3,953Wowza! The response to the prologue has absolutely blown me away! It was so much more than I was expecting. Thank you! It's so great to see both new and familiar names in my reviews and follows. I'm so very excited to have all of you along for the ride.
Chapter one is being brought to you on my birthday. Your reviews always make me smile, so what better day than my birthday? ;)
***Fiddling was had. All mistakes are mine.***
***Posting update in A/N below.***
Song:
"Landslide", Fleetwood Mac
Chapter 1
"Mom!"
I close my eyes and my head falls back. Trying the ridiculous calming crap Rose suggested, I take a deep breath and try to keep my cool.
One, two, three, fo—
"Mom!" This time, he drags the word out for five seconds and four syllables. "I can't find my shoes!"
"I told you to look under your bed," I shout.
"They're not— oh."
I shake my head and go back to making the boys' lunches. An assembly line of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches fills the counter. I scoop, slather, and assemble, stuffing each full lunchbox into a backpack. They're zipped up and placed on the bench at the table, waiting for my not-so-little monsters to clomp down the stairs.
"Hey," Garrett says as he walks into the kitchen. "Coffee ready?"
I point to the pot on the counter.
"You sleep okay?" He walks toward the fridge, pulling out the sickeningly sweet creamer.
"I slept fine."
He grabs the carafe and pours coffee into his favorite mug. I eye the ugly thing with disdain. Painted a bright, obnoxious yellow with a giant seashells on the side, it's a reminder of the one and only "us" vacation we took for our tenth anniversary, nearly five years ago.
"I'm sorry things are taking so long with the house. I know you're probably tired of sleeping in Seth's bed."
"I said I was fine."
"I know, but—"
I whip around and finally meet his eyes. "I said I was fine, and I meant it." I push past him to put the jelly back in the fridge. "It's only temporary, right?"
"Yeah, she'll be— I mean, the closing should be in a few weeks."
I scoff and shake my head. "Whatever. It's fine. I can tolerate sharing a twin bed with my kid for a little while." I stand straighter and lower my voice. "I'm not heartless enough to toss you out on your ass like I should. I won't be the reason my kids' father is homeless."
"Bella, I—"
I'm saved from yet another round of fighting by the stampede coming down the stairs. I turn to my babies and put on a smile. "I see you found your shoes."
"Yeah, they were under my bed," Jacob mumbles, walking straight for his bag, double checking that I did indeed put two sandwiches in his lunch. His appetite lately has been nearly insatiable. I'm already worried about how I'm going to feed him when he's a teenager.
"See, what did I tell you? Isn't that where I told you they'd be?" I pull him in for a hug, kissing the top of his head. Even though he's only ten, he's almost as tall as I am.
"Stop." He pulls away, and his little brother swoops in to take his place.
"I'll take a kiss, Mommy." Seth wraps his scrawny arms around my waist and squeezes.
I hug him extra tightly. He's already seven, so I know that my days of getting hugs from him are numbered.
Garrett downs the rest of his coffee and puts his mug on the counter. "Come on. We need to go."
Jacob hoists his backpack higher on his shoulder and follows his dad to the door.
"Do you have everything you need?"
"I'm good," Jacob says over his shoulder.
Seth grins up at me. "Me too, Mommy." He slips out of my arms and grabs his backpack, running to catch up to his brother. "Bye!"
"Have a good day!" I shout as the front door closes. With a sigh, I go back to the kitchen where this morning's and last night's dishes wait for me.
Although I wouldn't trade my time with my boys for anything, it's been tough going back to work after being at home for so long. I spent ten years changing diapers, potty training, and teaching them their ABCs, not to mention the full-time job of keeping the house the way Garrett expected. I realized I needed to reenter the workforce, spending my days in a cubicle didn't really appeal to me any longer. It was probably a good thing the only thing most potential employers focused on was the gaping ten-year hole in my résumé.
Since Garrett told me he wanted a divorce, everything has changed at home. I stopped cleaning up after him and doing his laundry. I stopped setting a place for him at the table and making sure his lunch was packed for the day.
I stopped giving a damn what he thought of me, too.
I'm allowing him to live under the same roof as me and the kids until he and Kate—who's also still living with her soon-to-be ex—move into their house, but I stopped being his doormat months ago.
As far as I'm concerned, he's a roommate paying his half of the rent until he moves out.
I quickly wash the dishes from last night and this morning, eyeing the clock the whole time so I'm not late for work. With a final scan of the kitchen, I spot that hideous yellow mug perched precariously near the edge of the counter. The spoon Garrett used to stir the creamer into his coffee lies beside it in a pale brown puddle. Picking up the spoon and wiping the spot on the counter, I have the fleeting thought that if he really were just a roommate I wouldn't be cleaning up after him.
