Waves

Part 53

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! This is a long one but me thinks you guys will enjoy this chapter...

The second Joe hung up, he felt a thud of regret hit him. While he'd wanted to bring up the proposition he'd presented to Eve before she left, that was not how he wanted to do it, and now he was worried that he'd planted seeds of doubt about their relationship. He sat processing for a few minutes, debating whether he should call her back even though he knew she was with students, but was snapped out of his fog by the sounds of Sam and Clara in the pool.

Perhaps it was the awkward position he was in, or the fact he'd just potentially blown things up with his own girlfriend, but their jovial banter was grating, and Joe felt his jaw clench with every squeal. Walking over to the pool, he barked at Sam that he was leaving. "What the hell? You just got here. I haven't even turned the grill on," Sam said. "I've got some errands to run before I meet Andrea. Besides, you two don't seem to need me to entertain you," Joe mumbled, glaring inadvertently at Clara.

Once back in his car, Joe rested his head in his hands, mentally berating himself for how badly he'd botched the conversation with Eve. Even when they were younger and in the early stages of their relationship, he hated when they'd fight or disagree; Eve always shutting down and acquiescing to whatever his whim was for years until one day, she was gone. Now he wondered if he'd pushed too hard or crossed a line that couldn't be overcome. Worst yet, would she agree to move in only to be miserable because he wanted it?

"Damnit Burrow," Joe huffed, checking the time on his phone. He had an hour before he was supposed to meet Andrea for dinner but he didn't want to go home, instead opting to head to her physical therapy appointment that he knew she was at.

They had started having weekly dinners a few days after Eve left, and occasionally he'd take her to one of her appointments, which is why the receptionist at the facility blushed deeply when Joe strolled in and waved at her.

Andrea had been through hell since the attack, and the work she'd put in to regain her mobility was astonishing. Joe quietly slipped into the treatment room and sat down, smiling as he watched Andrea, strapped up in a Catapult vest, slowly jog on a treadmill in the middle of the room.

"All we gotta do is work on your pass blocking and maybe you could make the practice squad as a tight end," Joe joked, surprising both Andrea and her therapist. "Oh sweetheart. We both know the Bengals don't have a single damn tight end that can block. I'll fit right in," Andrea winked.

Within 20 minutes, Andrea's therapist was heading to his office and she motioned to the showers, quickly returning moments later with damp curls dancing around her shoulders. "You're doing so well. I can't believe you're already jogging," Joe marveled, pulling Andrea in for a long hug. "I gotta keep chugging along. This is the last step in my rehab," she replied.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You don't need to rush to ditch the cane. Heck, even if you need the walker, you should use it," Joe offered, opening the door to his car and helping her in. "I'm not using that damn walker. If you ever see me with that contraption again, call the undertaker and let me go home to the Lord," Andrea muttered, drawing a chuckle from Joe.

While some men would loathe the idea of spending time with their partner's mother, Joe and Andrea had a deep connection to one another. For Joe, Andrea was like a second mom to him; someone he had always been able to turn to in times of uncertainty or when he was worried his own mother was being too delicate with him. It was why he felt sick to his stomach sitting across from her at dinner knowing that he'd just upset Eve, the secret eating away at him.

"Have you spoken to Eve today? She mentioned that she's hosting study groups now. Sounds like the students are really taken with her," Joe said. "She didn't mention that to me. She called me briefly right before rehab and told me that you'd indicated she needed to give you an answer about moving in or you'd break up with her," Andrea replied, causing Joe to choke on his drink