Home For The Holidays

“Deidre!”

“What do you want?” She didn’t even turn around to look at me. It’s as if she was expecting me to come to her.

“Just to talk.”

“It’s too late for that.” She stepped away from the door so that the others wouldn’t hear us.

“I know, please hear me out. I won’t ask you to take me back, but I want… I want to get to know the girls.” The look she gave me was nothing like the way she used to look at me before. There was hate, anger, and disappointment in the look she gave me. “Outside.” She gritted the word through her teeth and headed for the door.

We were going to stay on the porch, but then a group of men started heading up the walkway, and we headed around back. ‘Talk!” She folded her arms and refused to look at me, and I could all but see the steam coming out her ears. “I know my apology is way late. I know I fucked up royally, but please hear me out.”

“I’m listening; make it quick.”

“She showed me these pictures of you in bed with some guy.”

“What, what are you talking about? What pictures?” She seemed to have lost some of that starch from her back at my words and looked at me with confusion. It was just as I thought; she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled through the file. I kept there, scrolling through the images until I came to the ones I was looking for. I showed her the pictures in question, and she took her time looking them over.

“Oh damn, what a diabolical bitch. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew my body was going to change, and I got this idea to take some sexy pics for you. I told her as my friend, and she suggested a photographer friend of hers. Now so much makes sense about that time.”

“What do you mean?”

“The photographer used to say some things I found strange, things that made it seem like Tessa was more involved. I brushed it off, thinking that it was because she was the one to introduce us. I don’t even know who that is in the picture.”

The man’s face wasn’t showing since he had it buried in her neck. “So tell me, if someone blindsided you with pictures like these of me out of left field, someone you trusted as my friend, how would you react?”

“I want to say that you’re an idiot, that you should’ve trusted and believed in me, but I guess I can see why you’d believe this. Still, that doesn’t excuse you sleeping with her.”

“I did it to get back at you because I was hurt. I haven’t slept with her in more than a year and a half.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true. At first, it was easy; my anger at you made it very easy. But once the anger began to fade, the fuel was no longer there. I knew it wasn’t something wrong with me, my morning wood was still there, and sometimes thoughts of you and I and what we once shared would… Anyway, once I realized that it was her, that I didn’t want her, not at all, and didn’t want anyone else either, I started doubting myself.”

“I also realized once the anger was gone that I never stopped loving you, not even a little bit. The love just got caught up in the anger and betrayal. Once I got my head on straight, I started thinking about the girl I knew and loved. That you’d never have done those things. So I started digging. I was close to piecing it all together, but I still don’t have a reason why. Why would she do this to us?”

“I don’t have an answer for you. She was my friend, or at least I thought so. As for you and me, there’s too much water under the bridge. I can’t forget how easily you threw me away.” I opened my mouth to refute that, but she held up her hand and cut me off.

“I will take into consideration what you told me, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Thanks for that. May I ask, can I come see the girls sometimes?”

“They’re your kids Thomas; I never stopped you from seeing them.

“What about the birth certificate? How do I add my name?”

She looked at me for the longest while without saying a word. “Your name has always been there.”

“But I thought I had to sign.”

“Talk to your dad about that.” Wow, it seems like my family had had my back this whole time, even when I was too dumb to see what was right in front of me.

“Thank you, and thank you for them. They’re beautiful. I promise to make this up to the three of you...” I wanted to reach out and touch her so badly, but before I could put thought into action, there was a loud screech coming from the side of the house.