Page 15 of Honey Bun
“I do.” I closed my eyes and showed her my stomach. “It’s fading, and I want this to be the last time.”
“You don’t deserve that. No woman does.”
She took my hand, and I closed my eyes. Support wasn’t something I was used to. I wiped my eyes.
Then she said, “Come. You need your strength, so please, eat.”
Right.Once again, she was amazing and didn’t even realize it. She sipped her tea, and I tasted the croissant, which melted in my mouth and went right to my belly. I finished it faster than I’d expected to.
Roxanne said, “As a mother, I want my sons to be happy more than anything else. Arman’s always closed off. I’ve breathed easier since I’ve seen the effect you’re having on him.”
I wiped my hands on a napkin and stared at my empty plate.
Then behind me, a shadow loomed, and Arman asked, “Mom, are you interfering with my life?”
“No, I’m helping Madeleine decide hers and telling Jeff to help.”
I turned in my seat, and my heart beat faster. His muscles in a T-shirt looked sharper, like he’d worked out.
His mother put her teacup down. “And I want you to be happy, and Madeleine here would make you an excellent wife.”
Arman came closer, but I jumped up and grabbed my shoes. “I should go.”
He stopped me before I could put them on and took my hand. “No. Stay. My mother will behave. She’s always stressing that she has no grandchildren or daughters, but she should have let you be.”
“I’ll leave you two alone now.” Roxanne quickly gulped her hot tea and walked away.
Arman made himself a plate of breakfast and took his mother’s seat. I stirred my tea. “It’s okay, Arman. She offered your brother’s help for me to get a divorce.”
He sat up straighter. “You told her that’s what you wanted, and she didn’t push?”
I was startled.Damn. His mother triggered him though she was a total sweetheart and my idol.“Yes, and I’ve never seen her push.”
Then he plopped a grape in his mouth and poured himself a cup of tea. “I guess you’re right, and if you felt comfortable talking to her, then I’m happy. Family should help each other.”
“You and your family seem to be the only ones who listen to me.”
“Any more problems I can help solve?
I let out a long breath and then took a grape from his plate and closed my eyes. The sweet taste washed through me, and I felt grateful. As I met his gaze, I said, “How about a personal one?” It seemed strange to me that the mansion on the beach felt like the place where I belonged. I cleared my throat and decided to tell Arman a secret I’d held for years. “My relationship with Bob deteriorated after Aurora was born. Sex was no longer enjoyable, and he didn’t seem to care that it caused me pain. When he first started seeing Evelyn, I was relieved.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to be.”
I smiled. “I’m beginning to think that nothing about my marriage was what it was supposed to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just, I don’t really like sex, I guess, and it caused us some problems.”
“You don’t like sex?” His eyebrow quirked, and I could see how unbelievable he thought such a thing was.
“It hurts.”
His gaze narrowed. “Sex was painful?”
“Only after Aurora was born—not that I was into it before. The first time he hit me was when I was pregnant, and after—I don’t know. Maybe it was the husband stitch. I thought that sounded strange.” My cheeks burned with shame. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“No, I’m glad you did.”
