9pm
Me: No.
Justin: 9 babe.
I don’t respond. I also don’t fight very hard because secretly I am looking forward to seeing him.
Chapter Twelve
Present
I am standing in my closet wrapped in only a towel trying to decide what to wear. I don’t want to look like I’ve dressed up specifically for Justin, but also don’t want to look like a slob, meaning my yoga pants and baggy t-shirt won’t work. I throw on a cotton all black maxi dress and shrug on my oversized gray sweater. I pull my hair up into a loose ponytail before I go and check on the girls who are fast asleep.
Just as I get downstairs, I hear the faint sound of Justin’s truck pull up in the driveway. Deciding that it’s not a good idea to let him inside, I switch on the monitor that I keep in Jordyn’s room and grab the handset before slipping outside.
Justin is closing the door behind him as he senses my presence.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” I reply back ignoring the way my heart is speeding up at the sight of him. I feel like a teenage girl sneaking out of my house to spend time with a boy my parents don’t approve of. It’s silly how exciting and scary it all feels. What about guilt? Shouldn’t I feel guilty too?
“Are the girls asleep?” He asks, I guess in an attempt at small talk. Something I don’t have the patience for right now. I huff out an exasperated breath and glance nervously around my quiet neighborhood wondering for a second if standing out front with him is a bad idea. We are acquainted with our neighbors in the give-a-quick-wave when you see each other kind of way, though we’ve never spoken more than a few words to anybody on our street. When there doesn't seem to be any noticeable prying eyes, I focused back on Justin.
“What are you doing here?” I ask deciding to get straight to the point.
“First tell me what you are doing here?” He raises an eyebrow in amusement. What kind of response is that and why am I here?
“You insisted that you were coming over.” I snap out, “It didn’t seem like I had a choice.” He stepped closer to me and lightly grazes my arm with his fingers causing me to flinch at his touch.
“You always have a choice, Courtney.” He replies softly then glances down at his feet as he drops his hand. The real meaning of the statement his not lost on me.
“Justin, you don’t know everything.”
“I know that he’s never around.”
“He works.”
“I know that if you were mine I would make time.” Frustrated, I pace back in forth in front of him. Trying to decide what to say. What not to say. I can’t lie. It feels good to be wanted by someone. To be told out loud all of the things that I know deep down in my heart I deserve. Yes, Alex does work hard, but does it mean that he can’t find a few minutes during the day to call. But even then, don’t I deserve more than a few minutes. I’m his wife. The woman that he loves. The one person in the world that he can’t live without or so he says. I am tired of settling for crumbs when I’m entitled to so much more. And then, there is this gorgeous man in front of me, ready to hand me the whole cake.
“There is so much more at stake. I can’t just walk away from my marriage just because you asked me to. I barely know you, Justin.”
“Then get to know me.” He simply replies. He must have seen the confusion and indecision on my face so he continues. “Let’s start small. Spend one full day with me. I’m finishing a job over in Talbot Beach. Drive up Monday. Play hooky from work and just spend the day.”
The reason I knew I had feelings for this man is because I was actually considering it. Could I really spend a day with him? Talbot Beach was a small, but wealthy beach town about forty minutes away. My mind immediately went down a mental checklist. Alex was scheduled to fly out Sunday night for a Monday morning conference in Baltimore. I could get my sister Macy to watch the girls. I had plenty of vacation time because
Me: No.
Justin: 9 babe.
I don’t respond. I also don’t fight very hard because secretly I am looking forward to seeing him.
Chapter Twelve
Present
I am standing in my closet wrapped in only a towel trying to decide what to wear. I don’t want to look like I’ve dressed up specifically for Justin, but also don’t want to look like a slob, meaning my yoga pants and baggy t-shirt won’t work. I throw on a cotton all black maxi dress and shrug on my oversized gray sweater. I pull my hair up into a loose ponytail before I go and check on the girls who are fast asleep.
Just as I get downstairs, I hear the faint sound of Justin’s truck pull up in the driveway. Deciding that it’s not a good idea to let him inside, I switch on the monitor that I keep in Jordyn’s room and grab the handset before slipping outside.
Justin is closing the door behind him as he senses my presence.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” I reply back ignoring the way my heart is speeding up at the sight of him. I feel like a teenage girl sneaking out of my house to spend time with a boy my parents don’t approve of. It’s silly how exciting and scary it all feels. What about guilt? Shouldn’t I feel guilty too?
“Are the girls asleep?” He asks, I guess in an attempt at small talk. Something I don’t have the patience for right now. I huff out an exasperated breath and glance nervously around my quiet neighborhood wondering for a second if standing out front with him is a bad idea. We are acquainted with our neighbors in the give-a-quick-wave when you see each other kind of way, though we’ve never spoken more than a few words to anybody on our street. When there doesn't seem to be any noticeable prying eyes, I focused back on Justin.
“What are you doing here?” I ask deciding to get straight to the point.
“First tell me what you are doing here?” He raises an eyebrow in amusement. What kind of response is that and why am I here?
“You insisted that you were coming over.” I snap out, “It didn’t seem like I had a choice.” He stepped closer to me and lightly grazes my arm with his fingers causing me to flinch at his touch.
“You always have a choice, Courtney.” He replies softly then glances down at his feet as he drops his hand. The real meaning of the statement his not lost on me.
“Justin, you don’t know everything.”
“I know that he’s never around.”
“He works.”
“I know that if you were mine I would make time.” Frustrated, I pace back in forth in front of him. Trying to decide what to say. What not to say. I can’t lie. It feels good to be wanted by someone. To be told out loud all of the things that I know deep down in my heart I deserve. Yes, Alex does work hard, but does it mean that he can’t find a few minutes during the day to call. But even then, don’t I deserve more than a few minutes. I’m his wife. The woman that he loves. The one person in the world that he can’t live without or so he says. I am tired of settling for crumbs when I’m entitled to so much more. And then, there is this gorgeous man in front of me, ready to hand me the whole cake.
“There is so much more at stake. I can’t just walk away from my marriage just because you asked me to. I barely know you, Justin.”
“Then get to know me.” He simply replies. He must have seen the confusion and indecision on my face so he continues. “Let’s start small. Spend one full day with me. I’m finishing a job over in Talbot Beach. Drive up Monday. Play hooky from work and just spend the day.”
The reason I knew I had feelings for this man is because I was actually considering it. Could I really spend a day with him? Talbot Beach was a small, but wealthy beach town about forty minutes away. My mind immediately went down a mental checklist. Alex was scheduled to fly out Sunday night for a Monday morning conference in Baltimore. I could get my sister Macy to watch the girls. I had plenty of vacation time because
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