Best Friends Forever (10 page)

K
assie rushed into Celine's room ecstatic. “Mom, Mom, Mom!”

It was still early, but Celine sat up in her bed, wondering what all the commotion was about. “Honey, what is it?”

“I just called Daddy, and he told me the great news! He says he wants to come back home, and that he already talked to you about it yesterday!”

Celine wished Keith hadn't told Kassie that, and she knew he'd done it because he hoped Kassie could help encourage Celine's decision.

“I love you so much, Mom,” Kassie said, hugging her. “You were going to surprise me, weren't you? That's why you didn't tell me Daddy came over here.”

Celine forced a smile on her face, not wanting to disappoint Kassie. “I think we should just talk about this later.”

“There's nothing to talk about, Mom. Daddy really wants to come home. He says he misses both of us, and he's really lonely over there all by himself.”

Celine didn't say anything, but she couldn't wait to light into Keith for having this kind of conversation with a ten-year-old. All this was doing was making things more awkward for Celine. This would also give Kassie another reason to blame Celine for everything, if she didn't take Keith back the way Kassie wanted.

Celine swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I think you'd better go get in the shower and get dressed. Delia and her mom will be here before you know it.”

“Okay, but are you going to call him and tell him it's okay? That way Daddy can start moving his stuff this morning. And he'll be here when I get home from camp.”

“Look, sweetheart, it's like I was telling you yesterday. Your dad and I are dealing with some grown-up problems.”

“I know, but when he moves back home you can talk about things and make up. Oh please, Mom, please.”

Celine didn't have the energy to respond, but that was a mistake because Kassie took her silence to mean something it didn't.

Kassie turned to leave her mom's bedside. “I'm going to go call Daddy right now to let him know you said yes.”

“Kassie, no.”

Kassie turned around. “Why not?”

“Because your dad and I need to talk.”

“Mom, why are you being so mean to Daddy? Don't you still love him?”

“Yes, I do. But that's not the point.”

“I don't understand.”

“I know you don't, but we're all going to be fine. You'll see.”

“I want Daddy to come home.”

“Well, what I need you to do now is go take your shower.”

Kassie stared at her mom for a few seconds and then stormed out of the room. Celine couldn't get over how unruly her attitude had been since yesterday, and she'd had just about enough of it.

After another hour passed, Kassie reluctantly hugged Celine good-bye and went outside to Sarah's car. She walked as slowly as she could.

Celine stepped outside the front door. “Kassie, it's not like they have all day to wait on you.”

Kassie turned and looked back at Celine but didn't walk any faster. It was as if she was trying to be funny. Her actions were rude and defiant. But if she came home with that same attitude this afternoon, Celine would put a stop to it once and for all.

Now, however, she was going to set her husband straight. It was the reason she called him as soon as she went back in the house.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey nothing. Why did you tell Kassie you were over here yesterday, and that you asked to come back home?”

“Because she called me this morning, wanting to know when I would be.”

“But you shouldn't have told her that. Not when I never said you could.”

“I know, but baby, what was I supposed to say to her? She sounded so upset.”

“Yeah, but you had no right telling her anything, because now she won't stop talking about it.”

“She really wants us to get back together.”

“Well, I'm not ready for that. It took me two months to finally accept that you were gone. That you were never coming back. And now you just want to pretend that none of this ever happened?”

“Baby, I know it's asking a lot, but what about the vows we took?”

Celine raised her eyebrows. “What about them?”

“Don't they mean anything to you?”

“They meant
everything
to me, but apparently nothing to you.”

“That's not true. When I married you, I had every intention of being with you until death. I couldn't even imagine a life without you, but things changed. You changed.”

“Excuse me?” Celine said.

“Look, baby, please don't get upset. Just hear me out. What I was going to say is you changed, but so did I.”

“How did I change, Keith?”

“You stopped having time for me. Before you started your business, our life was near perfect, but then you started working day and night, trying to build up your client list.”

“Oh, so because I wanted to better myself, you couldn't handle it?”

“No, but I'll admit that I did like it better when you worked at the hospital.”

“But you know that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to do something on my own.”

“Yeah, but things changed. You stopped cooking dinner, you were too tired for sex, and we rarely went out anywhere together.”

