I feel a hand on my cheek, brushing the hair away from my eyes. My eyes pop open immediately, staring straight into Bubba's face. I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep.
“Oh, Shayne, honey. Come here,” he says to me. Without hesitation, I lift myself off of the floor and collapse into his arms, needing his comfort. He pulls me into a tight hug and helps me over to the couch to sit. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jen coming out of the kitchen with some water. She sits down on the coffee table in front of me.
“Here, girl, drink this. I brought you aspirin.”
Taking the glass from her hand, I swallow the pills and take a sip of water before setting the glass back down on the table.
“Well, I guess Adam filled you in on everything, huh?” I ask, looking into her eyes.
“Yes, he did. He is really worried about you. We all are. But from what Bubba tells me about the two of you, I think you did the right thing by telling him.”
Bubba grabs my hand and gives it a little squeeze. “You’re a smart girl, Shayne, and a damn good mother. You know you did the right thing. He just needs to calm down and process what you told him. Put yourself in his shoes, girl. Seriously, pull your head out of your ass and think about this. He loves you and he is going to love Lucy. You know that; he just needs some space right now to get over the hurt,” he reasons, and deep down I know he's right. It just hurts my heart to know I've caused this. I should have had the courage to tell him sooner... but, I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. I have to deal with the way he looked at me, with eyes full of disgust.
Bubba lightly nudges me with his shoulder. “Come on. Smile for me, girl. You know I’m right. Now, go wash your face and grab some shit. You are staying with us until Adam and Lucy get here.”
Standing up, I head toward the stairs muttering, “Asshole” under my breath.
“Cockblocker!” Bubba screams back, obviously hearing me.
I stop dead in my tracks and whip my head around. “Did you just call me a cockblocker?”
“Fuck yeah, I did.”
“Bubba, shut the hell up,” Jen says.
I can’t help myself; I burst out laughing so damn hard and trudge up the stairs to gather my stuff. Heading back downstairs, I grab my purse and phone and lock up the house. The three of us get into Bubba’s truck and leave.
Pulling out of the driveway, Bubba picks up his phone and makes a call. I can tell he is talking to Adam just by his words. I lean my head back, close my eyes, thinking of how far Luke and I have come in these last few days and how caring and loving he has been. Knowing what it is like to be hurt by someone you love so unconditionally has got to be killing him right now. I know what that feels like and it makes me hate myself for what I have done. And, my poor little girl; what is she going to think when I tell her?
Bubba pulls into his driveway and we exit the car. “Jen, I’ll go get Zoe from Karrie while you take care of Shayne.”
“Okay, love. Tell Karrie thanks. Come on, girl, let’s get you a drink. And tonight I think you need something a little stronger than beer.”
“Thank you so much for this Jen, I really don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for the two of you.”
“Hey, there is no need to thank us. Bubba has told me everything and I understand why you did what you did, but now you need to pull it together for the three of you. It’s all going to work out, I know it is. You are one strong woman; just look at everything you’ve done. You went to school, had a baby, and you’re raising her all on your own. You can handle this, you can. Is it going to be easy for you? No. But you’ve got this. Everyone sees the way the two of you are together. He loves you and once this sinks in, he is going to love you even more for giving him the most precious gift a woman can give a man. And he is going to love that little girl. It sucks to have to tell you this, but you have to give him time. Now, come in the house and let’s try to get you relaxed so you can sleep.”
With a heavy heart, I pray he can find a way to forgive me.
Waking up bright and early to the sunshine streaming through the windows, I climb out of bed ready to face the day as best as I can. After doing my morning routine, I put my hair in a ponytail and put on my running clothes. I walk into the living room where Bubba is sitting on the floor with Zoe. Noticing my approach, he looks up. “Morning, girl. Sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I slept fine. Just worried about him, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. Stop thinking about that and think about how happy Lucy is going to be when she finds out about him.”
“That is another thing that scares the shit out of me. How do I tell her? God, Bubba, I never thought I would ever have to do this.”