she didn’t call Michael. We went to San Diego. Yes, I made sure Pamela knew where we’d be so she could call her sons, but she didn’t.” He took a breath. “My family has been shaking their heads for years... For the most part everyone in my family has had decent marriages. Happy marriages. I’m the only one who never figured it out.”
“My sister and Chip are happy,” she said with a sniff. “But my poor mom... My dad just disappeared, leaving her to handle it all...”
“My parents were always happy as far as I remember. Lauren, I can’t tell you the recipe. But I didn’t give up early.”
“She was so heartbroken,” Lauren said. “I would never do that to anyone. I would never get in another woman’s territory.”
“You didn’t,” he said. He touched her cheek. “What’s really wrong?” he asked.
“What if I’m wrong?” she said. “What if we’re both wrong?”
“Wrong?” he asked, frowning. “Are you afraid I’m lying to you?”
“My husband lied about everything,” she said. “And your wife was so shattered!”
“Lauren, you knew he was lying,” Beau said. “You’ll know if I’m lying. You have time, Lauren. You have time to learn me, I have time to learn you. No one’s going to get backed into a corner.”
“I would never want to hurt anyone,” she said.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” he said. “And you didn’t hurt Pamela. She’s been making bad choices for so long. Trying to come back to our marriage would just be one more.”
“She won’t ever let you go,” she said.
“The doctor might not let you go, either. We might be stuck with them for a long time. So, let’s do this. I’ve already let Pamela go. You do what you have to do.”
“Oh God,” she said, leaning against him. “She’s so beautiful.”
Beau held her. “She was actually prettier when I met her,” he said. “She’s changed a lot in her appearance. She’s enhanced some body parts, reduced others. She’s very pretty, but the girl I knew was less perfect and much more real. Pam has always had an issue with wanting more. She’s never been happy with what she has.”
“You said you had no regrets,” she reminded him.
“None,” he said. “It wasn’t always easy but it was worth it. I can honestly say the boys grew up in the best home I could provide. Not a flawless home. But we did all right.” He looked into her eyes. “I never left them.”
“I got a little worked up,” she said. “I’d just met your family and this poor, shattered woman...”
“It’s okay. It’s better than okay. You have questions and you should have them. You’d be crazy to get yourself in another abusive situation. So would I. But it’s going to be all right because we have lots of time to figure each other out. We’re not in a hurry because our clocks are ticking, are we?”
“Funny,” she said with a huff of laughter.
He wrapped his arms around her. “I figured this holiday period could be a little sketchy. Unpredictable. And we haven’t even heard from the doctor yet. He could weigh in at any time. You still have that bat handy, right?”
She shuddered.
“I’m willing to just soldier on, take it one day at a time, get to the other side of all this bullshit. I don’t want a lot, Lauren. I just want to enjoy life with someone who cares about me while I enjoy caring about her. Nothing fancy or complicated. Some balance and a little compromise.” He kissed her cheek. “Everything is going to be okay. I hope.”
She sighed. “I’m kind of glad in a perverse way that your ex-wife showed up and went a little crazy. Brad must be hopping mad by now. Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant with his mean old mother. I’m surprised he didn’t burn my house down.”
Beau was quiet for a moment. “You don’t smell smoke, do you?”
“All the years I contemplated this—divorcing him and getting on with my life—I never pictured it would be like this. I never thought he’d hurt me so badly. I never thought I’d fall for a man running from a crazy wife. Can we last through all this?”
“I know I’m doing the right thing and I believe in you,” he said. “I’m not going to lie to you about anything. If you lie to yourself, I can’t help you with that. If it doesn’t feel right, you have to make the move.”
“And will you? If it’s not perfect for you, will you tell