Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
~DEX~
Like a spineless bastard, I avoided her during her PT session with Lucas.
I pretended like I had a meeting with August and hung out in his office.
Being the perceptive asshole that he is, he knew why I was hiding out in there.
But I didn’t care, anything to not have to watch Lucas work on her knee.
Every time she grimaced or cried out in pain, I would have wanted to walk over there and make sure she was okay.
Or fight the urge to snap at Lucas that he’s working her too hard.
My selfish interference would not have helped anyone, but the temptation would have been too great, so I ran away.
Thankfully, by the time I decide to go home for the day, I see that the players’ cars are gone. Practice is long over, and Coach didn’t have them watch any replay films today, which means I can walk out and not have to see her. I have to head to August’s because my new place isn’t quite ready yet.
August was able to find me a condo that is on the ground floor of his building.
It walks out to a small patio. I told him that I like to sit outside at night and didn’t want to be as high up as Mr. Penthouse is.
He understood and was able to find what I was looking for.
And if I’m being honest, I’m happy that it’s in his building.
I’m pretty sure the friends that I made through Amelia are no longer my friends.
Even the guys seem to be a pretty tight-knit group.
So, once they found out what I did, not only did I lose Amelia, but I lost them too.
I enter August’s condo and he’s not home, thankfully.
I want some quiet. I asked my mother and my sisters if they would be up for a phone call tonight.
It’s been a while since I’ve talked to them.
And I know the longer that I wait to talk to them, the harder it is going to be.
They’re my family and sure, I disappointed them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk to them when I need them.
And right now, I need them because if I don’t talk to someone who isn’t August about this, I will end up groveling and begging her on my knees to take me back.
August thought that sounded pathetic, called me a pussy and said that I needed to be more like him and tamp that sadness down.
I didn’t bother to point out that it’s not working and that he sleeps with more women than anyone I know.
But since he’s letting me stay here for free, I say nothing of the sort.
I need the kind of advice I can only get from my family. When I was a teenager and having girl problems, my sisters and my mother, no matter how far apart we were, always made time to talk to me. Thankfully, they still seem happy to do that for me.
I settle into the bed in August’s guest room and check the time. It’s after six o’clock, so my sisters should be at my mom’s house by now. I hit the contact for ‘Mom’ and wait for them to pick up.
“Hello, dear, how are you doing in Tampa? Everything going okay?” my mom’s sweet voice fills the line.
“Hi, dipshit,” Meg says.
“Hey, Dex,” Jo calls into the phone.
“Dex,” Amy says in way of greeting. She was the one who told me that she wanted to punch me in the balls when I told her about the reason for my divorce.
“How is everyone doing tonight?” I hear a chorus of “fine” from them.
“I miss you guys, I wish we could be having this conversation in person and not over the phone,” I tell them.
“Why, what else have you done?” Amy asks.
I sigh and say, “I haven’t done anything Am, I’m missing my family lately.”
“Are you having trouble making friends in Tampa, baby?” Mom asks me. “I thought August was there.”
“He is and I’m living at his place now, until mine is ready,” I explain.
“Why isn’t your place ready?” Jo asks me.
Might as well get this over with. “Well, because I came down here so quickly, August couldn’t find me something that fit within the team’s budget and as quickly as I would need it.”
“Have you always been at August’s?” Joe asks.
I swear the woman should have been a detective, not an English teacher. “No, I was in the team housing, staying with a girl who had an extra room. But that didn’t work out.”
“Wanna tell us why?” Meg asks.
“Meg,” my mom scolds. “It doesn’t mean he did something bad.”
“I didn’t say he did,” Meg says defensively.
“It was implied with your tone,” I offer.
“What happened, Dexter?” Mom asks.
I sigh again. “Well, Jo is right, I did something bad.”
“I knew it!” She calls out like she’s been vindicated.
“Meg, please let him talk,” Mom scolds her again. “Tell us what happened, honey.”
