This is How it Goes

This is How it Goes - Chapter 12

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What's up my lovely readers?! It's been a bit.

So, I will be on vacation in New York City in a few days and we will be driving so that means I will be writing a whole bunch! Due to data purposes I probably won't update while I'm there, but expect updates when I get back! ;D

Also, this isn't a surprise but I have started writing another story (I know, I KNOW) and it's not about Andrew for a change! Maybe I'll give you all a sneak peek!

Anyway, it's short, but enjoy!

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This is How it Goes - Chapter Twelve

Directly after putting Eva to bed, I wandered downstairs to grab a glass of water before lying in bed and reading. While I sipped the glass, enjoying the rush of ice water down my throat, I caught Andrew sitting on the dock outside the cabin.

At this point I had two choices: leave him be and read J.K. Rowling, or heed my taxing heart's desire and join him. No matter what I chose, I couldn't be happy—the text on Andrew's screen still floated through my head. I'd think about it no matter what.

Go out there, then, a voice in my head begged.

I grasped the baby monitor tightly in hand and slipped on a pair of flipflops. The dock wasn't a far walk. I stayed quiet and didn't make myself noticed until I sat right next to Andrew.

"Whoa, you scared me," he breathed, making room for me to sit comfortably.

I pressed my lips together. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Laughing softly, he said, "I shouldn't have eaten that much cake."

"I told you."

"Oh, don't rub it in."

I knew he was kidding, but there was something bothering him. Whether he was going to come out and tell me willingly or I would have to pry it out of him, he was going to tell me. "Seriously, Andrew, what's on your mind?"

He took a deep breath and focused on the calming lake. I slipped off my shoes and put my feet in, mimicking him, and awaited my answer. Finally, I got it. "This entire holiday is fucked up. The food is good, don't get me wrong, but at the table today...I couldn't stop thinking about Lance and his fucked up brain."
I bit the inside of my cheek nervously. "I feel bad that everyone knows but Lauren."

"She has to know," he voiced. "He's a carpenter. It's not like he has an excuse to stay out late at night. I don't want to call her naïve, but she has to suspect something."

I agreed wholeheartedly. Lauren couldn't possibly have believed he was picking up extra shifts—carpentry wasn't a job that required evening or late night shifts. It was obvious. "Maybe she's just holding out hope, you know?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, not following.

"Okay, I guess you don't know. They're married and have three kids together, so she obviously has some love for him, even if he's a dick," I added quietly. "It's hard to let go someone you share children with. You have to put their needs before yours."

"I get that, but they don't need a father like him in their lives." He shook his head. "They're frightened of their own father. They deserve so much better."

What made him so passionate about the way Lance treated his family? I sympathized for Lauren and did wish she had better, but it wasn't my place to meddle. And it wasn't his either.