Once alone, Jim spoke first, “Tasha—”
She held her hand up to signal for him to stop. “Don’t. I am angry with you and I am so hurt that you would keep her from me. I don’t even want to think about having this conversation tonight, not while Lizzie is here. This is far from over Jim, but for now I am going to bed.”
Without looking back, she went upstairs and put on a pair of pyjamas for the first time since being with Jim. She sat on the sofa in the bedroom, turned the TV on, found a rerun of an old medical drama she liked and settled in with the large bar of chocolate she’d bought. She must have eaten about half of it when Jim appeared carrying a cup because she had just started feeling sick.
“Tea?” He held it out like a white flag.
“Thank you,” she replied as he sat next to her.
“Baby, please let me explain.”
“No!” She slammed her cup down, spilling some of the tea as she stood up. “I am not doing this tonight, not while Lizzie is here. She doesn’t need to hear any of this and I am so fucking mad I can’t guarantee that I won’t shout and scream, so no! Now, I am going to sleep so if you are going to insist on talking at me I will find somewhere else to do that.”
She pulled the bed covers back and was just about to get into bed when Jim asked, “Is this PMS?”
“Unbelievable Jim! This is not PMS. This is my boyfriend is a fucking idiot who has pissed me off and hurt my feelings more than I thought he ever would by lying to me about his fuck buddy. Now, shut up or I will go and sleep somewhere else, I don’t care which,” she said angrily and as no more words followed, she assumed he had gone with the first option so climbed into bed.
Jim climbed in next to her and cautiously put an arm around her before pressing his front against her back. She could feel his breath on her neck making her crave him, but she was determined not to succumb.
“Don’t even think about it,” she warned which resulted in Jim sighing and rolling over, much to her relief.
Chapter 13
Tasha slept restlessly until about five a.m. when she eventually fell into a deep sleep and was surprised to wake alone at little after ten. She made her way downstairs where Lizzie and Jim were sat huddled together in front of the TV with orange juice, pancakes and maple syrup. She smiled at the image of them and then remembered the previous night and her unresolved anger with her boyfriend.
“Morning,” she called, already putting the kettle on to make some tea.
Jim joined her in the kitchen. “Sit down, baby, I can make tea.”
Tasha shook her head. “No, you can’t. Not very well, anyway. I’ll do it.”
He nervously lifted her hand and smiled to see she was still wearing her ring. “I wasn’t sure you’d still have that on this morning,” he said nervously.
“It appears that I do, but this isn’t over. We will talk when Lizzie has gone,” she said seriously then watched as he returned to his daughter.
Tasha joined Jim and Lizzie on the sofa and laughed at them giggling at the cartoons they were watching together. She considered the option of letting go of her hurt and anger, forgiving him, but she shouldn’t, she knew that. Even if she could, she still needed this to make sense. She needed an explanation and she,they, needed him to understand his wrongdoing in misleading her on who and what Mickie was, or she’d simply be giving him free rein to do and say what he wanted in the future with no risk of repercussions. There’d already been enough people in her life who had lied and deceived her with no consequence and whilst it was under her control there would be no more, least of all from her fiancé, her husband, Jim.
She smiled when her phone beeped and she saw a message from Abby.
Lizzie had probably not even got to the bottom of the driveway when Jim addressed the elephant in the room. “Now can we talk?”
“Yes. I said once Lizzie had gone and now she’s gone, so maybe you could tell me what the fuck the deal is with you allowing me to believe that yourold friendMickie is a guy when he is actually a she, and a she who is or was your fuck buddy? The same person that you planned on letting me holiday with?” She stared at him angrily, waiting and hoping for a reasonable explanation that might make this okay.
“You make it sound bad, Tasha.”
Tasha was stunned by the actual stupidity of his words and actions.