I take a deep breath and dive into how I was living with Amelia, a recently injured player on the team, fell for her and then Elise showed up and said we were still married because I didn’t sign one of our divorce papers.
Amelia understandably did not take that well and insisted that I move out immediately. So now I live with August.
“Are you saying that you were never going to tell this girl that you were getting a divorce because you cheated on your ex-wife?” Amy ask gently, always been the one who is more even-tempered.
“It wasn’t that I was never going to tell her, I wasn’t sure how to do it, and I was avoiding the subject. If I’m being honest, I admit.
“You should have been honest with her,” Meg snarks.
“You’re right, I should have been. But I wasn’t and now she won’t talk to me. I love her and miss her, guys. What do I do?” I beg them for help.
“You love this woman?” Mom asks.
“He loved his wife too, Mom. That didn’t stop him from being a big fat cheater,” Jo reminds us all.
“Yeah, I know I screwed up there, I really did.” I sigh and scrub a hand down my face. My heart sinking deep into my chest. “Do you think you all can ever forgive me for cheating on my wife?”
“You didn’t cheat on us,” Meg reminds me.
“Yeah, I know that but when I told you, I saw all that hurt and judgment in your eyes. I knew you were mad at me for doing that to her.”
“I thought I raised you to be a better man than that,” Mom reminds me. She said something similar the night I confessed to them the real reason my marriage ended. I couldn’t let them believe that it was Elise, even though that would have been easier for me.
“You did,” I promise her.
“You acted like Dad,” Amy says quietly.
I know I did. That is probably what they were all thinking when I told them.
That I’m exactly like my father. I cheated on my wife, the very same way that he cheated on my mom.
And then he walked out on us, and no one has seen him since.
It’s probably why all my sisters are dating the men they are with, not married to them.
I proved them right about what they think all men are like.
And I’m the one they thought wouldn’t be capable of hurting a woman, considering they raised me to do better.
“I know I did. And I’m sorry for that. If I could undo it, I would. But I can’t. I’m hoping you will find a way to forgive me for the sleazy, shitty things that I did to my wife.”
“We will eventually, it’s hard to imagine that you would do such a thing,” Meg says, sighing heavily.
“Can we get back to the fact that Dex had to deal with Elise meeting this new girlfriend? I want to hear about that!” Jo calls out.
“I wanna know how you could have a girlfriend so soon after your divorce. Are you sure you were ready for something like that?” Amy asks me.
I scratch the back of my neck, “Let me tell you about Elise first.” I go into the details about Elise showing up. “She wasn’t very kind to her at first, but Amelia apologized for sleeping with her husband. Even thought it was only a formality because I signed most of the papers—”
Amy cuts me off. “No, that’s not what that word means. It wasn’t a formality. In the eyes of the law, you were still married because you couldn’t be bothered to check your work. I tell my students to do it all the time.”
“Yeah, okay, so I forgot to do something, and she did try to get in touch with me. But I ignored her because I was afraid that she was trying to make me feel guiltier about what I did to her. Or that she was calling because she was lonely.”
“Gross, Dex, no one wants to hear about your booty calls,” Amy says, the distaste thick in her voice.
“Well, either way, she came here and blew up my spot. But I did actually apologize to Elise for how I treated her,” I admit to them, feeling ashamed that it took me so long. “Elise actually said she accepted my apology. Hopefully that helps us both move forward.
“That’s good, honey. I’m glad you two finally had a chance to get some closure,” Mom tells me.
“Now, back to this girl. So, Elise scared her off?” Meg asks me.
“Yeah, she did.”
“Have you tried to talk to her?” Meg asks, I the annoyance growing in her voice.
“She doesn’t want to talk to me. She kicked me out and wouldn’t even let me pack up my own stuff.”
“But she said she loved you too, right?” Jo confirms.
“She did, yes. I mean, I said it first, but yeah, she said it back.”
“Right away?”
