A Sense of Guilt ✔

Chapter 31

Joe removed his phone from his ear as his mom went off on one of her tirades, he'd known it was inevitable which was why he'd delayed telling her the wedding was 'postponed' for so long. Now that he had, he had to suck up her anger. It was probably nothing compared to how his dad would react.

'I always said you were rushing into things,' his mom huffed.

He placed the phone back to his head. 'Yeah mom, you did, I should have listened.' There was a brief silence on the end of the line as he wrong-footed her.

'So why the change of heart, something must have happened?'

'We just felt like the whole thing was running away with us,' he said coming out with the excuses he'd rehearsed with Katherine. 'It seemed like the wedding gained a momentum all of its own and it was no longer about our relationship.'

His mom scoffed. 'That's bullshit, something's happened.'

He winced, hating to hear his mom curse, it was so not like her. 'We haven't been getting along, the wedding highlighted that, and if we're not getting along now it would be foolish to rush in.'

'Hmm I suppose that is sensible,' she said clicking her tongue. 'It's a shame it's taken you until now to realise. You rushed headfirst into a relationship, rushed into moving into together, I could tell from day one that Katherine was in the driving seat.'

'That's not true,' he said but he knew she had a point. Katherine was eminently sensible and he'd been happy to go along with her wishes. Well, until now.

'Just wait until your father finds out.'

Inwardly he groaned, recognising the not so subtle threat. 'Yeah, Adam will be pissed.' The door quietly opened and Katherine came into the study. 'I've gotta go,' he said relieved to end the call as Kat crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He slowly spun the chair around, halting her embrace. 'That went about down about as well as a stripper at a wake.'

'Joe!' She laughed with mock outrage.

'You know what she's like.' Surely Kat wasn't going to start defending his mother now? 'It would have been better to tell her your mom was ill or something.'

Katherine's mouth turned down. 'Like you told me Shannon's mom was, or something to that effect.'

He inhaled slowly, Kat had got him there and it was a reminder that they were never going to get past this. He needed to end the charade now.

'Kat?'

'Sorry,' she said brushing her hair over her shoulder. 'I shouldn't have said that. It's in the past, and this isn't going to work if I keep dragging it up.'

'No, you're right-'

'No Joe I'm not,' she said sitting on the side of the desk. 'Without meaning to I think I'm kinda trying to punish you and I want it to stop it.'

His brows came together in a deep frown. 'I'm the one in the wrong, none of this is down to you.'

She waved her hand dismissing his words. 'Maybe, maybe not, but I don't see what value it serves raking over it.'

'Right.' He looked at her uncertainly.

'Yeah I was talking to Danielle,' Kat said twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 'And she was saying we should all get together, have a night out.'

'Okay,' Joe said hesitantly. 'I guess we could sometime.'

'Great we're going out next Saturday.' Joe's jaw dropped. 'This is what we need, we should get some fun back into our relationship.'