“Oh, hey Honey!” she says, out of breath.
She rushes over to me and kisses me on the cheek. I swallow deeply as I feel Noah step in behind me.
Her eyes nervously dart over my shoulder and I can see the way her demeanor changes. It’s small but it’s there. She’s nervous. Scared he told me.
Well, she’d be right.
“Veronica—” I begin.
“I was thinking we could all decorate together. As a family.” She dusts off her hands, avoiding eye contact. This is what she does. Panic bakes. I see it clearly now.
“Veronica.” I try again. “We need to talk.”
Her eyes hops from me and then to Noah. I can see the panic in her eyes as she’s taking in my tone of voice.
“I…” a small, choked sound escapes her throat. “Noah…howcouldyou?” she hisses, words snapping past me.
I quickly step into her line of sight. “This is about you and I, Vee.”
She bites her tongue, straightening up. “Okay, well…I should put Paislee down,” she says, rubbing her hand across her forehead.
“I’ll do it,” Noah says, walking over to her. “Come on, baby girl.” He softly coos before taking her out of the room.
I hate feeling the emptiness of him but knowing he’s just another floor upstairs makes me feel better.
I tilt my head to the living room where Veronica follows me.
Awkwardly taking a seat, she takes her apron off, smooths it down on the couch and turns to me.
“Let me start.”
“I should start.”
We both speak at the same time. I give her a soft smile before motioning her to take the lead.
“I’m guessing Noah told you what he saw.”
I shift in my seat, bringing my leg up on the couch to look at her fully. “What’d he see exactly?”
Veronica looks away, tears welling in her eyes. “Dammit, Brad. Don’t make me say it.”
“I think it’s important that we do. We lay everything out there. No more secrets.” I take a deep breath in.
She shoots me a look, realization washing over her. “Wait. What do you mean? Do you have something to tell me too?”
I nod my head slowly. “Yeah…yeah, I do.”
“Oh, God.” She buries her head in her hands. “What happened to us? We were so happy.”
I shake my head knowing how untrue that is. “You know we haven’t been happy for a while now. Hell, we haven’t been together intimately for over a year.”
She picks her head back up, and I see now that tears have fallen. “I know, I know. I just…I didn’t think…” She sniffs, rubbing her hand under her nose. “Brad, you’re thebest guyI’ve ever met. Things just got so complicated. Especially when Paislee came along.”
Shit, I know the feeling.
“Who is she?” She sniffs, looking deep into my eyes. “Do I know her?”
My stomach drops. This is the moment. This is where I make the choice.
