Page 26 of Falling for the Unexpected

Kyle:Just wanted to check on you.

I sat down on the bed, warmed by his thoughtfulness. I got real lucky in the lawyer department, too. I texted him back immediately.

Me:Thanks. I’m at Jim and Marla’s. Just told them.

Kyle:How did that go?

Me:Well they aren’t mad at me and they’re letting me stay here tonight with Stella.

Kyle:I had no doubt they would be supportive. I’ll have some documents ready tomorrow afternoon if you want to come by the office and review them.

Me:Sure, I can be there at 2. Will that work?

Kyle:See you then.

After a long soak in the tub, I put on the pajamas, which didn’t fit too badly considering I was curvier than Marla. I was about to put on the gold wedding band that I had set on the bathroom sink but ended up putting it in my purse. The band had never fit and I wasn’t even sure it was real gold. I hadn’t had a traditional engagement or wedding. We got married at City Hall with just Marla, Jim, and Trent there. I almost laughed when I remembered how no one had smiled or seemed happy during the brief ceremony or when Jim had taken everyone to a fancy restaurant downtown as an impromptu reception. It’d been the most anticlimactic event ever.

I made my way downstairs for dinner. Stella noticed me as soon as my feet hit the last step.

“Mama!” she shrieked and ran to me. Watching a toddler run was pretty comical, her arms and legs seemed to be completely out of sync.

“Hi, baby girl,” I said as I scooped her up in my arms and kissed the side of her face. I carried her into the kitchen but stopped short when I saw Trent sitting at the island talking to his mother. Marla was at the stove, pulling a glass casserole dish of lasagna out of the oven. I knew Trent would find out about the divorce sooner rather than later. I certainly hadn’t planned on seeing him tonight, though.

“Hey, Trent,” I said, setting Stella on the counter but keeping my arms wrapped around her. I eyed him, wondering if Marla or Kyle had told him yet.

“Hi, Simone,” Trent said, eyeing me back.

And I knew he knew. “Who told you?” I asked but I wasn’t mad. Maybe I should have been, but I was actually okay with not having to break the news to anyone else.

“Mom was just filling me in on what was going on with that douchebag brother of mine,” Trent said with a snort.

“Language!” Marla warned him.

“Sorry, Mom,” Trent said in a tone that didn’t sound the least bit contrite. He looked over at me. “I kind of found out on my own this afternoon when Kyle was filling out some documents… It’s a small firm and both Addie and Kyle were acting odd, so I already knew something was up.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “Kyle gave me a brief explanation before I headed over here.” He paused, drumming his fingers against the countertop as he made faces at Stella, who found it hysterical. “You know, you could’ve asked me…”

I walked over to Trent and gave him a hug. I think I surprised him but he returned the gesture with a hug of his own. If I could describe the perfect big brother, Trent would be it. I let him go and shook my head. “This is already super awkward,” I said to him, “there was no way I was putting you in the middle. It’s nice to know you were willing to help, but I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“All right enough talk about this for now, let’s eat,” Jim suggested, walking into the kitchen.

I didn’t ask how his conversation with Brad went as we walked into the dining room. Instead, I took my seat next to Stella and we talked about everything other than the divorce for the remainder of dinner. I enjoyed sharing a meal with the people I’d considered family. I hoped that things would remain this comfortable between all of us.

*****

The next morning the smell of bacon and coffee woke me up. I picked up my phone to check the time and panicked a little when I saw that it was just past eight. Stella must have been up already and I was relieved when I saw Jim at the table eating breakfast with her.

After breakfast, Jim informed me that he was going to meet with Brad later to continue their ‘discussion’ from last night. I just nodded and didn’t inquire further.

Even though I didn’t want to, I called up Kayla after I’d gotten dressed, and asked to swap shifts since I knew she didn’t usually work Tuesday nights. I’d given her a brief rundown of the past couple of days, and her response, like Jim’s and Marla’s, was nothing but supportive. Another wave of relief washed over me and I felt even stronger about my decision. After breakfast, Stella and I ran a few errands, picking up a few things for myself, and then we had a quick lunch with Marla. I had bought some slacks and a nice businesslike top while we were out and put them on. I wanted to look professional for my meeting with Kyle. I left Stella with Marla, since Jim had not yet returned. Once I arrived at the office, I greeted Linda, who called Kyle to let him know I was here. I was terrified and yet, calm because I knew without a doubt that this was the right thing for Stella and me.

While I was waiting for Kyle, I saw Addie walk through the office. She stopped when she saw me and abandoned whatever she had been doing and headed my way.

“Hi, Simone,” she said with a smile on her face.

I smiled in return. “Hey…”

“I hope you don’t mind but Kyle told me why the two of you met for lunch yesterday. I’m really sorry you are going through this,” Addie said, heartfelt.

When we had talked a week and a half ago, I’d believed her when she said she didn’t have any bad feelings toward me. Seeing her today just reinforced that she meant every word. I didn’t know how she managed to be so nice, but she was. I’m not sure I would be so kind to the woman that my fiancé had cheated on me with.