“Okay, there’s no rush.”
I followed Rowan up the path, remembering how sick I’d felt the last time I’d been here. I couldn’t honestly say I was feeling much better tonight, either. I waited for Rowan to unlock the door and hurried in behind him. Without a word, we headed straight for his bedroom.
“At least Christina and I have been living separate lives for some time. When it comes to splitting, it should be pretty easy to divide assets.”
Rowan was clearly well-versed in the proceedings of divorce. He spoke about it all so calmly and matter-of-factly. I had quickly realised his separation from Christina, whilst certainly stressful, wasn’t the aspect of this that hurt him. Rowan was torn up over Teegan. He missed her, I could tell, and her refusal to talk to him or even answer his texts cut him deeply. Rowan may not have loved his wife, but there was no doubt in mind that he adored his daughter. I couldn’t imagine how he was feeling.
We packed up his things in silence, save for the odd instruction relayed to me, and soon had another two holdalls filled with clothes and a few toiletries. I zipped my bag up and looked to Rowan. He stood with a small picture frame in his hands.
Quietly, I joined him and glanced over his shoulder. It was a picture of him and Teegan, looking about four years old. They were at the beach. I squeezed his shoulder.
“Bring that with you,” I said quietly. “You can put it wherever you’d like.”
Rowan gave me a sad smile. “Thanks.”
We both looked at the photograph for a long moment.
“She will forgive you, you know,” I murmured. “Maybe not straight away but give her a bit of space. She’s a good kid.”
“I hope so, Max.”
I didn’t say, but I hoped so as well. I wanted everything to be good between us, but I wasn’t a fool. I knew if Teegan decided to disapprove of me and make Rowan’s life difficult, that our relationship would be put under a great strain. Without Teegan’s approval, or at the very least her acceptance, Rowan and I would crumble. He was her dad first, and my partner second and I’d never expect anything less. I knew without any doubt that if Teegan made Rowan choose between us, I would lose.
Rowan shook himself and shoved the picture into his bag before zipping it up. He gave the room a quick once over.
“I think that’s all I need for now. Come on, let’s get going.”
I followed him out of the house and back to the car, glad to put the sterile show home in the rear-view mirror.
Chapter Sixteen
A few weeks passed by quickly, and Christina was eventually forced to bring Teegan back to their family home. Divorce papers had been delivered to the surgery and Rowan had signed them without a moment’s hesitation. He was eager to get the ball rolling, and provided Christina’s requests were reasonable, he was happy to go along with whatever she asked. I knew, despite their hollow marriage, he was still feeling guilty for being the perpetrator that finally delivered the killing blow. There was still a long way to go and a lot of things to sort out, but I got the sense that with every passing day, the load that sat upon his shoulders grew a little lighter.
The only dark mark on the situation was Teegan. Even Christina had begun to encourage her and Rowan to talk, but it appeared the girl wasn’t ready yet. Rowan did as he was told – he gave her space with the promise that when she was ready, all she needed to do was ask and he’d be at her side. He did everything he could, but I knew it bothered him a lot more than he was letting on.
I kept out of it. I remained a sympathetic ear for Rowan to talk to and a shoulder to lean on. I supported him as he needed. Sometimes that was just listening to him vent, others I let him fuck me until neither of us knew our own names.
True to his word, Oliver had kept out of our way. So much so I’d begun to feel guilty for keeping him from a flat he was still currently paying rent for, though he continued to tell me it wasn’t a problem. I knew it was only a matter of time before he made the move to Becca’s official. She’d already hinted as much whenever we discussed it over lunch at work.
I’d also begun updating my CV, though I hadn’t taken Rowan up on his suggestion to add ‘earth-shattering blow jobs’ to my list of skills. He did, however, promise me a glowing reference – sans any mention of giving head, thankfully. The NHS would find me a new position, but this time I wasn’t sure I wanted to sit back and allow them to place me wherever was available. I began to research other dental practices in the area, with Rowan’s insider knowledge to guide me. Even more excitingly, for the first time in my adult life the distance from a bus stop or train station wasn’t a consideration in my job hunt, as I’d started having driving lessons. My instructor assured me I would pass easily when it came time for the test, so hopefully I would be on the road before it was time to move on from Avenhill. I was a natural, who knew?
“What about Davenport Surgery?” I called to Rowan as he helped himself to a handful of biscuits in the kitchen.
“Remind me who the lead dentist is?” he replied through a mouthful, sitting heavily beside me on the sofa.
I scrolled down the webpage. “Uh, a Dr Brown?”
Rowan wrinkled his nose. “Old and stuck in his ways. You won’t learn much under his tutelage.”
“You can’t keep turning them all down, you know,” I teased. “I know no one is as good as you, but Idohave to leave in a few weeks’ time, and I’d prefer not to be deployed in some grotty clinic in the back and beyond.”
“Sorry, I just want the best for you.” Rowan grinned.
“Well, I can’t have the best, can I?” I sat up and kissed him. “Because you’ve got no vacancies.”
A heated expression crossed Rowan’s face. “You might not be able to work for me, but you can certainlyhaveme whenever you like.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.” I turned my attention back to my laptop. “Alright, back to the drawing board.”
