The Space In Between(59)

I shook my head. “She won’t let me in.”
“Anders will never say it…but she’s like her mom in so many ways. She’s not as dramatic as Betty, but she is as passionate. Stubborn like no other. And I’m sure she said some awful things to you.”
“I deserved it,” I promised. I couldn’t imagine what was going through Andrea’s head with not only a pregnancy scare, but also dealing with the paparazzi, the tabloids, Derrick. I was surprised she wasn’t completely insane yet.
“If she’s as much like her mother as I believe, you didn’t.”
Biting the tip of my thumb, I sat back in the chair, wondering what to do next. “I’ve never dealt with something like this. Someone like her.”
Walter nodded in understanding and sat back in his chair. Picking up his ship in the bottle, he held it out to me. I took it, studying it as he spoke to me. “The time and commitment it took to make this was excruciating. I’d almost completed the ship. Then with one mistake, one quick movement, the sail fell over. But I didn’t give up—I tried again. And now we have a complete ship that is ready to sail. I’m so glad I took the time to fix it.”
“How do I fix something that doesn’t want to be anywhere near me?” I asked.
His crooked smile and kind eyes paired well with his soft tone. “I’m not saying it will be easy, and I’m not saying it will happen overnight. Whatever demons eating at her have to be dealt with. But if you care for her as much as I think you do…you’ll do anything. Even if that means loving her from a distance.”
Another secret from Walter Evans. Not a secret to a successful marriage—yet more of a secret to holding on to an Evans female.





“WHY WON’T YOU stop? Can’t you tell it’s over?” she hissed as she turned to see me standing in her doorway. She was packing her bags to escape again. I stepped into the room and approached her. “Cooper, I’m serious,” she warned, dropping a few t-shirts into her luggage.
I didn’t say a word. The closer I stepped, the more she tensed up. I reached out for her and she shoved me away. Hard. I stepped closer. “Panda!” she hollered, pushing me again. Her face was angry, but her eyes were dry. There were no tears to be found. She started swatting at me, kicking, screaming for me to go away. She screamed panda over and over. I didn’t leave.
I pulled her into a tight hug and held her close to me. I could feel her body trying to revolt. Trying to yank itself away from me and her hands slapping me hard against my chest, but I didn’t care. The hits became fewer in frequency, and the screams got quieter. She began to sob. Her body trembled in my arms as her legs gave out and she slid to the floor. I glided her down, not letting her go.
“Panda…” she whispered, tears unable to stop themselves from falling. I held on tighter as she wrapped her arms and legs around me.
“I know…Panda, I know…” I spoke softly against her ear as I felt her pulling on my shirt, holding me even closer as she cried.
It wasn’t long before I noticed Ladasha and Eric standing in the doorway, watching their loved one fall apart. I nodded them in, and they slowly entered. I released my grip from Andrea and replaced it with the arms of her best friend and brother. They covered her with their love as I stood up and walked towards the doorframe. Andrea’s eyes looked up, blue as ever, and locked with mine. We both knew it would be a long while before we saw each other again.
I understood what Walter was telling me. Knowing when to step away, and knowing how to say goodbye. I had to trust my gut. And right now, my gut was telling me Andrea didn’t need me around her to bring more confusion into her life. My heart was breaking as I tore away my eye contact with her and left to the sounds of her tears. But I didn’t care about my heart. I cared about hers having the time to heal.
And to tell the truth, I hadn’t given myself the time to let my heart heal—from my parents, the miscarriages, from the cheating, the failed marriage.
We could both take the time to heal our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Together.
From a distance.



Chapter Thirty-Nine

HE WAS GONE. Waking up the next morning and knowing he wouldn’t be there stung me. Waking up the next week and Cooper still not being there was almost unbearable. Christmas came. New Years went. And I kept myself busy. Eric kept up his word that he would help with paying for our apartment in New York while I pulled myself together in Wisconsin.
I told him that he didn’t have to, but he informed me that Michelle had insisted. She went out of her way to allow Eric, Ladasha, and I to stay at the mansion while I collected myself. I secretly thought it was because she still had a semi-crush on Ladasha. Who could blame her? My best friend was beautiful. Smart. Funny.
After I scolded my mom for the way she treated Ladasha, she realized how much of a disappointment she had been.
“Andrea Mae…I…” Her head lowered as I sat on my parents’ living room couch, Ladasha next to me. My mom turned to my friend, “Ladasha Marie. I am so sorry for the way I have treated you.”
Ladasha smiled, revealing her dimples and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s all right, Mrs. Evans. I’ve come to learn that people treat you the way you allow yourself to be treated. I should have stood up for myself.”
Mom placed her hand on Dasha’s knee and shook her head. “You should have never had to. And Anders has told me how good you have been to her. Watching after her. I want you to know, if you ever need anything…know that my family welcomes you with open arms.”