Free Contingency (Covenant of Trust) by Paula Wiseman Page B

drink from her water. He blew it on her first demand. No matter what second condition she laid down, he vowed to accept it unequivocally. “You can’t stay here,” she said.
    “What?” If he let her kick him out … “This is my home.”
    “Then the boys and I will go.”
    “No. No, you stay. I’ll find a place.”
    “One last thing.”
    “Name it.” He let himself breathe again and tried to reassure himself terms were good. Terms meant they could reach an agreement.
    “I want you to see a doctor.”
    “Why?”
    “I have to know that you haven’t picked up some disease.”
    “Good grief, Bobbi, I wasn’t with some cheap hooker!” She arched her eyebrow, and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “I mean ... of course. I’ll take care of that.”
    “That’s all for now. Goodbye, Chuck.”
    “Just like that?”
    “We’ve been civil and we’ve talked. That’s good enough for now.”
    “Sure,” he said, rising from his chair. “I’ll let myself out.” He proved he was an idiot, a naïve idiot who thought he could walk in here and explain away his adultery, then have everything go back to normal.
    When he got to the kitchen doorway, he caught Bobbi’s eye once more. She hadn’t softened. “Take care,” he said. Even if she didn’t divorce him, had he lost her forever?
    The front door weighed more than he remembered, forcing him to brace himself before swinging it open. That woman in the kitchen wasn’t the Bobbi he’d married. He’d never seen such strength, such toughness out of her. She wore her wedding band. That had to be a good sign, but she asked him to move out. What if that was the first step to divorce?
    Joel skidded his bike to a stop in the driveway. “Are you coming home tonight, Dad?”
    Chuck smiled and motioned for Joel to join him on the porch steps. “It’s not that easy, Son.”
    “Are you getting a divorce?”
    “No. Mom and I are not getting a divorce.” Chuck could see Joel’s shoulders relax so he kept talking. “I really hurt Mom. I spent some time with another woman, giving her the kind of attention that is reserved only for Mom, and that was wrong.”
    Joel nodded. “I get that part. What I don’t get is why you did it. Don’t you love Mom anymore?”
    “Of course I love Mom. I just … what I did was beyond stupid.”
    “Does Mom love you?”
    “I think so.”
    “So why would you want to be with someone else if Mom loves you and you love Mom?”
    “It’s a grown-up thing, Joel. I don’t think I can explain it.”
    “Try me.”
    Chuck let a deep sigh escape. He’d alienated every member of his family but Joel. How could he answer him without destroying what respect the boy still held for him?
    “It made me feel good that this other woman liked me.” She met some emotional need, or you wouldn’t have gone back to her ...
    “Mom likes you.”
    “Yeah, but this was somebody different ... it was new ...” He dropped his head. “It sounds stupid when I try to explain it to you.”
    “That’s what I was thinking, too.” He scowled and looked out across the street. “So ... what happens if some other woman likes you?”
    “Nothing. Nothing happens. I will never hurt Mom like this again. Ever.”
    “Did you tell Mom that?”
    “Yeah, but she can’t just take my word for it. I hurt her way too much for that.”
    “Is that why you can’t come home?”
    “For now. It’s going to take some time, Buddy. You know, when Brad makes you mad, and you just want to be by yourself for a while?”
    “Yes!”
    “Well, Mom’s going to need some time to work through being mad at me. I deserve to have her mad at me.” Chuck patted Joel’s knee and stood up. “Same with Brad. Let him be mad, okay?”
    “Okay,” Joel shrugged. “You’re not divorcing. That’s all I was worried about.”
    “See you at church, Buddy,” Chuck said as he got in his car.
    “Bye, Dad!” Joel called. “Love you!”
    Chuck smiled and waved as he backed out