Wife by Design
She pictured the slim man her husband had moved in with after he and Lynn had divorced. This past year, when California’s ban on gay marriage had been lifted again, they’d gotten married.
Douglas was sweet. Gentle. Well dressed, quiet spoken. And a successful stockbroker. He’d always been kind to her and respectful of her place in Brandon’s life. Not just as the mother of his child, but as his best friend, too.
“What can I do?”
“I want to bring Kara here for the weekend.”
Her heart lurched. He had every legal right to do so. By law, Brandon had Kara every other weekend and one night during the week. Except that he’d moved upstate to San Francisco and the midweek arrangement hadn’t worked after that.
He’d never missed one of his weekends with Kara. Every other Saturday he flew down, either with Douglas or alone, and spent the day with her.
Because that’s how Lynn had wanted it. Brandon here in Santa Raquel, not Kara up in San Francisco.
She wanted to say no to his favor. To scream it at him.
But Brandon was Kara’s father. And a great dad.
He was also still a loyal and true friend to her.
“I’ll see what I can arrange here to be able to get away and fly with her.” Kara had never spent the night at her father’s house.
Lynn had never spent the night without her little girl.
“I’ll fly down to get her,” Brandon said. “I’m not going to put you out, Lynnie. Douglas’s mom is going to stay with him Saturday morning and again Sunday afternoon while I get her back to you. She’d stay with him all weekend, if we needed her to, but I don’t want to leave him. And he misses Kara. He didn’t get to see her last time.”
“And it’s time that you have her in your home some, too.”
“We’ve had a room ready for her since we bought this place,” he reminded her.
“I know.”
“I bought the same exact bed she has at home.”
“I remember.”
“It’ll just be for one night.”
“I’ll be fine, Bran. I’m not a piece of china, you know.”
“You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, Lynnie. You’ve got way more backbone than I do.”
“That’s utter nonsense.”
“I just hate hurting you and it seems like that’s all I do anymore. I miss the days when I was a blessing in your life.”
She wasn’t going to cry. It was just allergies.
“You’re still a blessing in my life,” she told him. And meant it. The world would be a darker place if Brandon wasn’t out there.
“If I’d known I was gay, I’d never have asked you to marry me,” he told her, something he’d said many times before.
“I know.”
“I feel so responsible. So guilty and stupid for not recognizing…”
She didn’t blame Brandon. Or herself, either. Logically, medically, she understood that he couldn’t help being attracted to men. And in her heart of hearts, she still felt shocked and betrayed.
Not because Brandon was gay. But because she’d thought she’d known him so completely…had trusted that she knew him as well as she knew herself…because she’d trusted that he’d always be faithful to her. Always want her.
Because he’d been her husband and he’d left her.
“Tell Douglas I said hello,” she said, keeping her voice light in spite of the heaviness inside her. “And that I’m glad he’s okay.”
“That will mean a lot to him.”
“I mean it.”
“I know you do.”
“Okay, well, call me as soon as you have your flights arranged.”
“I will. Good night, Lynnie.”
“’Night.”
She’d pulled the phone away from her ear, looking for the end call button in the darkness when she heard, “I love you.”
She pushed to end the call.
* * *
“ARE WE GOING home now?” Darin asked once the brothers were back in Grant’s truck after sharing a steak dinner at their favorite place on the main strip in town by the beach. “You missed our turn,” the forty-four-year-old man-child continued, swiveling in his seat to look at the intersection they’d just passed.