“Well, I'm sorry that you felt neglected, because that wasn't my intent, but that still doesn't justify what you did. Neglect and adultery are two totally different things, and you could have come to me.”

“But I did.”

“Not really. You just left.”

“And I'll always regret that. My actions were rash and quick, and you deserved better than that.”

“Exactly, because I never would have done something like this to you. Even if I'd decided I wanted out, I wouldn't have started seeing another man before we got divorced. That's the one thing that makes me sick about people who mess around. If you don't want to be with someone any longer, why not file for a divorce? Why not show the person you're married to a little courtesy? Especially after twelve years.”

“Baby, you're absolutely right, and I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. But that still doesn't change the fact that I love you. You're my heart and joy, and I'm sorry I lost faith in that. I lost faith in us, and now I'm paying a huge price for it.”

“Well, regardless, I'm asking you to please not discuss our situation with Kassie anymore. This has to stay between you and me.”

“Understood.”

“I mean it, Keith, and I'll talk to you later.”

“Wait. So are you at least considering everything I said to you yesterday? Can we go to counseling? Can I move back home?”

Celine wasn't sure if he was simply being persistent or just didn't get what she was trying to tell him. She didn't want to talk about his moving back in.

“We need more time apart,” she said.

“Why? What good is that going to do us?”

“I need time to sort things out.”

“Even though our separation is tearing Kassie apart?”

“You can blame yourself for that. You're the one who took the selfish way out. You did what you wanted.”

“Baby, what is it going to take?” he asked. “What do I need to do? How do I prove how sorry I am and that I will never, ever do something like this again?”

“I don't know that you
can
prove it.”

Keith sighed loudly. “I don't know what else to say. I'm trying my best to fix this.”

“I need to go.”

“Can I come over so we can talk in person?”

“Lauren will be here soon to take me to the hospital.”

“Then what about this afternoon?”

“I don't think so. I'll be tired.”

“Baby, please.”

“I have to go, Keith. I'll talk to you later,” she said, and hung up.

She knew it was rude not to wait for his response, but just thinking about the way he'd treated her made her want to hurt someone. She was only so far from hating him, something she was trying her best not to do, because she knew God wasn't okay with that. She'd also been trying to mask her true rage as much as possible for Kassie's sake, because no matter what, Keith was still Kassie's father. She didn't like that particular fact, but it couldn't be changed and she was doing her best to keep that in mind. Maybe down the road she wouldn't feel so incensed, and she'd be able to forgive Keith. Mostly she just wanted to stop loving a man who had deceived her in the worst way. She simply wanted to be happy and at peace again.

T
oday wasn't a good day for Celine. She'd just returned from her radiation treatment, but she was more exhausted than she'd been yesterday. She'd also learned earlier from her blood work results that her hemoglobin level was a tad low, and that the doctor was planning to monitor her closely. He was concerned that she might be slipping into anemia, something that was very common for patients receiving radiation.

Lauren had asked Celine if she wanted her to take the afternoon off to stay with her, but Celine had insisted she go on to work, especially since Celine was already in bed resting, and she would stay there until Kassie got home. She was a little concerned, however, about the light-headedness she was experiencing, so she settled further into her pillow and closed her eyes. That lasted all of two minutes before her phone rang. She had a mind to ignore it, but if for some reason it was Lauren calling and Celine didn't answer, Lauren would be in her car and on her way back to see about her.

Celine picked up her phone and smiled when she saw that it was her brother.

“Hey, baby brother, how are you?”

“The question is, how are you?”

“I'm pretty tired today.”

“More than usual?”

“Yeah, it's a lot more noticeable than it has been. But you know my radiologist warned me early on to expect fatigue as one of the side effects.”

“Maybe you should go see your surgeon.”

“Lauren suggested the same thing earlier, but for right now I'm just going to rest and see how I'm feeling tomorrow. If I feel worse, I'll make an appointment.”

“I hope so, because I'm really worried about you. Lauren has been keeping me updated, and I'm starting to feel like I need to get on a plane. I wasn't planning to come until next week, but…”

“No, I'm fine. The last thing I want is for you to miss more work than you have to.”

“I have vacation, Sis, so it's not like I won't get paid.”

