“Too many people?” He guessed, picking up on my exhaustion.
“Yeah, let’s go with that.” I wasn’t going to mention the real reason I was spiraling. Kissing Chris Jones at a Comic-Con wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you casually drop into a conversation with your ex. Right?
Adjusting to having a filter when talking to Georgesucked.
“How did he handle it?” He softened his voice when asking about his son.
“Better than I did, honestly,” I laughed, remembering how Liam had handled the insane day like a champ. I’d braced myself for a major meltdown within the first hour, but nope, he surprised me. I was so proud of him. Sometimes, the idea of him missing out because of the same sensory issues I struggled with worried me. Today didn’t mean he’d overcome them completely, not by a long shot, but it was a step forward, and I clung to that.
“I’m sorry,” George said, and I could tell he felt guilty for sending me to that war zone.
“It’s okay.”
“I promise I’ll take him to the next convention.” He said, his smile wide, thinking about it. They could talk for hours about comic books, superheroes, and robots. I knew he wasfeeling a little left out, probably wishing he’d been the one to take Liam today. But he was out of town for a good reason. He was away on a work trip, meeting a potential client for a career-changing opportunity. The fact that he’d actually considered rescheduling showed how much family came first to him, even over the work he loved so much.
“Oh, yes, you will.” I teased, smiling at the thought of the two of them geeking out together and me beingnowherenear it.
“Maybe we could all go together. The four of us. Like old times…” George said, his voice careful, but the meaning was clear. He still hoped. Still wanted that picture-perfect family back. Emphasis on thepicturebecause that was the only place we were perfect. And he knew that even if he didn’t want to admit it yet.
I smiled, tight-lipped, unsure of what to say that I hadn’t already said a hundred times before. It had been long enough. He should’ve stopped trying by now.
Sensing the shift, he quickly pivoted. “But come on… it was at least a little fun, right? Did you guys get to see anyone famous?” And there it was—the thing I’d been dreading. Lying wasn’t exactly my strong suit, especially to George.
404 error on my brain, and before I could stop myself, the words tumbled out.
“We met Chris Jones, actually.”
What the actual fuck, Jules?
“Oh, really?” George laughed. He obviously thought I was joking. “Great timing! Now that you’re single, you could go for it!”
I faked a chuckle, hoping that would be the end of it. He had no reason to think I was being serious. I mean, come on. In what universe did a 34-year-old divorcee with chipped nails and bags under her eyes ended up on a date with 2022 People’s Sexiest Man Alive? The math wasn’t mathing.
But George was always freakishly perceptive and could always tell when I was hiding something. His laughter faded, and his tone shifted.
“Jules? What is it?”
I froze. My mind scrambled to find a way out of this, but instead of making up a story,anystory, I heard myself say it. Out loud. Like an idiot.
“I’m actually going on a date with him… tonight.”
I needed to double my therapy sessions because I was obviously insane and in need of serious treatment.
Did I say it to hurt him? My heart ached with guilt instantly. Maybe I did.
Some part of me wanted to throw it out there, to say,“I’m moving on,”and he shouldn’t keep sending me freaking flowers every damn week. Or maybe I was being an actual bitch, letting my anger take over, like,“Since you took me for granted for so many years, I went and found myself a Hollywood A-lister instead.”
Bitter. Ouch. I would feel guilty for a second. But not for too long because, in some capacity, he deserved it.
For the longest time, there was only silence long enough that I thought the call had dropped.
“George?” I asked, grabbing my phone from the table.
When he finally spoke, his voice had that forced sarcasm he got when he was trying to sound fine but absolutely wasn’t.
“That’s not fair, Jules! How the hell am I supposed to top that? Your first date after the divorce is with Chris Jones?”
He forced a laugh, one that couldn’t fool anyone. The hurt in his voice cut right through me. Maybe I went too far here. I knew he’d have to watch me move on eventually, like I knew about the dates he’d been on over the last few months. But this felt different, even though he couldn’t possibly understand the extent of it.
