Chapter 7
He came to the apartment while she was there with the children. Leah had gone to the hospital to be with her husband and the kids were watching television. Their mother had told them that their daddy had been in an accident and that he would be okay.
She looked up as he came into the kitchen. He looked tired and broken down. He had not gone home to shower and change and was still wearing the same clothes. “Hey.” She sprang up and went to pour coffee for him.
“Thanks.” He wrapped his hands around the cup and sat there staring into the liquid.
“Is he okay?” she ventured as he sat there not saying anything.
He looked up at her and realized that he had been so busy with the emotions going through him that he had not asked her how she was. “He will be.” He sipped the coffee. “The girl who was with him was his daughter from a one night stand nineteen years ago. She is still out but the doctors said that she was going to make it.”
“Thank God!” she said with a sigh of relief. She returned his stare. “At least he it was not someone he was sleeping with.”
He shrugged a little bit and became pensive. “I always admired their relationship and wanted what Michael had. They were the perfect couple, no arguments as far as I knew and they always talked and were always touching each other. I used to get sick of it. But nothing is perfect, is it?”
“They will get through it, Jason.” She reached out and touched his hand. He eased away and she sat back, feeling hurt.
“Will they?” he asked bitterly. “We are getting married in a couple of weeks and I am wondering if we should not step back and wait for some more time to get to know each other.”
pushed back her chair and stood there looking at him. “Why? You were all on fire about getting married even though I said we should wait. Now the announcements are out and the venue has been booked and the invitations have all gone out and now you want to cool things? Crap happens, Jason! It is a way of life. Nothing is perfect and Michael and Leah will work things out. But you know what if you want to call off the wedding then go ahead.” She turned and practically ran out of the room. He watched her go and did not follow her even though he wanted to!
*****
She listened to him while he told her everything not saying anything. She was more in shock than anything else. It was strange for her to know that her husband had been in a relationship that had resulted in a child who was now almost an adult. It had happened when he was just a child himself so she would be out of her mind to hold it against him. But she was shell shocked and did not know what to say!
“I am sorry,” he said miserably.
“For what?” she asked him as she clasped her hands.
“For hurting you.”
“I don’t know if what I feel is hurt, Michael. I am here thinking about what I am going to tell our children.”
“I will tell them. I just want to know that you are with me.”
“What do you mean?” Leah asked him, frowning.
“I mean that you are not going to leave me.”
Leah stared at him in shock. “You think I am shallow enough to leave you for something that happened before we met?”
“I am not thinking straight,” he said sheepishly.
“No, you are not.” She abandoned her seat and came to sit on the edge of the bed. “We are going to get through this.”
“Thank you, baby,” he said chokingly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
*****
pulled the sheets over her head and blinked back the tears. She had come straight to her place really happy that she had not given it up even though Jason had insisted. She hated him, she thought passionately. But it was not true. The whole incident with Michael had showed her that she did in fact love him and would like nothing better than to be his wife.
She sniffled and rubbed her nose as the tears came. He wanted out? Then so be it! Somehow she would find a way to get over it!
*****
“Where is ?” Leah asked as soon as she came into the apartment. She had been at the hospital for the entire day and she and Michael had talked and talked. Kaila had pulled through and Leah had been to see her and introduced herself. The girl had been frightened until she had assured her that she was okay and that they were going to be there for her.
Jason had stayed with the kids and had been trying to call since she had left but she was not picking up. Leah found him in the kitchen nursing a beer.
He looked up at her relieved to see that she looked better. “She is not here.”
“Obviously.” She went to pour some water to make tea. “Where is she?”
“We had a fight and she left. I have been trying to reach her and she is not picking up.”
“About what?”
Jason shrugged.
“Jace?”
“About the whole situation. I told her that we should put off the wedding.”
“You idiot!” Leah exclaimed, her hazel eyes flashing. “This has nothing to do with you and her, Jason, and the fact that you told her you wanted to call off the wedding makes me wonder if you are in love with her.”
Jason drank down the beer in one swallow before he answered. “I love her, but I am afraid of hurting her.”
“Like you think Michael hurt me?”
“You work things out?”