And thank you for letting me in as well, for taking off your gorilla mask long enough to show me the man underneath.
I’m pretty proud of that accomplishment too.
I’ll never forget the two of you,
Or the love I felt from you both.
Remy is so lucky to have you as a father. You were made to be a parent, Henley. You’re a good man, and I’m grateful that I got to experience your love, even if you could never say the words out loud.
But I need you to know that I feel the same way.
I love you, Henley.
I always will.
Love,
Elodie
By the time I’m done reading her letter, my eyes are full of unshed tears. I toss the paper to the bed, lower my head into my hands, and curse myself for letting that woman walk away, even though I know it was the right thing to do.
And then I let my tears fall.
She’s gone. She’s really fucking gone.
And now, more than ever, I need a fucking drink.
***
“You know, day drinking is severely underrated,” Elliot murmurs around the rim of his glass as we hide out in a booth in the back of Blossom Brews, our local brewhouse and restaurant. I called Warren this morning to take the reins at the lodge so I could sulk. “That’s why I was drunk mostly during the day.”
“Well, if you felt even half of what I’m feeling right now, I want to apologize for giving you any sort of shit.”
Elliot shrugs. “Hey, I’m not denying I was acting like an asshole, but heartbreak fucking sucks, man. I’m only having one drink with you, though. I still need to go back to the office to get a few things done.”
“Well, I appreciate you keeping me company.” As soon as I gathered myself after reading Elodie’s letter, I called Carol to see if she could watch Remy today, and then Elliot was my next call. I knew that out of my friends, he was the one that could relate to what I’m feeling right now the most.
“You know I’m here for you, man. Even if you think me and the boys aren’t your family.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice, but I still roll my eyes.
“I’m sorry. You know that I appreciate you.”
“I do, and I know you’ll appreciate me more after tomorrow.”
I blow out a breath. “Fuck. I forgot about that.”
“Well, here’s your formal reminder. Meghan will be at my office at ten in the morning, and she seems to be cooperating. She didn’t mention wanting to discuss anything else when I told her what the meeting was for.”
“It just still blows my mind that she doesn’t want to be in Remy’s life.”
“Yeah, well…I’m still baffled at how my fiancée was fucking her boss behind my back.” He lifts his glass and clinks it against mine. “Cheers to that, right?”
I reach up and rub the center of my chest. “Does it get any better? You know, with time?”
“I mean, there are good and bad days. Like if I see people post photos online from their engagement or weddings, it makes me want to throw my phone at the wall. But then, there are times when I’m working on a divorce case and I hear the way couples talk to each other after being married for years, how they ended up hating the person they thought they wanted to spend the rest of their life with, and I’m glad that I dodged that bullet.”
I drain the rest of my beer and signal to our server to pour me another.
“Does Carol know you’re planning on getting drunk today?”
