I’d charge you for the rest, but you’ve already helped out enough with the twins and Grace. Consider this even.”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“You have enough on your plate already, Maria. Don’t worry about it. Are you still coming over Saturday for dinner?”
“Maybe.”
“... did you want to invite those three doctors?”
“Chelsea!”
“What? It might make it easier for you to talk to them.”
“What I don’t need is you grilling them... Not until I’m ready. Or figured out what I want, exactly.”
Chelsea lets out a hearty laugh that’s deep and full of mirth. Infectious, even.
“You will. Just give it time.”
“I’ll let you know how it goes.”
We part ways, and as I head back to my car, a myriad of thoughts flow through me, too many to comprehend in such a short span of time. I know once I leave here, though, I’m going to have to make up my mind. I just hope it’s the right thing for everyone.