Free Forever True (The Story of Us) by Gwendolyn Grace Page A

speak to him. For now, I'm not sure what I would say. I wasn't ready to forgive him, but I didn't want to risk saying anything that would make things worse.
    I also found out today that I’m pregnant.
    I had stopped taking the pill two months ago on the day we remarried. I had expected to get pregnant immediately because it was quite easy with Liv and Jordyn. Except I didn't conceive the first month even with as much sex as we were having. I was slightly worried that maybe my age was starting to become a factor. So I timed my ovulation this past month just to make sure.
    Last night I dreamt that I was sitting with my three children on the large porch swing at Alex's parents’ house in Virginia. Liv and Jordyn were on either side of me kicking their feet while a baby with dark curly hair and chunky thighs was sitting on my lap. When I woke this morning, I used the second pregnancy test from the two-pack I brought last month. I was overjoyed to see that it was positive, and I wanted to call Alex immediately but then I remembered everything from the past couple of days and stopped myself. I wanted to get past this. I needed to get past this, but I was being stubborn. When I was leaving the bathroom, my phone chimed from the bedside table. It was a text from Alex.
    Alex: Morning baby. I love you. Please forgive me.
    I loved him with my whole heart and knew I would always forgive him. That's when I made a decision to stop being so damned passive and to go after my man. I dialed my sister.
    “Hello?” Macy answered the phone.
    “Hi, Mace. I need to ask you a favor.” I replied.
    “Sure, bring them over.” She said sarcastically and cut straight to the chase. “You are so lucky that I’m at stay home mom otherwise you wouldn't be able to do shit.”
    “Thanks. You are a life saver. Love you.”
    “Yeah, yeah.”
    ****
    Alex
    I was counting down the hours to the last meeting of the day. It was Friday afternoon, and I had just endured the longest week of my life. The charity event was tonight, and I only planned to show my face long enough for Deal to see me. Then I would ghost out of there and book the next flight home.
    “Alex,” Mitch called from behind me as I was leaving the conference room. I winced and gritted my teeth before turning around. I expected to see his usually arrogant business demeanor but instead I saw something much more human. “I just wanted to say that you've done an excellent job this week. I know you weren't supposed to come to Houston, and I appreciate the way you stepped up. You saved my ass.”
    It made me angry the way he made it seem like I had a choice. If I let myself think about it, Court would have never found out about Erica the way she did if I hadn't been here. Instead of voicing all of that I simply shrugged and nodded at the compliment. I expected that to be the end of the conversation but Mitch kept talking.
    “I suspect that your reason for wanting to leave earlier in the week had to do with your wife and Erica.” I furrowed my brow at him and wondered how he would know that. “Oh, well that's according to office gossip. I hear all that stuff, too. I know what's being said about Pamela and me. It's all false. I maybe a lot of things that I've overheard people call me. A prick. Clueless and lazy. But I love my wife.” Mitch laughed awkwardly and looked down at his feet. “I don't know why I’m telling you this. I guess I just wanted to tell someone.”
    “Look Mitch, I--” I started to speak, but Mitch continued.
    “I've made a lot of sacrifices to get here but time with my family is the one that has cost me the most. Alex, you are smart, driven, and you will go far. You remind me of myself fifteen years ago. I only wish someone would have told me to slow down because time goes by in a blink. My oldest son is getting married in the spring, and my youngest just started college this year. It's just my wife and I alone in that big house, and it's like we don't know each