Thought I Knew You(47)
“And they didn’t mind?”
“Nope. In fact, most of them thought it was pretty cool. There were a few people who weren’t married, and it ended up being… uh, a thing.”
“A thing?” I laughed. “What kind of thing?”
“I got punched in the face once.”
“You did not! Drew, that’s terrible!”
“No, I’ve never been punched before. I felt kind of accomplished. Turns out the guy was cheating on his wife. I wouldn’t delete the picture in front of him, so he demanded my camera. I said, ‘No way.’ So he punched me. Turns out, photography is a contact sport.”
“I miss you!” I blurted.
After a long pause, he said, “I miss you, too, Claire.”
“But…?” I could hear the silent ‘but’ as clear as day. I’d become so accustomed to it.
“But… nothing. Well, I’m seeing someone.”
Of course. What did I want? What did I expect? Did it matter? I hadn’t called him for anything other than friendship. Then why did my chest ache? I didn’t want to think about it. “Good!” I said enthusiastically. “Tell me about her.”
“Maybe another time, okay?” His voice was gentle. I felt the impending dismissal before he said it.
“Well, I should go anyway,” I said. “I think Leah is awake.” Another lie. “Call me soon, okay? I want to hear about the new woman in your life when we both have more time.” I forced a laugh.
“Are you all right? You sound kind of… maniacal, actually.”
“I’m fine. But I’ve gotta go. Leah is crying. Love you. Call me later, okay? Bye.” I hung up. Why is everything so complicated?
Chapter 21
The Saturday before Leah’s first birthday party, Drew is coming for dinner and drinks and will spend the night in the guest room before the big party. Sarah is flying in tomorrow morning, and Drew will pick her up at the airport while Greg and I take care of last minute party things. The girls are at my parents to keep them out of the way. The weather has been warm for early September. Indian summer. I am weeding the garden; sweat is running down my forehead. I wipe my brow and feel a kiss between my shoulder blades. I turn to face Greg, who kisses me on the mouth. We’re both covered in dirt and perspiration.
“Hi!” I laugh. “What was that for?”
“You just looked beautiful.” In the rise and fall of marital tides, we are at a high. He pulls me out of the garden and onto the grass. “I can’t believe Leah is going to be a year old already.”
“I know. It’s crazy. It happened so fast. She’s still a baby.”
“Our last baby, unless…” His hands go to the top of my jeans, slowly unbuttoning. He kisses my stomach. “Unless you want to make another one…”
“Greg,” I hiss. “The neighbors.”
“What neighbors?” He pushes up my shirt.
He’s right. The closest neighbors are a quarter-mile away and there are trees on all four sides of our property. We make love on the grass. Afterward, we lay half-clothed in our own yard. I giggle.
“I hope we don’t get a FedEx delivery.”
Greg laughs. “It could be the highlight of the driver’s day.”
“Do you actually want to have another baby?” I ask. Do we want three kids? Three plane tickets to Disney, three college tuitions, three seems so much more than two. We always said we’d be done at two.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess lately I’ve been thinking about our life. I can’t believe how lucky I am. I never thought I’d end up like this. I always expected to be alone. And poor. Struggling or something.” He pulls me to him. “My life has exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Because of you.” He kisses my forehead.
I love the way I feel in his arms, small, protected. We lie there for another half-hour before we get up, dress, and return to our chores that now seem so much less like chores. Briefly, I look around, wondering if anyone saw us. Doubtful. I say something to Greg, and he waves my concerns away.
A few hours later, we are showered and dressed with weeded gardens, cut grass, and a cleaner house. My parents drop off the girls, and I start dinner. Drew arrives amidst screaming excitement from Hannah and mimicked excitement from Leah.
Over dinner, all three of us make conversation. Sometimes Greg is reserved around Drew, but tonight, he is gregarious and jovial. He hands Drew a cigar, and I feel, for the first time, hopeful they will become friends. Parts of the evening, I feel like an outsider. I pout about that, as I’m not used to it. Greg is affectionate with me, more so than usual when we are around other people. He and Drew drink whiskey, a rarity for both men. Before bed, Drew reads the girls a bedtime story, and Hannah cannot believe her good fortune that Drew will be there when she wakes up in the morning.