Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 116231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
The last part shocks him and he gasps, “You would take your kids away from us?”
“No,” I quickly say, “I didn’t say that. What I said is if he is there, my children and I will not be. You can see them when they are here. You can see them when they have their sports events. You can see them when he’s not in the house.”
“Knox,” he says my name, “it’s like you are asking us to choose. What is going to happen for Christmas or the holidays?”
“I guess it means I’ll see you when they aren’t there. Listen, Dad, she’s your daughter so I know that you are torn. But I was the one who walked in and saw them fucking in my bed with my own two eyes,” I hiss the last words, “no one else. Me. I had to move out of my house. I had to buy another one. My children now live in two homes because of her husband.”
“She shouldn’t be blamed for his actions,” he replies softly, and I laugh.
“Dad, she blamed me for it,” I remind him. “She called you on the phone while I was there and blamed me for it.”
“Your mother is going to make herself sick over this,” he snaps at me.
“That again is not my fault. I did nothing wrong but show up to my”—my house goes louder—“house and catch them, again, fucking in my bed. How would you handle that, Dad, if the roles were reversed, and it was you who caught Mom in bed with someone else?”
“Okay,” he finally gives in, “I get it.”
“No, you don’t,” I say, frustrated. “I don’t think anyone gets it.” I take a deep breath in. “Listen, I have to go. I have a meeting with my lawyer this morning and then we have to go to mediation.”
“Think about what I said,” he urges, and I close my eyes.
“Dad, I love you. Love you to the moon. Wouldn’t want another father except you. Made sure everything I did in my life I did to make you proud.” I trail off. “But I can think on what you said until the cows come home, and it’ll be the same answer.” I exhale. “I’m sorry.”
“Call me later, let me know how things go at the lawyer’s,” he says, his voice filled with sadness.
“I will,” I tell him and I hang up the phone.
The minute I do, I see two texts have come in while I was on the phone; the first one was from Josephine.
Josephine:
I’ll see you later, at one. Do you want to have coffee after?
I think about answering her “fuck no” but if the kids see it then it’ll look bad on me, so instead I ignore it.
The next text is a thread I have going with Jaxon and Kirby. The two of them have been the saving grace in all of this. They have messaged me every single day since it happened, making sure I was okay. I’ve even been added to the off-ice workouts they do. I’m in the best shape of my life, but that’s because I’m always in the gym, trying not to think of the clusterfuck my life has become.
Jaxon:
Back to work tomorrow, boys, bring your A game.
Kirby:
The A game is always brought.
Me:
I’ll send you a couple of plays you fucked up this summer.
Kirby:
Go fuck yourself.
I can’t help but laugh at his last parting line. I toss the phone to the side and then get up and get my ass in gear. “Hopefully, this is the last time we have to do this mediation bullshit.”
three
Knox
I pull up to the mediation appointment and park my SUV far away from the door. Not wanting to be close and taking the chance of Josephine parking next to me. I get out and put my phone in my back pocket, running my hands through my hair as I walk to the door and pull it open, the cold air hitting me right away.
I bypass the security at the desk, who nods at me, before walking to the elevator and, of course, I see Josephine standing there. She looks over at me and a smile fills her face. I see she’s changed from the skirt she had on before. She’s more formal now, with a black skirt that goes to her knees and a black silk tank top tucked in. “Knox,” she says with a smile.
“I’m going to take the stairs.” I turn around, not bothering to look back when she calls my name again. I would rather gouge my eyeballs with a branding iron than get in the elevator with her. This is the second mediation appointment and even with the first one, when we walked out, I opted to take the stairs instead of getting in the elevator with her. I push open the door to the stairs and start taking them two at a time, all the way to the eighth floor.