Page 95 of The Husband Diet
‘That’s OK, sweetie. You go back to your room and get dressed before breakfast, OK?’
‘OK,’ she said, obeying.
I crept up into Warren’s room and halted on the threshold. He’d already removed the sheets, his eyes lowered.
‘Hey, Warren, I’m changing the bed sheets today. I’ve already got mine and Maddy’s. Can I have yours, too?’
He nodded, still not looking at me. I felt for the little fella.
Julian appeared at the bottom of the stairs, fully dressed. ‘Hey, champ, want to come down and shoot a few hoops before breakfast?’
Warren shot to his feet gratefully. ‘Coming,’ he called, then turned to me, his eyes pleading. ‘Please don’t tell him.’
I crossed my heart and took the sheets from him.
‘Thanks, Mom.’
I lingered, looking out his window as he reached Julian outside. I watched them play. I knew he’d be fine. Thanks to some time with a fine man.
After the game, I invited Julian to stay for lunch.
‘What did you say to him?’ I asked when we were alone.
‘That it happened to me, too.’
‘Did it really, or were you just trying to make him feel better?’
‘I wish. It happened when I was thirteen. I’d just discovered I’d been adopted.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘It’s no big deal,’ Julian said. ‘My adoptive parents have always loved me like their own.’
‘As if anyone could not love you,’ I whispered, and he grinned.
‘Plus, I have you – and you’re all that a bloke could ever want.’
Thinking that someone had abandoned him only made me realize how strong Julian was and how much more I still needed to learn about this magnificent man.
*
I don’t know when I fell asleep again, but the next thing I was aware of was the last rays of the day streaming across my face and the joyous laughter of the kids. I’d never slept for so long in my life.
I rubbed my face and padded into the kitchen, where I peered out the window over my (still flourishing, by the way) succulents. There, in the back garden, Julian and Warren were rolling around in the sandpit, pure glee on their faces, while Maddy was perched daintily on the edge, clapping her hands in delight.
As I watched, Julian stood up, and tons of sand spilled from his pockets and pant legs.
I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and the cobwebs out of my brain, the night before coming back to me with a vengeance, with the horror of Ira’s violence, the hatred in his eyes as he begged me to take him back. It hadn’t been a bad dream, but it still didn’t make sense. Until I factored in the money aspect. He was not only hoping to bring me back round to him, but also banking on squeezing some more dough out of me.
In all probability, Ira’s company really was sinking, only he gave priority to Maxine’s needs. Whenever I’d asked him about Tech.Com, he’d sighed and said, ‘I’ll take care of it.’ Which he hadn’t, obviously. Now, I understood what had made him crack – not the fact that he missed us, but that he needed money and needed it fast. You don’t screw around with the IRS.
So yes, it was really time to go away. I’d sell the house and invest in a smaller farmhouse I could afford, and do it up little by little. There was no way Ira would get joint custody now and in a sense, I was doing him a favor. He’d never really wanted the burden of having children. I wrapped my sweater around me. Outside it was still cold, but it was nothing compared to the icy fingers gripping my heart. Now, I had to look out for the light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing else mattered.
*
That night after Julian left, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I dialed Paul’s cellphone.
‘Sunshine,’ Paul said softly, ‘things aren’t going to get better if you stay up all night.’
