Page 36 of From the Embers
I could tell her gently. Be there to support her. Remind her that Rob had always loved her no matter what stupid fucking choices he’d made. I’d be the rock on our team this time, give her space and time she’d need to grieve all over again.
But this would be completely different than thirteen months ago. Forget about salt—this would be acid in her wounds. I’d be there for her and, God willing, soften the blow.
Tapping into the messages, I found only one thread—the last text dated the day of the fire. I scrolled up, my stomach churning as I skimmed their conversation. From spur-of-the-moment afternoon dates at a local hotel to weekly Tuesday-night rendezvous wherever the hell “their spot” was. This wasn’t something new or an isolated event for Rob. With three a.m. sweet nothings and countless “I miss yous” from both sides, bitterness crawled up my throat as week after week of deception rolled across the screen.
In the wake of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.
I remembered standing inside the guest house—Rob’s guest house.
I remembered the sickening weight in my stomach as I tried to figure out how I could destroy a woman who over the last year had come to mean so much to me.
But carved into my soul for all my days to come was the life-altering moment when a naked photo of my wife appeared on the screen.
BREE
After I’d gotten the kids in bed, I went back downstairs to clean the kitchen. For the most part, the bacon pizza was untouched. Only one slice sat half-eaten on Eason’s plate, and the guilt of seeing it there swelled inside me. I shouldn’t have let him take care of Rob’s car. Cleaning out the house that weekend had been emotionally taxing and Eason had been nothing short of amazing.
I didn’t know how he did it, but he was always there when I needed him and scarce when I needed time alone. He worried about me, so of course there were moments where he hovered for entirely too long. But that was pure Eason, so I didn’t complain—much.
Sometimes, in the shadows of my own grief, I’d forget how close Eason and Rob had been. No wonder he had been so quiet at dinner. Cleaning out Rob’s car—the final chapter in his best friend’s life—couldn’t have been an easy task for him. Yet he’d insisted on doing it anyway.
And after acting like a total manic and thoroughly ogling his chest, I’d let him.
Nice, Bree. Outstanding way of communicating your gratitude.
Still hungover from my attempt to drown myself in a bottle of Chardonnay the night before, I grabbed a sparkling water and a beer for Eason, and then I warmed up two pieces of pizza with the hopes of being able to coerce him into eating.
Over the course of the week, my dream with Eason’s hands all over me had not faded in the least. There had been approximately five cold showers and one express delivery of Jillian’s recommended vibrator that she had lied about because it did not make me forget about Eason at all.
But awkwardness aside, I had long since become addicted to our nightly chats. It didn’t matter how hard the day had been. Just the sight of him sitting outside, his messy, blond hair finger-combed to one side, beer in hand with his feet propped up on a chair, quelled the constant storm brewing inside me. I wasn’t positive I had the same effect on him, but if he wasn’t on his way to a show, he never missed a night.
Judging by the way he’d raced out of the house earlier that evening, he might take his time. Collect himself. Plaster on the fake smile I’d grown to hate.
But he’d be there.
And for Eason, I’d wait.
Sitting on my corner of the couch, I stared up at the night sky with a sense of contentment swirling inside my chest. It had been one hell of a weekend, but I finally felt like I was taking the first steps on the twisted path of moving forward. Every day, I saw Rob in the faces of my children. Because of that, he would always be a part of my life. But I didn’t feel stuck in a spiral of sorrow anymore. Cleaning out the closet and donating his things wasn’t the same as erasing him from our lives. But living as though he would be home at any second hadn’t been doing me or the kids any favors.
I glanced down at my wedding rings, the diamonds sparkling in the lights from the pool. I wasn’t ready to tuck them away in the safe yet. And that was okay. It was a process. I’d know when the time was right.
However, as Eason exited the pool house, murder written all over his face, I would soon learn that the time had been right before Rob had even died.
