As his fingers tightened on her elbow, he said, “If you need anything, call me. I know I’ve got Jordan, but I can figure something out.”
“Thank you, Theo.”
Scooping up his prancing daughter, he headed for the door. Chelsea stood there, looking so forlorn he almost couldn’t move any farther. But he had to. For now, anyway. If he had his way, they’d get back to where they were five years ago. And soon.
The sun reflected off the calm water of Jordan Pond, making the lake look like it was filled with diamonds. The peaceful scene did nothing to calm Theo’s mind. Even looking down on it from over eight hundred feet couldn’t distract him from his thoughts, the ones that centered around Chelsea.
Saturday had been a fun-filled day with the three of them. They’d had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together and spent all the in between time doing fun activities. Except for the conversation he and Chelsea’d had while Jordan had napped.
At least they’d gotten to the truth. Part of it, anyway. Chelsea’s father had manipulated and lied to keep them apart. It still didn’t excuse Theo’s part in this.
“Hey, you all right?”
Theo turned to see Rico staring at him, his expression one of concern.
“Um, yeah. Why?” The terrain at the top of North Bubble was stable, so why was Rico worried?
“I called your name three times.”
“Oh. Sorry, got a lot on my mind. I’ll get back in the game.”
Rico tilted his head. “I’m here if you need to talk—or get drunk.”
Theo laughed. “Which always loosens my tongue.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some lunch.” Shrugging off his backpack, Rico wandered to a few low boulders. “Pull up a rock and join me.”
Checking his watch, he saw it was past noon, and he was definitely hungry. Jordan had been slow getting ready this morning, and he hadn’t had time for more than a few sips of coffee.
“Thanks. Think I will.” Once he got his sandwich and took a few bites, he felt a little better. “We spent the day with Chelsea Saturday.”
“You mentioned she’s been over for supper every night since Wednesday, too. Everything going okay there?”
“Jordan is out of her mind thrilled.”
“And you?” Rico took a huge swig from his water bottle, trying for nonchalant.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what to think about all that’s happened.” Taking another bite, he chewed, then continued. “We finally had an opportunity to talk a bit.”
His friend finished up his sandwich and remained silent. If Theo never said another word, Rico wouldn’t push.
“Seems like her father had a huge hand in tearing us apart.”
“Good thing he’s dead,” Rico replied, his mouth tight.
Theo nodded. “Yeah, he most likely tampered with her phone, so I never got any of the calls or texts she sent. And she never got any of mine, except the onehesent telling her it had been fun but only a summer fling and not to come back.”
“The worm.”
“That’s kind, considering what I think of him.”
“I’ll bet. So what happens now?”
Theo wished he knew. “I’m not sure what I expected once we had a chance to talk. That everything would magically go back to the way it was when we got married? That the hurt and pain of almost five years would suddenly disappear? After we had our conversation, she seemed distant and sad. The rest of the day she was quiet, except when Jordan needed her.”
Stuffing his trash in his bag, Rico leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “How would you feel if you discovered your dad manipulated you, cost you the man you loved, and made you think your baby was dead?”
“Point taken. I’ll give her some time to adjust, to get used to being with Jordan—and me—again. Thanks.”
