“I’m sure the early years were different,” I say to console him. I should be happy that the perfect Tessa doesn’t exist anymore, but I’m not. It hurts to see Thomas in pain. No one deserves to have their partner cheat on them.
“What I find frustrating is that you can’t confront Tessa,” I tell him.
He chuckles. “I’ve tried, but she doesn’t respond.”
I visualize Thomas ranting in his house and then waiting for Tessa to respond, and I chuckle too.
“I’m really sorry,” I tell him as we’re walking back to his place.
“I’m sorry for neglecting you lately,” Thomas says. “And thank you for coming. There’s no one else I can tell that story to. It would feel like I was soiling Tessa’s memory. It’s enough that I know.”
When we’re back at the house, Thomas takes my hand. “Do you want to come in for dinner? I’d just finished cooking when you came.”
My heart leaps. I’m not ready to part company with him. I missed him so much that being with him now feels like a Christmas gift.
“Yes, please, I’m starving.”
I help with setting the table while he serves the food onto plates and carries them over.
We chat about the baby over dinner, and though Thomas’s interest is like that of a good friend, I don’t let it get to me. He has a lot to deal with at the moment without me adding to his grief.
After dinner, we clean up and hang out a bit, watching TV, and it comes naturally for me to spend the night. We don’t have sex that night. Instead, I fall asleep in Thomas’s arms.
***
“I’m thinking of quitting my job at the fertility clinic,” Thomas says over breakfast the following morning.
I recall that he’d taken that job as a way of assuaging his guilt because he hadn’t granted Tessa her wish to have a baby. But leaving the job seems so extreme, though it’s not my place to discourage him. He is the only one who knows how he feels.
“There’s an opening in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the hospital. I might apply for that,” he says thoughtfully.
“You enjoyed working at the hospital,” I tell him.
He smiles, causing female flusters in me. “I did. It was nice to deal with a myriad of problems, not just fertility issues.”
“You’ll get it.”
“Thanks for the confidence, however misplaced it is. The competition is going to be tight,” Thomas says.
We don’t revisit the topic of Tessa’s infidelity again, but Thomas looks a lot better. It’s a nice morning as we discuss his future and get ready for the day.
At nine, he walks me to my car, and after a passionate kiss, I drive off with a wave. I can’t help the wide smile that comes over me.
Chapter 24
Thomas
“We’re going to miss you around here,” Dr. Bradley says.
It’s my last day at work, and all morning, my colleagues have been streaming into my office to wish me all the best for the future. I know I made the right decision. I feel at peace and excited for the future.
I applied for the opening at the hospital. I haven’t heard anything yet, but I’m not worried about that. I can afford not to work for an indefinite period with my savings and investments, though I’m sure that it won’t be for long. My qualifications and experience are sought after in the marketplace.
I’m looking forward to a breather. I can’t remember being free and waking up to an empty calendar. Cora and I are going out for dinner to celebrate. That’s going to be fun. Cora’s company is always nice. More than nice, to be honest. She and I have grown closer than I could have imagined, and for an inexplicable reason, I don’t have an urge to flee.
“I’ll miss you guys too,” I say and look around my office with nostalgia.
I’ve been thinking of this place as somewhere I’ve wasted my time, but that could not be farther from the truth. The experience I’ll take with me is invaluable. It dawns on me that had I not been working at the fertility clinic, Cora and I would not have reconnected. My chest squeezes at that thought.
By five, I’m just about ready to leave. It’s emotional saying goodbye to Brenda, and we hug for the first and last time. It takes me two trips to my car to carry everything, and when I finally drive away, all I feel is relief that I can move on with my life.
I haven’t told anyone else about Tessa, and I don’t plan to. I’d considered calling Chad for all of five minutes and then realized it was a horrible idea. It would be like rubbing salt into a fresh wound. He would not help with my healing process. Plus, I didn’t want to see his face. All he is in my mind is a shadow, and it’s better it remains like that.