"Just a few more weeks," I mutter to myself.
And while I know I should be at least a little remorseful when the mug accidentally slips from my hand and falls to the floor, shattering into a hundred pieces, I'm not. In fact, after sweeping it into the trash, I walk out the door with a smile on my face.
"What did he say about closing?" Rose asks, her voice piping through my phone's speaker as it lays on the passenger seat. "I still can't believe that bitch is buying them a house."
"He said a few weeks." I check my mirrors and signal, changing lanes to exit the highway.
"Sis, if it's in a few weeks, he should have a date by now."
"I know. I think he's avoiding telling me in case something goes wrong."
"You need to give him a deadline. If something goes wrong and that bitch doesn't close on her house on time, Garrett needs to know to be out of there by a certain day."
"Yeah, I know."
"I know you know, but you need to do something about it, Bella. You're letting him walk all over you and abuse your generosity."
"I'm not letting him—"
"You are. And what kind of example is that setting for your boys? They're going to think it's perfectly acceptable for a man to treat a woman that way."
"Look, I'm just trying to keep the peace until he leaves. Then we'll have other crap to worry about."
She sighs, and I know she's irritated with me, but she doesn't press the issue. "Did he mention where things are on the divorce?"
"We're coming up on sixty days since we filed, and then we sign the consent decree. But we both have to finish the parenting classes before the judge will sign it. And guess who still hasn't done that."
"Ugh. I'll have Emmett light a fire under his ass."
"I'm not sure asking his brother to intervene will help."
"It wouldn't hurt."
"Fine. Do what you want, but make sure he knows I didn't put Emmett up to it. He doesn't need another reason to start an argument with me."
"Even if you did, so what? Someone needs to knock some sense into Garrett's head."
"And that person should be Em?"
"Who better than his brother?"
With another right turn, the sign in front of Cope's Family Pharmacy comes into view. "I just got to work. Maybe we can get together soon. I miss you."
"I know. I miss you, too. It feels like forever since I've seen you and the boys. What about coming over this weekend? Maybe we can grill out or something."
I pull into my reserved spot and shift into park. "Maybe Saturday. Alice is dragging me to some function on base for Jasper Friday night. It's his last flight or something and they're having a party for him."
"Yeah? It's about time you got out and did something fun."
"Since when am I the 'go out and party' type?"
"Maybe you should be. You need to let loose, Bella. You've been working nonstop for months. Do you need me to keep the kids?"
"I'm pretty sure Garrett is taking them to dinner with Kate." I stick out my tongue even though no one can see. "But if he flakes on me, can I call you?"
"You know it. Whatever you need. I'm just glad you're actually going out. Maybe you can pick up a hot flyboy and have some fun." I don't have to see her to know she's waggling her brows.
"Sure. I'm a real catch."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You still got it."
I look down at myself. Dressed in my standard uniform—deep blue scrubs with the pharmacy logo emblazoned on my shirt—I definitely don't feel like I still "got it."
"If you say so, Rose."
"I do. And let me know if you want to borrow something to wear." My sister sounds more excited about my Friday night plans than I do.
"Don't you think I can manage to dress myself to go out?"
"Sis, I've seen your closet. I also haven't seen you in anything other than your mom uniform in years."
"I'm sure I can pull something together." I watch as Alice waves on her way to the door. "Hey, I need to go. We open in, like, ten minutes."
"Okay. Go peddle your drugs and call me tonight. I'll fill you in on how the showdown between the McCarty brothers went."
I disconnect the call and grab all my things, walking into the employee entrance of the pharmacy.
"Good morning, Bella," Alice sing-songs from behind the counter, a smile firmly on her face. Her sunny disposition is contagious, but she's far too cheerful for a Monday morning.
"Good morning, Alice." I kiss her cheek as I walk past her to the well-appointed employee lounge. I toss my purse into my locker and clock in. When I get back out to the floor, Alice is at the register, sliding the cash drawer in.
"How are things today? Please tell me you finally got that leech out of your house over the weekend."
I raise a brow as I pin my name tag to my shirt. "Leech?"
She rolls her eyes. "You know how I feel about him being there, Bella. I was hoping you finally grew a pair and tossed him out on his ass."
Alice Whitlock isn't the type to keep her opinions to herself. It's no secret she despises my soon-to-be ex-husband, and I've heard this almost every day since I told her about our unique living arrangements.
She's also the one who encouraged me to get a pharmacy technician certification so I could move up from being just their cashier. I knew I needed a steady income to support myself when Garrett asked for a divorce, more than the minimum wage the cashier job was paying.
It will mean a year of on-the-job training before I can take the test and actually be certified, but I'll forever be in Alice's debt for kicking my ass into gear.
