“Can you tell me what happened between Rosemary and you?”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Who told you about her?”
“That is irrelevant. I’d like to hear your account of what occurred.” Once more, I gently stroked his hair.
“Why? She’s a part of my past. She doesn’t relate to us in any way.” He took a few long breaths before closing his eyes.
He was obviously not buying the lies he was telling either. I allowed him to be silent for a while.
A switch had been flipped in him. He was no longer the demanding and powerful man I saw every day. Instead, he looked vulnerable. Scared. Upset. Whatever had happened in the relationship was painful and it caused him embarrassment just to think about it. But he needed to say it out to put it in the past.
“Speak to me, please. Tell me what actually happened.”
He let out a loud sigh before rolling onto his back and gazing up at the ceiling. I didn’t say anything, allowing him all the time he needed to continue.
“All my life, I’ve known her. Due to the close ties between our families, we essentially grew up together. She has always been gorgeous in my opinion, but for a very long period, we were only friends. She spent some time overseas while she was in college. I was mostly still in San Rafael when I first met her upon her return. We arranged to meet and catch up when she came to town.”
“We kind of stumbled into a relationship because we were both twenty-three at the time: she and I. It was easy, really. We practically lived together and I asked her what she thought about marriage a few times. I really thought she loved me as much as I loved her, you know?”
I clasped his hand as he laughed without mirth.
“She came to me in tears one day. I tried everything I could think of to calm her down because I was so terrified. I was truly delighted and eager when she finally revealed that she was expecting. I hugged her and assured her that everything would be wonderful and that we could get married right away. I was thrilled, even if the baby was a surprise. The following day, I ran out and got her an engagement ring before running home to surprise her.”
He stopped and took a breath. I was dying to comfort him, but he needed to finish his sentence first.
“I certainly surprised her,” he remarked with a hint of venom. “She was in bed with my best friend at the time, Hector.”
Oh no!
Even though I didn’t know either of them, I wanted to kill them both.
“It turned ugly. Never in my life have I felt so betrayed. My two closest friends simultaneously screwed me over. With worst possible method.” He stopped and took a few trembling breaths. “She then had an abortion without even consulting me beforehand. She simply did that and then informed me a few weeks later when she arrived to collect her belongings from my home. She sounded as though she was advising me to cancel a credit card. As if this was nothing. As though it had no meaning. She killed our child so that she and Hector could date. It… it broke me.”
I made an effort to contain the sob in my throat, but I was unable to do so. I wished more than anything to lessen the agony I could hear in his voice. I threw myself on top of him and gave him my fiercest hug.
“Oh, Nicholas, I’m so sorry.”
I was at a loss for any way to console him.
What could I say in that situation?
He had good reason not to trust people. I would rip Rosemary or Hector apart if I ever saw them.
I buried my face in the crook of his neck while he massaged my back.
He mumbled, “I’m pathetic, right?”
“No!” I pulled away so that he could see my face. “Never think that. You have no fault in what they did.”
He sighed into my hair as he pulled me back down and held me close. With our arms still around one other, we remained still on the bed for a few minutes. He hugged me tightly. We turned it into a squeezing game, squeezing at the beat of a song and asking the other to guess.
The seriousness in the room dissolved and we laughed.
“Thank you for listening to me without judgment.”
Though we undoubtedly had more to talk about and I had more questions, what he needed right then was a consolation. Before speaking the words I knew he was longing to hear, I gave his neck another kiss.
“I won’t leave you.”
The following morning, I awoke drowsy and by myself in our bed. I knew Nicholas forever goodbyes so that I slept peacefully. I knew he was nervous about how I would act around him after what he confessed to me last night.
Over the next few days, I was going to make it my job to reassure him. We would have more time together during the weekend because it was a Friday.
I changed after taking a shower and went downstairs to meet Lory and Laura for breakfast.
“Did you sleep well?” I asked Lory while she gobbled down a stack of pancakes.
“Excellent! That bed is really cozy. I might as well move in.” I didn’t think it was an awful idea, but she winked to let me know she was kidding.
“What do you think about meeting Courtney today?”
I called Courtney and asked her to meet us here in an hour after Lory enthusiastically nodded. The three of us opted against going shopping again and instead chose to unwind by the pool. While Lory was still experiencing jet lag, I needed a break from all the shopping.
A few hours later, Lory was holding a chilly beverage in her hand and floating around the pool in a tube. “This is the life,” she sighed.