Page 46 of Love Me Gently

“Mommy said I can only say hi and then I have to go to bed. Can you sing to me really quick?”

“Really quick, June.” I sang off a hurried tune of “Twinkle,Twinkle,LittleStar,”and then managed to coax June to get into bed and listen to her mommy.

When Marie’s voice came through the phone, I said a silent thanks that June’s tantrum didn’t explode. “You doing okay?” Marie asked. “Long day for you.”

“Yeah. Listen. We gotta talk.”

“You hurt?” Panic infused her tone. I should have known it would. For as bad as a husband I’d been to her, she’d been an incredible wife, and was always there. Always understanding of my job and role and risks.

“No. No. I’m good. But there’s something that’s happened that we’re gonna have to talk about. Sit-down style.”

“Oh gosh. This sounds bad.”

“Not bad. But I think it’s going to hurt you, and for that I’m sorry, but I need you to know it, think through it, and then let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”

“Cole…”

“Trina’s here,” I told her, ripped off the pain like a band-aid and like I knew it would hurt, her quick gasp said it all. Before she could say anything, I continued. “Please,pleasekeep this to yourself. I know it’s gonna be hard, but it’s not what you think.”

“She’s in your home.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s in your home and you sent your girls away so you could what…spend the day reconnecting?”

“No. Shit, Marie, no it’s not like that, and you know I wouldn’t do that. Not to them or you. Listen.” I lowered my voice before I continued and gave her a moment to get her panic under control. “I can’t get into specifics right now, at least not until you swear you won’t tell anyone a thing, but I sort of…well… I sort of stole her from her husband.”

“You…”

“Who’s been beating her.” I finished it quickly, on a whisper, and prayed she’d be the woman I knew her to be.

A thick, heavy silence hit the phone and then a rush of breath, followed by a quick chuckle.

“Only you. Only you would do that.”

“It’s worse than that. Swear it to you, Marie, but she’s here. And she will be for a while. Her injuries arebad,bad.”

There were a thousand reasons why I liked Marie. So many reasons of why I thought she’d be the woman to truly get me over my lingering obsession with Trina. It wasn’t just that our values aligned, and it wasn’t because of how whip-smart she was and how passionate she was about causes she believed in. She was also a woman filled with kindness and grace, a woman who tried to understand others’ perspectives before jumping to conclusions, and a woman who genuinely cared about people.

“That’s horrible,” she whispered. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

And just like that, I remembered all the reasons why I married her. Logically, she was my perfect match. It was just that my heart had always been shelved for the broken woman a floor away from me.

“I know. I’ll give you the full story when I can, but since she’ll be here for a while, with the girls and all…”

“I’ll keep them. Of course I will. It’s fine. And you can come see them or take them at night or whatever. You know that.”

I licked my lips and stared down at my feet. “Thank you. I’ll see the girls tomorrow after school and let them know I’m taking care of a sick friend if that’s okay.”

“Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it. Within reason of course.”

“Of course.” I didn’t miss the warning. She’d help, but she wouldn’t be happy about this. “I should get going.”

“I’ll give the girls kisses from you.”

“Thanks, Marie. I appreciate it.”

There was a hitch in her breath and while I expected a goodbye that wasn’t what came.

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