I sigh. "You sound just like Rose. And no, he's still there. Trust me, if he had anywhere else to go, he'd be out."
She scoffs. "Let him go stay with his parents."
I smirk as I think about my in-laws' reaction to their son's news. "They won't speak to him right now."
"Good. Then let him figure it out."
"I can't do that. He'd be living in his car, Alice."
She shrugs. "So? The asshole deserves it."
I groan out my irritation, tired of the same old argument. "Look, I don't want to rock the boat. It's not much longer and he'll be gone. Then we'll have a whole new set of hurdles to get over with visitation and the new girlfriend and all the complications that come with it." I take a calming breath. "Honestly, I think this is the easier part. But for now, I'm just trying to take things one day at a time."
The employee entrance door swings open, and our other pharmacist walks in, putting a temporary end to Alice's Garrett bashing. "Morning, ladies."
"Good morning, Riley." Alice's smile is as wide for him as it was for me. "How did your date go Saturday?"
He scowls as he looks over his shoulder at us. "I got stood up. Can you believe that? I mean, who would turn down all of this?" He motions to his torso. If ever there was an adorkable teddy bear in a squishy, dad-bod package, it's Riley Biers.
In his fifties and the eternal bachelor, his sometimes-awkward personality is probably what's kept him single. His sense of humor should be enough to make women look past the rest, but he hasn't been lucky in love.
Alice giggles and hip checks him as he walks out to the floor. "She doesn't know what she's missing. You just haven't found anyone who appreciates you yet, Ri."
He looks over the rim of his glasses, unconvinced. "If you say so, Alice."
The door rattles as Sue and Maggie scramble to make it inside before we open.
"Sorry I'm late. Harry wasn't feeling well this morning." Sue rushes toward the lounge as Maggie waddles in after her.
"And I'm just slow," the expectant mom says.
I offer Maggie a sympathetic smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm about to pop." She rubs at her protruding belly as she ambles toward the back. "I'll be so glad when this kid is out of me."
"I remember those days. The last month I was pregnant with Seth I couldn't wait for it to be over."
"Six more weeks," she laments.
I wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. "And then your life changes forever."
Alice and Riley head into the box, starting on the prescriptions that were called in overnight, while I flip the sign on the door to Open. As usual, a few of our regular customers are waiting to come in.
"Good morning, Mr. Watson. How are you today?" I hold the door open for him and he hobbles past me.
"Not too great. I'm hoping you can help me find an ointment." He turns to face me and lowers his voice. "I've got a nasty rash on my ass."
"Are you still up for coming with us to Jasper's fini-flight?" Alice asks from the doorway of the lounge.
I smile as I grab my purse from my locker. "Yeah, I'll be there."
"Are you sure you don't want to bring the kids? The boys would get a kick out of seeing it."
"I would, but Garrett wants to take them for the evening. He's got plans with Kate, I guess, and wants them to tag along."
She rolls her eyes. "I'm sure they'll love going to dinner rather than seeing a fighter jet in action."
"I'll ask Garrett, but I don't know if he'll go for it."
"Please do. Brandon would hate to miss out on seeing your boys again. He had such a great time with them last time we got together." She walks past me to clock out. "Jasper's parents will be there, too. I can't wait for you to meet them. You'll love them. Salt of the earth Texans, and Momma Whitlock would give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it."
"Is there anything special I need to do? Is there a dress code for something like this?"
"Nope. Just wear something comfy and be prepared to be entertained. These boys can party like no one's business."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"How was school?" I ask the boys as they pile into the car at the curb outside their daycare. "How did your spelling pre-test go, Seth?"
"I got all of them right!"
"That's awesome! So, now you don't have to take the test on Friday, right?" I watch them in the rearview mirror and wait until they're buckled before I pull onto the road.
"Yup! And I'm the only one who got them all right."
"That's so great, baby."
"Only because they're baby words," Jacob mutters.
"Hey! They're not baby words," Seth says, folding his little arms defiantly over his chest.
I meet my oldest's eyes in the mirror and narrow mine. "No, they're not. They're exactly what he should be learning right now. Don't be like that, Jacob."
He turns to stare out the window, putting an end to the conversation. Seeing him become more withdrawn, more negative, especially where his brother is concerned, makes me sad. But we're all navigating uncharted territory, and I remind myself to be patient with him.
"Okay, so, what am I making for dinner tonight?"
"Goodnight, Daddy!" Seth says as he runs full speed toward Garrett.
"Night, kiddo." He wraps his arms around his son and closes his eyes. "I'm so proud of you for acing that spelling test."
Seth smiles up at him. "I'm awesome, I know." With a giggle, he slips from his dad's arms and runs for me. "Night, Mommy."
