Dancing to the Truth (The Brent Trilogy 3)

Chapter 19

I spent the next four days taking the kids to school and picking them up, working, working out, and cleaning the mess that we always seem to accumulate. When Friday came, I was feeling deflated about having to take the kids back to Whitney's because at least when they were here, I had an excuse not to think about the entire conversation with William and Whitney.

I must've been distracted getting all of their stuff ready before driving them to their mom's because Isabelle came up to me and grabbed my hand.

"Are you sad, daddy?" she asked, her green eyes full of concern.

"No, baby, daddy's not sad," I reassured her. It wasn't technically a lie, because not even I myself knew how I was feeling.

Justin came next to his sister, and he grabbed a hold of my other hand. I held both of them, and I was washed over with tenderness. No matter what, me and Whitney had created two wonderful and perfect children who were empathetic and smart. No parent could've asked for anything more. I knew that they were grow up to be wonderful adults. I felt proud.

"Are you and uncle Willie going to live together from now on?" asked Justin, looking at me serious.

"We heard mom and uncle Willie talking, and uncle Willie said that he loves you," said Isabelle. "And when people love each other, they live together. That's why mom told us that we will live with Eddie soon."

I was at a loss for words. What should I have said to my children? There were no parents' manuals about what to do when your kids think you're going to be living with their uncle, their mother's brother, after you divorced their mother.

"I think you should live with uncle Willie, dad," said Justin, nodding. "Boys are easier to get along with than girls."

"No, they are not!" said Isabelle and she let go of my hand, and turned towards her brother, her face angry.

"Yes, they are!" said Justin back.

"Alright, alright," I had to snap out of it, no matter how uncomfortable it was making me, and be a dad once again. "We have to leave soon, and you're not ready yet. Go get everything you need, and then we are going to leave. Five minutes."

Luckily for me, they forgot all about me and their uncle Willie on the car ride back to their mom's. I was going to have to talk to Whitney about this, figure out what to say, before they both sneaked up on me like that again. That was going to be an awkward conversation, I already knew it, but I was going to cross that bridge when I got to it.

I dropped them off, said quick hello to Whitney and Eddie, and then I left. I was planning to go to the gym, and if Lance was there and wrapping up with his shift, maybe go and grab a bite with him after the work out session. We have met twice since then, and I was glad that we kept things as friends because Lance was a surprisingly hilarious guy to hang out with and I really appreciated our platonic bond that we shared.

Besides, Lance was at his prime and I swear to god he looked better every time I saw him, and didn't seem like he was going to stop any time soon. He caught the looks of so many guys and girls, that I knew if we were dating, I would've been beyond jealous. I preferred it when other people were jealous of me when they saw me with him.

I got back home, kind of mad at myself for not packing my gym bag beforehand and heading there right after I dropped off the kids, but at least I was glad that I had something planned so I wouldn't think of William and the fact that Whitney knew everything, as well as everything that happened with Marcus in Austin.

I don't know why, but seeing William unexpectedly at Whitney's house earlier this week had rattled me more than I cared to admit it even to myself.