“Yes, right away,” I tell Jo.
“Then maybe you should have fought for her a bit more instead of rolling over and playing dead,” Meg chimes in.
“Yeah, like what the hell?” Amy asks. “You put more effort into wrecking your marriage then you did fighting for this girl. Why is that, Dex?”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. I hate that she’s right. “Yeah, I didn’t think of it like that.”
“Which is why you are calling us for advice!” Meg says triumphantly, like she’s waiting for her door prize.
“Yes, I need you to tell me what I should do.”
“I think you should try talking to her, but you’re going to have to prepare yourself because she may not want to talk to you,” Jo says, and then adds, “But you said she was injured, right? Maybe start there, try being there for her during that. Help her recover.”
“She requested a new trainer for her PT,” I tell them.
“Why are you a trainer again? I mean, you went to school to be a PA, how is that the same thing!” Meg asks, yet again. It was hard for her to get that concept when I told them I was moving. She felt like it was a step down.
“Because that’s what August had open. I might work for an orthopedic clinic when the Blaze is in the off-season.
Give me something to do, or to supplement,” I tell them.
I did talk to Dr. Haldman about it earlier this week and it sounds like something he can help me with.
“Which might be good because if she doesn’t agree to at least hear me out, I may need a new job. ”
“Wow!” I hear Jo call out.
“Damn, son, you really liked this girl!” Meg shouts.
“I think I might really like this girl!” Amy adds in.
“Girls!” my mom scolds them. “Honey, you can’t let August down because of a girl.
You said when you left us to go down there that the team needed someone who was going to stick around.
How does that make you look if you leave because you started a relationship with one of the players that didn’t end well? ”
Fuck, she’s got me there.
“Well, technically, I was allowed too. There is no fraternization policy, August had to remove it because there were a few other relationships that started within the team,” I reason.
“Dexter Michael, that is not the point, and you know it.” my mom scolds me. “You have to talk to her and then give her space to process. We all know your ex-wife and meeting her couldn’t have been an easy feat. She’s not exactly the warmest woman on the planet.”
“Yes, I know, Mom.” I sigh. “I’ve missed my ladies.”
Amy and Jo reply with a chorus of “Missed you too.”
While Meg says, “Missed you too, butthead.”
I shake my head. “You can’t be nice, can you, Meg?”
“I can be nice, but you would be worried if I was constantly nice to Dex,” she teases.
“We all miss you, honey,” Mom says. “But if you’re truly unhappy, come home. You can’t keep running from the problems that you create. You did that when you left the Patriots and if you leave the Blaze, whether it be to be a PA down there or not, you’ll still be running.”
“You’re right, Mom, thank you. I needed that type of perspective from you. This is why I call you guys. That and I miss our weekly chats.”
“We can start those up again, Dex. We’re always here for you. I think you were the one that was too embarrassed to talk with us,” Amy says, nailing the issue on the head.
“I was and I shouldn’t have been. I didn’t cheat on all of you, but I sure did disappoint you all. I love you. I apologize for not keeping in better touch,” I say, feeling so much better after talking to them.
“Dex, are you home, dude!” I hear August call from the entryway.
“Well, August is home. I’m going to see what he wants. Thank you for talking to me and for the advice.” I say grinning.
“Are you going to take it?” Jo asks. “Are you going to talk to her? Or least put yourself back in her life so that she can see what she’s missing?”
“I think I will.”
“Good,” Amy says happily.
“Glad we could help you, sweetheart. It’s been nice talking with you,” Mom says, wrapping up our call. “Call us and let us know how you’re doing. Or put it in the family group chat.”
I laugh; she’s come a long way with technology. My sisters had to spend so much time teaching her the finer points of texting. “I will, ladies. I love you all and miss you so much. Have a great night and we’ll talk soon.”
They all say a string of bye’s, and I love you’s before clicking off the line.
I head out to see what August is up to and to talk with him about formulating a plan to get Amelia back.