51
"Why did they stay together if they were so miserable?"
"To torture one another. It finally came to a head my sophomore year. Charlie slept with one of his best friend's wife and fell in love." You use air quotes. "Mom filed for divorce, and I was given the choice: stay and rot in Forks or go and get out of there."
"And you wound up in Florida?"
You nod. "We moved around a lot, Mom jumped from man to man. The wealthier the better. Some were better than others. It was exhausting, trying to keep up. I learned quickly not to get used to one husband or place. Never put down roots or try to make friends. They never lasted long, but I managed to snag a partial scholarship at FSU. The rest is history."
"What about your dad?" I ask.
"When I decided to go with my mom, he stopped speaking to me. Pretty much wrote me off," you reply simply.
"Huh."
"The last I heard, Charlie was promoted to chief of police. He and Cora got married, and he adopted her young daughters that she had with her previous husband. After the affair and divorce, her ex ate a bullet."
"Damn."
"Yup." You breathe and straighten up. "So, that's my tragic origin story. I'm pretty much an orphan."
My blood is boiling, but I don't want you to see my anger. Instead, I pepper your face with kisses. "It's a good thing I have an awesome family and support system, and I'm more than willing to share."
"I'm so lucky." You smile a genuine smile.
I shake my head. "No, baby. I'm the lucky one."
"Let's agree to disagree."
You're exhausted after discussing such a heavy topic, so I insist that you take a relaxing bath while I worry about dinner.
"How does pizza sound?"
"Perfect, but I'd rather you join me. Have them hold off on delivering for an hour?"
I smile and follow you up the stairs while placing our order.
"Get a dozen Cajun ranch wings," you whisper as you take your clothes off. "I wanna get messy."
I smile and ask for two dozen to go along with our extra large supreme. You can take leftovers with you to work tomorrow.
Once we're settled in the hot water, surrounded by bubbles, you lean against my chest. "So, now you know everything. Does it change anything?" you ask softly.
I take your chin in my hand and turn your head so I can look you in the eye. "If anything, it made me love you all the more. You've been through so much, and you're still the most amazing person I've ever met."
You press your lips to mine. "I love you."
"l love you too, Bella. More than anything."
"More than my own life," you vow.
Our bath is cut short so we can dress for bed and be ready for dinner to arrive. "How's everything going with the audit?" you ask while we wait.
"Good. They should be finished by the end of the week. I'll be happy when it's over."
You're telling me about an up and coming field trip to the alligator farm when the doorbell rings. I grab the food and tip the driver before joining you.
"So, Kate volunteered to be a chaperone. Are you sure you can spare her for a day with everything going on?"
"I'm sure I can handle things without her just fine." I grab a wing. "Bring me home an awesome souvenir."