-1-
“So, I’m pregnant,”
I look up from the plate of steak nachos our waitress just dropped off at the table. Zoe’s face is unreadable. She pushes her freshly blown out hair behind her and squares her shoulders.
I knew something had been on her mind tonight. But not that.
“God, you should see your face, Rhett! Relax, I’m getting an abortion,” she adds quickly, snorting like she’d just told a corny joke
“Fuck. Babe. I--I’ll pay--”
“Oh, I know you will--,” she retorts, a little bitterly.
I flinch at her tone.
“Are you sure it’s what you want ? Cause if not we can--"
“Of course it’s what I want,” she says. “ I'm just letting you know.”
The tension over the table breaks after that and her green eyes go wide as she picks up the nacho and devours it, cheese sticking to her adorably dimpled chin.
“Hey, save some for me--”
“Fuck you, dude, I’m eating for two,” she jokes and then winks. “For now.”
Her ridiculous laugh always brings a smile to my face. I’m reminded all over again why I fell for Zoe Reeves.
Of why I’m risking my marriage for a 27-year-old Crossfit trainer I'd known less than a year.
Zoe approached her problems with
logic and calculation and she knew when to break the tension.
Mezcal is the best Mexican
restaurant in New Haven but I don’t have time for a full dinner date. We have
just enough time to finish the nachos and split a large blue raspberry margarita before I have to
walk her back to her car.
She doesn’t just hold my hand as we walk, she grabs my arm and lays her head on my shoulder. I slip my hand around her waist and she leans into the touch. When we get to her Prius I press her gently against the car and kiss her.
“I…,” she starts, licking her lips.
“Uh oh,” I tease. “What now--”
“I think we should take a break,” she squeaks.
My heart stops at that. I should have seen that coming but this last year had been the best year of my life and I wasn’t ready for it to end.
Zoe wasn’t the first person I’d ever broken my marriage vows for. I traveled a lot my entire career and a guy got lonely. It was standard practice for my male friends in the Coast Guard.
But Zoe was the only one who meant anything more.
Last year I'd signed up for a weekly CrossFit class because my job was stressful as fuck and I needed something to do to decompress after work. Juliana had the house running so smoothly me being away for an extra few hours a week didn’t make a difference.
I’d started once a week in Zoe’s beginner class. Then I started going three times a week so I could be in all her classes. I loved her personality and her body was incredible. I was in the worst shape of my life at that time and she was so impressed with how quickly I progressed. I wanted to keep impressing her.
Our short after class chats turned into hour long parking lot conversations and a few times into coffee. We talked about life, culture and fitness. She made me feel like I was getting my personality back. I started dreading going home where I had needy kids and a nagging wife who I had to beg to open her legs for me.
Zoe knew about my family and I’d been promising her for a year we’d do this for real. I knew I'd break Juliana’s heart when I told her I was leaving but I'd always take care of her and the kids financially.
“A break ?,” I say. “What are we Ross and Rachel ?”
“Look at you making a reference.”
“I love you,” I tell her.
“Do you ? Because it seems like you need time to--”
“I don’t.”
Nothing with this girl was every easy and I was glad for it. She made all the romantic rituals I usually half assed for my wife into fun challenges.
“I choose you,” I tell Zoe. “I love you and I’m going to show you.”
“Really ?,” she arches an eye brow.
“This week,” I say. “I’m going to sit Juliana down and tell her how it has to be. And then give me next Saturday, one night out, to show you how much I love you.”
She rolls her eyes and nods.
“Okay, Rhett Clark,” she says. “One night."
A/N
CPShawna: You’re Marriage Story-ing ? Again ?
I know, I know.
So, in my head this story isn’t actually fanfiction anymore. After EPOH and all your comments I realized I wanted to write the end of a marriage. And as much as I love Juliana I want to tell it from Rhett’s perspective. He’s going to be embarking on an exciting new romance and I feel like “the man with a new girlfriend” is a perspective we don’t see was much in divorce narratives. Because of this Juliana will have to be a little bit of a villan.
But let’s back up. Chapter 1 will takes us back a little bit….