he pressed the button to start the car then took his phone out of his jacket pocket.
He stared at the alert on his screen.
Mia 10:19 PM
My response
His finger hovered over the message. This was it. Her answer was in this message. His future would be determined by this email. And he was scared. What if this was it? What if she couldn’t get past all the hurt they’d caused each other? He didn’t want to face that he might have to spend the rest of his life without her. But he needed to know. He couldn’t go on like this—this weird limbo he’d been in the past year. So he opened her message and read away.
Hi - I’m sitting in the family room, watching your game. You’re looking good, Mr. Christopher. I foresee another fantastic season for you.
It’s so weird not being there, cheering you on. I found myself rereading all your texts and emails the past couple months and that got me thinking … it’s time to finally reply to all your messages.
It’s been so nice to see our past through your eyes. It showed me things I never knew. I should have known these things. I should have known how you felt about Todd, about how I was acting. I should have told you how I was feeling about the miscarriage and trying for another child.
Our communication has been shit. I don’t know about you, but this whole experience has taught me that if we stand a chance, we have to be more open with one another. No more secrets. Well, unless you’re trying to surprise me with a new car or something like that. Those kind of secrets are quite fine by me. And I expect many like that in the future. ;)
Speaking of … here’s me being more open.
2422
If you haven’t guessed, that’s the code to my storage room. I realized the weekend of my birthday party that I never really shared that time of my life with you. We were so focused on my past with my parents and getting past that, that this wonderful part of my life was left unshared with you. I think I was a little nervous to do so because during that time I did a lot of drugs and for a while I didn’t want to bring that up with you. But as you saw that weekend, it wasn’t all bad—I need to remember that. I also realized that with giving you access to that room that there will be more embarrassing moments, but I don’t care. That room is my storage vault for my brain—my external hard drive (how geeky is that?) It’s just not my music—it’s so much more.
Now I’ve been rambling. God, I can’t believe how nervous I am and I’m not even with you. Anyway, I have something to share. A secret. I haven’t had it long—a little over two months. I was going to tell you when I got home from Europe, but that didn’t happen—obviously.
But, before I share that with you, I need to tell you something else. Something very important.
I forgive you, Ethan.
I want my husband back. I want my family together. I want to move forward, continue our life—together. I’m so tired of being apart from you.
I need you. I need us.
Okay. With that being said—the secret.
All will be revealed once you open the picture.
So dramatic. :-P
[1 attachment]
He touched the attachment and waited while it downloaded and then opened. His hand went to his mouth as he stared at the picture—a collage of pictures of her ever-growing belly, the last picture the ultrasound of a baby. She had labeled each little picture, starting at seven and stopping at sixteen. All this time, she’s been pregnant. He started to cry even harder. She was almost four months along now. Almost half her pregnancy he had missed. This was what she and Luke were talking about at her birthday party! He understood why she didn’t say anything. She needed him to tell her things that he probably wouldn’t have if he’d known she was pregnant so he wouldn’t upset her. He would have been overbearing and she’d needed to think. She couldn’t do that with him there.
God! His head fell back as he realized that the night she came back from her European tour, she’d been pregnant. He had been so rough with her. He’d had so much anger at himself for what he did with Kristen and at Mia. He’d been mad