Free Unexpected Changes by A.M. Willard Page A

questions tonight. We never talked about what we hope for out of life, and now I have to know it all. I want to hear all of her hopes, dreams, and fears.
    My back’s turned to the doorway when I hear Tabitha clear her throat.
    “Hungry? I’m making a few sandwiches.”
    “Looks like you’re feeding an army.”
    “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I made a few different choices. You have roast beef, turkey, chicken salad, and peanut butter.”
    Laughing as she walks over towards the counter, Tabitha looks at the sliced sandwiches and says, “How about we share them all?”
    “We can do that.”
    “Good cause I’m starving and I need another one of whatever you fixed me to drink.”
    “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll be right there,” I say as I watch her grab the plate of sandwiches.
    With a mouth full of food, she mumbles, “Hurry up before you have nothing.”
    This side of her—playful and full of life—is what I fell in love with. That ball of fire that she displays with a side of pure sparkle. It’s a mixture that was made only for her and no one else. Even if someone tried, they’d never master it.

Chapter Thirteen

    Tabitha
    MY FOOT IS TAPPING against the hardwood floor as my anxiety reaches a new level. What if I can’t handle his explanation? The emotions that are running fiercely throughout my body are new and scare the life out of me. I thought I loved once before, and I realize now, it wasn’t love. Then this man showed up on the other side of my computer screen on a shitty morning, causing me to open not only my heart, but my soul. Just as he walked in, it shattered just as quick.
    How do I know it won’t happen again? Maybe Angela was right. I should listen and follow my heart.
    “You look as if you’re lost in thought.”
    “Sorry, I am,” I respond with a low confused voice.
    “Penny for your thoughts?”
    “You might need to grab the piggy bank for all of them then.”
    “I’ll take that,” Carter says as he places my drink in front of me and gets comfortable on the sofa next to me.
    Picking up another slice of sandwich from the plate, I look over to speak, but Carter shakes his head before I can start.
    “Tabitha, I need to explain a few things to you and I’m not sure where to start. I know it’s not going to be easy to listen to, but I need you to hear me out. I still don’t have all the answers, and I promise to share them with you as I obtain them myself.”
    “I’ll do my best to listen, but I can’t promise you anything.”
    “Understandable. Do you need anything before we get started?”
    “No, just an explanation,” I respond and my nerves kick up a few more notches. This causes me to mentally question if I need to know these answers. What if I don’t like them?
    “Stop me if you have any questions, and like I stated before, I’ll answer the best that I can.”
    “Okay,” I say as I watch how uncomfortable Carter has become. He’s stiffened his back and has squared his shoulders. Dropping his head to look at the floor, he starts to speak in a low tone. “Bethany and I met in high school, dated and had an average teenage relationship. It wasn’t until right before I graduated that I found out she was pregnant. Her family, as you already know, comes from a long line of politics and power. I was forced to marry her before a scandal broke out in the media.” He stops for a moment to watch me as I grab my drink from the table in front of us.
    “Should I continue?”
    “Go ahead, I’m listening.” Boy am I, and processing at the same time.
    “Anyway, I graduated and married at eighteen years old with a wife who was seventeen. With whom, by the way, I was ready to call things off; I cared for her but not enough to be tied down forever. I wanted to go off to college and have fun, you know, be a typical guy. I guess it was about a month later, I got a call saying she had lost the baby. As much as I didn’t want to be married, I never wanted to lose the baby.