Unexpected

Facing the Past

Tom booked the next plane out and brought the twins with. I was excited to see my family, but Tom's face seemed to be annoyed. He was pushing the twins in the stroller that my mother had bought for us. I haven't seen him wear a suit in a while. I almost forgot how handsome he looked in a suit. He was wearing my favorite one, the soft blue with his white open button down shirt. It's similar to the first one he wore when we first met.

"Hi, darling. How was the the flight?" I hug and kissed his cheek. I bend down and kiss my kids, who are knocked out for their afternoon nap.

"The kids had a rough flight at first, but they did great actually. They will probably wake up soon though. When do we have to meet that bastard?"

"I know you are still annoyed, but please not around the kids, love."

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, darling."

"We have to be at the prison in an hour. Sebastian and Anthony are coming too. They want to make sure, you don't lose it and extra protection."

"Who's going to be watching the kids then?"

"Maggie and Evans offered. Anthony called them."

"No. They will not be watching them."

"Darling, I know we have had some rough history, but come on. They can watch our kids."

"After what happened, I don't want you or our kids around them."

I'm getting annoyed at this point. "Them? Maggie is still my best friend. She's been by my side for ten years. Chris and I are not even friends anymore. When did we decide this as a couple? It seems like you made that choice for both of us. I'm not this fragile piece of glass you have to watch out for. I'm not going to break, but the tighter you hold me, the larger the possibility I might break." Your chest is beating fast and you can see you hurt Tom.

"Darling? I didn't know that's how I making you feel."

"Well now you know. I almost lost you and I almost died. We are still here through Tom. We need to stop living in the past. I think it's best if I face David alone without you, Sebastian, or Anthony. I need to do this by myself."

"Darling? No, I should go with you. I trust you and you can clearly stand up for yourself, but I don't trust him."

I rummage through your purse for an extra hotel room key. "Take the twins to the hotel room. I'm going to face this prick and then we need to talk. You are just going to have to trust me."

"Fine, but I don't like this. And yes, we definitely need to talk."

Sebastian interrupts, "I think maybe I should still take the kids tonight at least. You all need some time to yourselves. The kids shouldn't have to hear you all yell and have this conversation."

I look at Tom and we both nod in agreement. "Thank you, Sebastian. I need to get going to the prison." I grab Tom's hand and look into his blue eyes, I can tell I hurt him. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I love you. I will see you later."

"I love you too, darling. Please be careful."

Anthony drives me to the prison and stays out in the car, so then I had a mutual third party. As I stare out the window to a life I once knew, Anthony turns his head and grabs my hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I shouldn't. I just want Tom and I to go back to the way were."

"You two got married, had babies, and both almost died. That would change a couple."

"I feel like I'm suffocating."

Anthony squeezes my hand and we drove to the prison in silence. The gates were high with barb wire. The bricks were white as the gates opened, they creaked. I almost couldn't focus on what the guards were asking me. They searched my bag and me. I was numb. They escorted me into a room with David. His black hair has grown thicker and longer. His blue eyes look more sincere this time, then insane.

A smile appears across his face, "Hi baby. Thank you for coming."

I roll my eyes, grab the chair aggressively, sit down, and cross my arms. "Talk, what do you want David?"

"They finally got me on the right meds. And I have my mind straight. As much as I want what we had back, I know it won't happen. I'm sorry for kidnapping you and almost killing you. I didn't want to put you through a trial."

"Then why did you make this a condition of the plea deal? And not just take the 15 years?"

"I wanted to make sure I could see you either way to say sorry. I wanted to look you in the eye and say sorry for what I did. It's what I needed-"

"It's what you needed? What about what I needed David? I needed you not to cheat me. To love me. To leave me alone gracefully. To not kidnap me. To not almost kill. I needed you to leave me the fuck alone. If that's all you need, then we are done. Enjoy your cell. Do not ever reach out again." As I leave the room, I walk out fiercely, and I can hear David crying. Part of me felt empowered, but another part felt bad he was crying...