“Yeah, I might recommend calling in the cops for this one. They should have to pay for it.”
“Which one? There were too many to count that contributed. I’ll just have to eat the cost.” She presses her fingers into her temple before wincing at the forgotten bruise.
“Okay, you’re done. Come on. We can figure it out in the morning.” I take her hand and pull her, reluctantly, out of the bar. She waves, yelling directions to Jess and the guys.
We drive home in silence, I know her, and I know she’s running all the possible scenarios in her head for tomorrow. The only thing I need to do right now is place my hand on her thigh, reminding her that I’m here for her.
She wraps her fingers around mine like she always used to, and she isn’t even looking at me. She’s deep in her own head.
Parking in front of the house she still doesn’t move. I give her hand a squeeze to get her attention back to me.
“Sorry. I went all space cadet on you.”
“I knew you were running all the ways tomorrow could go with a plethora of mental lists, so I let you be.”
“Thanks.” With a weak smile she pushes the door open.
That was your job, idiot.I spent too much time watching her instead of opening her door. She beats me to the front door, unlocking it and letting us in.
“It’s a little chilly in here tonight. Should we start a fire?”
“Sure. I’ll do that and then get your steak ready. Go get settled on the couch and pick a movie.”
I step back out to the front porch to grab some logs. Our ranch house is one of the original cabins on the ranch. Henry renovated it so it’s all modern, but we were left with gorgeousriver stone fireplaces in the living room and our master bedroom.
Setting up a few of the logs in the fireplace I get a small fire going before grabbing her cowboy ice pack.
Placing the steak into a bag, I zip it closed to bring over to the couch. She eyes me as I walk. “Stop ogling me.”
“I’m not ogling. I’m… appreciating.”
I lean down to place the cold steak to her eye, she sighs when the cool soothes her swelling skin.
“God, this night was a shit show.”
I pull her feet into my lap, kneading at the bottoms of her soles. “It certainly didn’t go how I thought it would.”
A moan leaves her lips. “When was the last time we did this?”
“What?”
“Laid on the couch together, talking, you rubbing my feet, the best part honestly.” She peeks at me around the bag of steak.
“We haven’t talked much lately, have we? I’ve been failing at making you a priority. I just got comfortable with our opposite schedules and just doing what I needed.”
There’s a pause of silence, and I’m not sure where her head is at.
“I did too. I did the chores, went to work. I just knew you’d be here at the end of the day, and I was only focusing on what you weren’t doing instead of the things you were.” She tosses the steak aside, scooching closer to me.
“Hey, we’re moving forward.” Reaching over I move a stray piece of hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear.
“We are.” She smiles at me before settling in to snuggle on my chest.
This is the best night I’ve had in a long time, and I’m not eager to end it so I go back to kneading her feet.
I put a movie on for us, but I haven’t watched a minute of it. My mind is spinning too fast with the realization that it wasn’t just Calvin who holds the responsibility for the downfall of our marriage.
I’ve spent so much time focusing on all the things he’s done wrong, all the things he isn’t doing. But what about the things I’m not doing? And the things heisdoing?