I giggle at his enthusiasm. "Goodnight. I'll be up soon. Don't forget to brush your teeth."
"I won't." Like a shot, he takes off up the stairs.
"Night," Jacob mutters on his way up.
"Do I not get a hug?" I ask.
Begrudgingly, he gives me a half-hearted hug, but I squeeze him in return. "I love you, Jacob."
He nods and steps away, completely ignoring Garrett.
"Can you believe that kid?" Garrett asks. "I don't even get a second glance."
"Well, you are the one who decided we couldn't be a family anymore."
He tilts his head and opens his mouth, his expression saying come on. "Bella, don't—"
I hold up my hand, stopping him. "I'm sorry. That was out of line." I meet his eyes. "But you can't sit there and tell me it isn't true."
Like the smart man he is, he stays quiet.
Remembering the conversation with my sister this morning, I take a deep breath and decide to dive in head-first. "How set are you about having them Friday night?"
His brow furrows. "Kate wanted to take them out for mini golf and pizza. She wants to get to know them better."
"It's just that, well, Alice invited me to this thing and—"
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"We haven't even started the split visitation and you already want to start changing things after we've made plans. Don't do that, Bella."
I nod. "Okay, forget I mentioned it. I only thought I'd ask."
He scowls at me for a moment before going back to watching the television.
I clear my throat. "There's something else."
He looks up expectantly.
I swallow my nerves and charge ahead. "I think we need to have a definite moving date for you."
"I told you, closing is in a few weeks."
"And that tells me nothing, Garrett. I need a date, not a vague assumption of when you'll be out of here."
He stares at me for a long moment before huffing and pulling his phone from his pocket. He scrolls and scrolls, no doubt looking through his calendar or texts from Kate. "It's scheduled for Friday the twenty-second at nine in the morning."
"Okay, so can we agree you'll be out by Saturday the twenty-third? You won't have much to move out, so I think a day is more than reasonable."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. I need to know when this is going to end, Garrett. I feel like I'm living in limbo, and I don't like it."
"I can't believe you're only giving me a day."
"Please don't make this harder than it already is," I beg. "We've already been through the worst part of it. I'd like to make the rest of the transition as smooth and drama-free as possible, for the boys' sake and mine."
He purses his lips as he pockets his phone. "Fine. I'll be out of here on the twenty-third."
"Thank you."
"But I want them to stay with me that first night. And I'd like to start with the visitation we agreed on the following week."
I swallow the lump in my throat as tears sting my eyes. Fifteen years with this man, and it's come down to dividing our kids' time straight down the middle. "Yeah," I rasp. "That's fine."
"They can help me pick out paint colors and stuff for their rooms."
"Rooms? How big is this place?"
His cheeks pink up and he looks down at his lap. "It's good-sized. Two floors and a basement, a big backyard. It's got four bedrooms, so they'll each have their own."
"They'll love that." I force a smile. "It's something we could never give them before. I'm glad one of us can." I slap my hands on my thighs and stand. "Okay, I'm going to head up and make sure they actually brushed their teeth. Goodnight."
When I crawl into bed, Seth's tiny, warm body cuddled into mine, I try not to think about how things are changing. I try not to think about it being just the three of us here every other week ... or being here alone the rest of the time.
What on earth am I going to do with that much time alone? Maybe I can pick up a new hobby and take up yoga like Rose has been bugging me to for years. Maybe I'll finally make a dent in my "to read" pile on my bookshelf. Or maybe I'll wallow in self-loathing and gain a hundred pounds with my new friends, Ben and Jerry.
My life hasn't turned out anything like I thought it would. I'm not quite sure what's next for me, but I know I need to figure it out.
A/N: I love reading all your reviews, and I can't wait to see what you think of the introduction to Bella and her family. I'm pretty sure I already know what you think of Garrett.
Something I forgot to mention in the notes for the prologue, this story isn't set in current day. You'll have to let me know if the hints I drop are enough to date it. ;)
So many of you shared stories of you or someone you know whose life took an unplanned detour. Sadly, it's not all that uncommon. If only everyone could have found their soft place to land …
***Heads up! Next week, I'll be updating on Wednesday. I'm taking a trip, and I know getting ready for it is going to throw off my schedule.
***ALSO! For this story, I've decided that no one but me will see any rude guest reviews. They will never see the light of day. Although I'd prefer you log in so there could be discussion, I'm happy to take constructive criticism in a GR, but only if you're polite. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time.
Remember, the best way to stay up to date with what I'm up to, join in the discussion, and to see exclusive weekly teaser pics, check out my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. I'd love if you all could join us. I'm also on Twitter at CSunshine1220.
"See" you next week! A certain someone will be making his introductions. ;)
Be kind.
Stay safe.
Stay well.
Lots of love
~Sunshine