An unease settles over me when we turn onto the street. I feel the blood in my ears start to whoosh when I see Heath’s truck in the drive. He’s usually not home this early in the day. Maybe Heath won’t notice the very large Suburban pulling into the driveway, and I can get the kids out, and we can leave before he even notices.
No such luck.
As soon as Liam’s tires hit the driveway, the garage door opens, and Heath emerges, ducking as the door rises. He’s in a pair of Adidas pants and a white T-shirt that hugs his ever-growing chest. I give a small wave, but he doesn’t seem to notice. The back doors open, signaling the kids leaving the car as Heath continues to approach the vehicle, his strides long and determined. His lips are in a thin, tight line, eyes narrowed and focused on Liam as he makes his way to my side of the car. On instinct, I scramble from the car, keeping a much-needed distance between these two men.
“Heath, hey–”
“Whitney,” he cuts me off as he continues to look into the car, directly at Liam. “Who’s this?”
“Oh.” I turn around and see Liam, who’s staring at Heath just as intently as Heath is staring at him. I can feel my eyes roll at their pissing contest. One dramatic encounter a day is enough for me, thank you very much. “This is my neighbor, Liam. Liam, this is Heath.”
“Her husband,” he deadpans.
“He knows who you are, Heath. There’s no need for any type of declaration.”
“Stating a fact,” he counters. He steps towards me. “Can I talk with you for a minute?”
When I turn back to look at Liam, he nods, so I follow Heath away from the car. “What’s up?” I ask as we come to a stop under the now leafless mulberry tree that shades most of the front yard.
“That’s your neighbor?” he questions.
“Y–Yes?”
“That’s the neighbor that you’ve been running with? The one you told me who has the kids?”
“Yes.”
“You never once mentioned that he was a guy, Whitney.”
This is true. I’ve omitted this point, and not because I was trying to hide it, but because there’s no reason to make it a big deal. I’m a forty-one-year old woman, and I can have friends of the opposite sex.
“I didn’t?” Not my best acting, but I hope he buys the innocent act. “I thought for sure I did. The kids haven’t mentioned anything to you?”
“The kids? Wait, does he spend time with you and the kids? Are you allowing that stranger to spend time with my kids and not tell me? Are you telling them not to tell me things?”
“No, Heath, of course not.” My defenses rise, pissed that he’s questioning me when really, he has no reason to. Not in all of our years together have I ever given him a reason to mistrust me. “Seriously?”
“Ah, yeah, Whit. Seriously.”
I can’t help but laugh at his reaction. Now! Now that we’re separated I get a reaction out of him. I understand him trying to stake his claim, but all the years we were married, he never once made me think that he cared enough to claim anything more than what he had to.
“You’re so ridiculous. I may not have remembered to tell you that Liam was a guy, but you’re making it sound way worse than what it is. You’re acting like our kids are toddlers, and they’re going to confuse another man for their father. Liam is my neighbor. He’s the father of one of my students. My car wouldn’t start this morning, so being a nice and neighborly man, he offered me a ride to and from work. The end.”
He grabs his neck in frustration. “Why didn’t you call me? Or better yet, why didn’t you tell me when you had me on the phone feeling like a complete ass about the flowers?”
“I didn’t make you feel like that. That guilt you’re feeling is all you!” I stomp my foot.
“The call, Whit,” he grits through his teeth. “Why didn’t you make the call?”
“Call you? You want me to call you when I’m having car trouble? Why, so you can have one of your guys come and help me? You never once did anything but change the freaking oil in my cars the entire course of our marriage, so why would I call you to help me get my car fixed? You are seriously giving me whiplash.”
“I’m giving you whiplash? I’m not the one who’s been spending time with me and then another guy behind my back!” he roars.
I half expected to hear the door to the Suburban open, but thankfully, Liam’s staying inside the truck. “Don’t you dare start accusing me of anything that you’re going to regret, Heath James. You better watch that tone, and you better watch that mouth because I’m done with being so willing to forgive you,” I rant. “It’s my freaking birthday, and you’re acting like the biggest ass. Don’t you think you can you stalk out of the house like you’re on a murderous mission–”
“I didn’t know who the hell was pulling into my driveway. And I sure as hell didn’t think it was going to be you with another man.”
“You know what? I’m done here. I never meant to come here and upset you. That wasn’t my intention. I’ll just talk to you another day.”
I don’t give him another moment of my time. I make my way back to Liam’s idling car, ready to get the heck out of here.