The only information the investigators dug up was from before he went missing. There were pictures of him going in and out of nightclubs almost daily. I’d seen footage from one of them. A woman had been all over him, trying to get his attention. I only watched for a few seconds before I turned and left the room, not needing to see all that bullshit.
The man in those pictures and video is nothing like the man I knew. No wonder he kept that part of his life hidden from me. He was living a double life. I was the woman he wanted to come home to but then he wanted to go out and party it up. That included taking women back to random hotels. Thinking of him with someone else makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I place my hand on my stomach. My sister Kennedy sent a plane for me. I had called her upset and she didn’t hesitate to get me back home.
I fall back onto my bed. I've been staying with my sister and Gerrit since I got back. As much as he tells me to make myself at home, I know I’ve got to find a place. I’d rather punch myself in the face than go back to my parents. Not that Kennedy would even let me. That doesn’t mean that I don’t feel guilty about crashing here. They are newlyweds and need their space.
Kennedy comes bouncing into my room. I didn’t know how happy she could be until Gerrit came along. He’s lifted so many burdens off her shoulders. Giving her the freedom to be herself.
“We’re both having babies together.” She jumps up on my bed, making me laugh before she plops down next to me.
“Evelyn is coming over. Thought I’d give you a heads-up.” She is always talking Luke up to me. She has this dream idea of us being together. Although I love Gerrit and Luke's mom, seeing her today isn’t something I think I can handle without bursting into tears. My emotions are all over the place with these pregnancy hormones.
“Thanks. I’m actually going out to lunch with John.”
“It’s so weird that you still talk to your ex. Can you imagine Gerrit if I told him that I was going to go out to lunch with an ex?” We both start laughing, knowing that Gerrit would never let that happen.
“Well, I’m single and can do whatever I like.”
“But you also have Luke’s baby inside of you.”
“He’d know that if he was around.” I stand up. “To him I’m only good for a fuck. He shows up, fucks my brains out, and then he goes off again. He says it’s because he’s working. Yeah. All those pictures look like he was working real hard.” Kennedy sits up on the side of the bed.
“It’s not a date. He opened up a new restaurant and wants me to come by and check it out and try some of the food.”
“If you say so.” She gets up from my bed and leaves the room. I change into a sweater and a pair of jeans that still fit. They are a little snug, but it works. I make it out of my sister's place in the nick of time before Evelyn shows up.
She’s been all over Kennedy with her being knocked up. She’s so excited for her first grandchild. She is going to explode with excitement when she finds out a second one is on the way.
I feel guilty not telling her, but the only person who does know is my sister. I’m guessing Gerrit knows too with how close they are. He hasn’t brought it up to me, which I really appreciate. I wouldn’t care if she told him, I respect the fact that they don’t keep anything from each other.
I take a short cab ride to John's new restaurant. He was always married to his job. We went on a few dates, and there was no spark, but we were able to maintain a friendship. I was never the type that wanted to come second to the man I end up marrying.
“You’re going to love this,” he tells me as I enter the restaurant. He wraps me in a hug before dropping a kiss on my cheek. When he pulls back, he gives me a once over. “Something has changed.”
“Same old me,” I lie. I’m just growing another human inside me. Nothing to see here.
“Come on. I want you to try some things.” It looks as though the restaurant just opened and only a few people are here. It is early afternoon. “Here.” He pulls a chair out for me as he motions to someone. John takes the seat next to mine as a server brings out a tray and starts to load our table with food.