One Last Time(6)

“I’m beat,” I say as I collapse onto the couch. Nicole is the only one still here.

“Me, too.”

I rest my hand on her leg and wait for her to look at me. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Nicole covers my hand with hers. “It’s what we do.”

It really is. Whenever disaster strikes in any of our lives, we don’t hesitate to jump to aid whoever is in trouble.

“I’d like it if we didn’t have to do this again,” I remark.

“If you’d all just stay single like me, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

I just laugh. There aren’t many people I know who are built like she is. She lives by her own set of rules, which is something I’ve always admired. No matter what people think about her, she does what she wants. I’m the opposite.

I was expected to get married by twenty-five, so I did. My mother believed you spent the first three years of your marriage building a strong foundation, so we waited to have kids. Then, a mother stays home and raises her babies.

Someone left out the part about what I am expected to do when the foundation has cracks and ends up crumbling.

“I liked being married. I can remember waiting for him to come home because I missed him all day,” I tell her.

She shifts and props her head on her hand. “It’s been years of him mistreating you, Kris. I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t think you’d hear me anyway, but it was uncomfortable to watch. You and Heather are the best ones of the four of us. You guys have these big ass hearts, but you’ve let men trample them.”

“Scott isn’t like Matt,” I defend a little. Matt was a piece of shit for what he did to Heather. They were married barely a year before he walked out on her. Scott and I were together for almost seventeen years between dating to now. “He wasn’t always bad. That’s what makes it so hard.”

She sighs. “No, but he wasn’t great, either. You can’t tell me he wasn’t emotionally abusive.”

“Stop,” I request. I don’t want to talk about it or be reminded of how much I hate myself for accepting it.

“I’m not judging you.” Nicole grabs my hand. “I’m really not. I get it, he was your husband, but watching you drift away was hard.” A tear descends across my cheek, and Nicole pulls me into her arms. “I’m not happy this is how it turned out. We all hoped he’d get his head out of his ass and fix his shit.”

“I did, too.” I lean back and nod. I know she isn’t judging me, just as I never judge my girls for things they choose.

“You’re going to get through this,” Nicole promises.

I know she’s right. She has to be. There is no other choice. I have two kids who need me. Motherhood is filled with doing things for the sake of the children, even if you don’t want to do it. I’d love to lie in bed and eat nothing but junk food until my emotions are sated, but I can’t. Besides, I’m not sure if I’m sad about losing him or sad that I wasn’t able to see past the hope I clung to.

“Thanks to you guys, I will be. He’s an asshole, and I’m ready to move on.”

“That’s it!” Nicole slaps my leg. “Asshole be gone.”

She rests her head on the back of the couch and yawns.

“You look beat. Do you want to stay the night?” I ask.

“Listen,” she grabs her glass of wine. “I know you guys think I’m kinky, but I like men in my threesomes, not vaginas. I’d do you, but . . . I’d need more wine.”

I burst out laughing and slap her arm. “You’re such an idiot.”

“I made you laugh.”

“That you did.”

Nicole covers herself with the throw blanket behind her and we laugh like old times. She tells me all about the new contracts she’s working on. Of course, she tells me about the new guy she’s sleeping with, too. I don’t know how she does it, but good for her. She’s happy, even if her love life is ridiculous. As she talks, I let myself forget that I’m spending the first night in my new house single and alone.





Chapter Three





Kristin





“Let’s go!” I yell to the kids as I stand at the door.

“I can’t find my shoes!” Aubrey yells back, and I groan.

It’s my first day back to work, and I’m going to be late. Finn finally comes out with his headphones on and the phone glued to his hand. He doesn’t acknowledge me, but I don’t care this time. He’s moving to the car, which is all that matters.

I look at my watch and tap my foot. “Aubrey! Come on, honey! Just put anything on your feet! I don’t care if they match.”

She comes running, and her blonde hair is already falling out of her ponytail, but I don’t have time to fix it. “Sorry, Mommy.”

“It’s fine, baby. Mommy can’t be late, so let’s move it, okay?” I usher her out and lock the door behind me.

Once everyone is in their seat and buckled, we head to the babysitter—also known as Aunt Danielle. I can’t afford to pay someone since my starting pay at Celebaholic isn’t great, but having Eli make a call on my behalf definitely helped in getting a little more than what they originally offered.