co-written by RatedrKjErIcHo.
Christina groaned and walked slowly to the door early the next morning. She opened the door and Hailey rushed in with Brayden. "I need to talk to you."
"Well good morning to you too." She replied. "Where the fire?"
"Something weird happened last night and I'm a little freaked out."
"I know about you kissing John."
"No, not that." She said putting her daughter in the pack n play. "I had a very detailed, erotic dream."
"And that's weird why?"
"Because it wasn't me and Randy. It was me and John."
"Holy crap! Really? Let me get some coffee and some cereal or something and I so want details."
Hailey nodded and followed her sister into the kitchen. Christina poured them both a cup of coffee and got out some muffins. "Okay, tell me everything." She said sitting down at the table.
"Well, I made dinner last night and took John some. He said nothing would change between us. So that was good." She replied. "Then last night I was in bed and I was dreaming of having passionate, mind blowing sex with someone. And I figured it was Randy. But then at the end, I was looking into John's eyes and he said I love you Hailey and I said I love you John. What does it mean?"
"That you want to jump the hot man living in your garage apartment?"
"Chris." She said to her.
"What? You had a very erotic dream about him. You want him."
"John and I are friends. Maybe it was just because of the kiss."
Christina sighed and took her sister's hand. "Hales, Randy would want you to move on and be happy. You can't stay in mourning forever. You have to move on with your life and your romantic life. And who better than John. He's handsome, sexy and sweet. He loves Brayden and she loves him."
"I'm not ready for that. Even though Randy and I were having issues, he was still my husband and I loved him. I'm not ready to move on." She sighed and took out the chip she had found the other day when she was cleaning out his things. "And there are still questions about my husband. Why did he lie about the second job? Why did he go Vegas so much? And why did he have this chip in his shirt pocket?"
"A poker chip?"
"Yes. I found it when I was going through some of his clothes. Do you think he gambled?"
"Well, he was in Las Vegas and usually people gamble there. I don't think it's big deal. He probably just forgot he had it."
"Maybe." She said shaking her head. Maybe it was no big deal.
John had washed the truck that was once Randy's and now he was cleaning out the inside. He figured Hailey would want to sell it soon and he wanted it to look nice. He had finished up the seats and underneath them when he opened the glove box. He pulled out the papers in it and found some notes for a casino in Las Vegas and then he found a pair of black lace thong panties. He put them aside figuring they were Hailey's. And that made him a little jealous. The thought of Randy and Hailey having sex in the finished up the truck and headed in. He would give everything he found in the truck to Hailey.
Hailey pulled up to the house. She had the day off and she wanted to finish cleaning out some of Randy's things. Everyone told her it would help her heal. She saw that John had washed the truck and she smiled that he had taken the time to do so. She headed into the house and put Brayden down in the pack n play. She went into the kitchen to clean up a little bit.
"Hey, I thought I heard you drive up." John said coming in the back door. "I hope it's okay that I washed the truck."
"It's fine. I appreciate that you did."
He smiled and placed everything on the bar that he had found inside the truck. "This is everything I found."
"Oh okay." She said as she picked up everything and looked through it. She came to the black lace thong panties and looked at John. "These aren't mine."
"What?" John asked. "I found them in the glove box of the truck. Whose else would they be?"
She looked at him. The tears coming into her eyes. "They aren't mine." She softly before running upstairs. John closed his eyes and sighed as Brayden cried in the pack and play.
He walked over and picked her up. "It's okay, little one." He said bouncing her to quiet her. It never occurred to him that they might not be Hailey's.
Hailey laid down on the bed and cried. She couldn't believe it. Randy had been cheating on her. How could she have not seen it? She thought back to moments with him. Why didn't she see it? The trips to Las Vegas and lying about the second job. All the signs were there but she chose not to see them. Now she had proof that Randy had been unfaithful. And with that discovery, the last bit of mourning for her husband was gone. There was no more sadness or sorry. Instead, she was consumed by anger as the fact sank in that she never really knew Randy at all.
She got up and headed back downstairs. She had left John with Brayden. She walked downstairs and didn't see them in the living room. She walked into the kitchen and didn't see them. She quickly checked all over the house and saw no sign of John and Brayden. She headed out to the apartment and went up. She didn't see them there either. She walked over to the window and saw his truck gone.
She sighed and sat down on the sofa in the apartment. She looked around and saw that John had redid the apartment a little bit. She liked it. She got up and started looking around. She sighed when she came to a photo of Randy, John and the guys from the firehouse. She wondered if any of them knew the real Randy. She heard the truck in the driveway and headed down to meet John and Brayden.
"Hey." He said when he saw her. "I hope you don't mind but Brayden and I went to the bakery and got you a cupcake."
She smiled as she took the bag. "Thank you. Let's head into the house."
John followed her in with Brayden. He put Brayden in the pack n play and walked into the kitchen where Hailey was. 'I'm sorry about earlier. Had I known I wouldn't have given them to you."
"It's okay. It's not your fault." She said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Coffee?"
"Please." He said sitting at the island in the kitchen across from where she was. "I'm just sorry."
She placed the cup of coffee in front of him. "Did you know he was cheating? Did you know he was gambling in Las Vegas? Did you even know him?"
"I didn't know about any of it. I swear. If I had known, I would have told you."
"Would you have?" She asked as she sat down on a stool at the island too. "I mean I know your first loyalty is to Randy. It's always like that. Guys will lie for each other. So, why would you have told me if you knew?"
"Because I can't lie to you and even if I could, I never would. If I had known anything about him cheating on you, I'd have kicked his ass and told you the truth."
She sighed. "I found a chip in his pants when I was cleaning some things out. It's from a casino in Las Vegas. Did I ever know my husband? This was the man I spent five years with before we got married. Then we get married and everything is great. Then by an accident, I get pregnant and things change. He gets this second job supposedly. And he takes trips to Las Vegas. He didn't want anything to do with our daughter. Why did he change after I got pregnant?"
"I honestly don't know. Some men welcome fatherhood. Some men run from it."
She sighed again. "I just am realizing I didn't know this man I married. That I had a child with. And now I don't know if I will ever get answers." She looked at John. "I'm heading in the house. Thank you for taking care of Brayden for me. I appreciate it."
"Anytime." She nodded and grabbed her daughter and headed out. Questions still plaguing her. Would she ever find the answers she needed?
John sighed after she left. He'd told her the truth. He couldn't lie to her. And he was afraid that she was starting to see the cracks she'd made in his armor. That soon she'd be able to see how he really felt.
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