“Yeah, but I don't want you to use all of it for me. It's just not necessary.”

“Still trying to boss me, I see,” he said.

“Of course,” she said, laughing. “I'll be doing that until the end of time.”

“Uh-huh, I'm sure you will.”

“And, anyway, enough about me. Because you know I'm mad at you, right?”

“About what?”

“Lauren told me about your secret love connection.”

Jackson laughed. “She told me last night that she'd finally confessed to you. I just didn't know how to tell you.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. I guess I wasn't sure how you would react.”

“You sound like Lauren, but I'm really happy for you guys.”

“Thanks, Sis. And I'm glad you feel that way, because I think Lauren is the one.”

“As in
the
one?”

“Yep.”

“Really? Now that's the shocker of the week.”

“Yeah, I know, right? I've never believed I would find any woman who was worth giving up my bachelor life for. And while I'd always thought Lauren was gorgeous, I never saw her the way I see her now. Not even when we were kids. But the more we talked the day of your surgery, the more connected I felt to her. The chemistry between us is crazy.”

“Well, good for you. And good for Lauren, because you both deserve to be happy.”

“She's everything I could ever want in a woman, although I wish I could be the same for her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don't know. I just wish I had more money saved. If I hadn't taken so long to get my bachelor's, I would have.”

“Well, let's be honest, even after you started working, you spent money like there was no tomorrow.”

“Can't deny it. I enjoyed myself every chance I got. Then I bought my condo and put a nice amount down on that.”

“That was a good investment, though.”

“I know, but it still means I don't have a lot of money stashed away. Not in personal savings or retirement.”

“But you will. You earn a great salary, and you'll be good. Plus, Lauren isn't like that. She would never hold that against you. What she's always wanted is to have a man love her and be faithful to her.”

“Well, I can definitely do that, and I will. I haven't asked her yet, but she's going to be your sister-in-law.”

“Oh my goodness, Jack. This is wonderful. You two are going to be very happy.”

Jackson paused and then said, “As much as I hate to bring him up, have you heard anything from Keith?”

“I have. Yesterday and today. He wants to move back home.”

“What? Please tell me you're joking.”

“No, he's very serious.”

“Well, I hope you know you can't trust that fool. Any time a man just up and leaves for no legitimate reason, he isn't worth being with.”

“I agree, and I've told myself that over and over. But while I was getting my treatment, I kept thinking about Kassie. I've seen a side of her these last couple of days that I've never seen before, and it's all because she wants her dad to come home. She wants us to be a family again, and that makes me feel like I have to at least consider working things out with Keith. I mean, you know what it was like for us when Mom and Dad split up. It was the worst time of our lives. I was never the same after that, and I used to pray daily for them to get back together. I couldn't imagine them being apart, living in separate households, and I hated seeing Dad just on weekends. Then when he started dating, I hated that even more.”

“I remember all that, but I also don't believe you should let Keith treat you any way he wants to. He left you for some skank, Sis, so please tell me you're not planning to take that joker back.”

“I honestly don't know. I thought I did, but we have a child, Jack. A very hurt child who isn't taking this very well. And if there's one thing I know, it's this: Whatever happens to you as a child, good or bad, affects you for the rest of your life.”

“I'm going to say this again. Please tell me you're not planning to take that no-good brother-in-law of mine back.”

“I don't want to, but I also took vows before God, and I don't want to end my marriage without knowing I did everything I could to save it.”

Jackson sighed in disgust. “I'm telling you now, the man can't be trusted. He's already proven that in more ways than one. I'll tell you something else, too. He'd better be glad he never showed his face while I was in town.”

Celine wished Jackson would calm down, but just as she was about to tell him to do so, her doorbell rang.

“Hey, someone's at the door, so I'll call you later, okay?”

“I hope that's not him.”

“Good-bye, Jack. I love you.”

“This conversation isn't over, but I love you, too.”

Celine got herself out of bed, but she felt weak and light-headed again. Still, she walked down the stairs and through the hallway and looked out the front door. She shook her head when she saw Keith standing there with what looked like at least two dozen roses. She had a mind to walk away, but she opened the door. When she did, however, her head became heavy, and she felt dizzy. Seconds later, she collapsed on the floor.