Page 42 of Marriage and the Midlife Crisis

“But you’ve changed. You’re quieter.” Garrett’s voice turned solemn, and he suddenly looked like the scared little boy I’d met thirteen years ago.

“You don’t smile as much,” Tanner pointed out, swallowing hard, his anger apparent in the stiff line of his shoulders and his clenched jaw.

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling and blinked rapidly to clear the tears welling in my eyes.

“We were so busy with school – homework, baseball practice…” Garrett explained, and Tanner added, “drumline and soccer,” causing Garrett to nod in agreement. “We just didn’t notice, until now. We’re sorry.”

I shook my head and stood up to give both of them a kiss on the cheek. “Neither of you have anything to be sorry for. I’m your mom. I’m the one who’s supposed to look after you two, not the other way around,” I chided.

I turned the conversation toward their classes, and Tanner sheepishly admitted that he was planning to skip his morning biology lab.

“Tanner Joseph, I have both of your schedules memorized, and that lab isn’t until eleven-thirty. You’ll have plenty of time to make the drive back in the morning.” I arched a brow, and he ducked his head and grinned.

“I wouldn’t dream of skipping my English lecture,” Garrett gloated, causing Tanner to make kissing noises and call him a “kiss ass” under his breath. Garrett flipped him off, and I pretended not to notice any of it.

By the time I got them settled with the spare pillows and blankets – Garrett on the couch in the living room and Tanner on the futon in the third bedroom, which also served as Dad’s study and Mom’s craft room – my headache from earlier had morphed into a pain in my temple that radiated behind my left eye.

I popped one of my migraine pills, then settled back into the bed in the guest room. It didn’t take long for the pill to work its magic and put me to sleep.

Chapter 14

Ryan

I slept fitfully, resorting to hugging Melanie’s pillow during the night to trick myself into thinking she was lying next to me.

I woke when my phone chimed with a text, and as I reached for it on the nightstand, a sharp pain in my right hand halted my movement. I groaned and tried to curl my fingers to make a fist, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. My knuckles were swollen, and there was a cut on my middle finger where Mitch’s tooth had grazed the skin as I made contact with his jaw.

“I should probably get a tetanus shot. I hate to think where his mouth has been,” I muttered as I flexed my hand, then grunted when the pain intensified.

My phone chimed again with a reminder, and I awkwardly reached for it with my left hand this time, then almost dropped it when Melanie’s name appeared on the screen. I was so excited that I jackknifed up in the bed and pressed the button to pull up the message.

Melanie: The boys got to town late last night and are driving back to campus after we go to an early breakfast. Heads up that they may try to see you before they leave. Cody found out about us and called them.

I dropped my chin to my chest in resignation.

Fuck.

This is what I’d been afraid of, one of many moments I’d been dreading.

I debated how to respond before deciding to keep it simple.

Me: Thanks for letting me know. I’m sorry. Are they OK? Are you OK?

When she didn’t reply after a few minutes, I forced myself to get up and shower, then trimmed my close-cropped beard in an attempt to make myself look presentable. There wasn’t a damned thing I could do about the bags under my eyes though. After getting dressed in faded jeans and a navy blue, cable knit sweater with a quarter zip, I headed down to the kitchen to make some coffee. I wrapped an ice pack around my hand and sat down with my mug and a protein bar I’d found in the pantry.

I’d just taken a sip of coffee when my phone buzzed again.

Melanie: They’re concerned and confused. They don’t know any details, and I just told them that we’ve hit a rough patch and have drifted apart.

I sighed in relief that they didn’t know how badly I’d messed up – not yet anyway. I also noticed that she hadn’t answered my question about how she was. As I was typing to ask her again, another message popped up.

Melanie: We need to talk. Are you available today or tonight?

My breath left my lungs in a rush, and I swallowed hard around the sudden tightness in my throat.

Me: I’m available anytime you need me to be. The sooner the better. Are you OK?

Melanie: I can be at the house by 10:00.