It's Time

Another Lifetime Pt.2

Spencer's POV

"Bri." I discreetly move her hand off my arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Spence. I wasn't trying to cause problems," she flashes what appears on the surface to be an innocent smile, but I know her.

"Did you know this was my kid when you decided to show up to his party?" I ask her seriously?

"Honestly, Spence, my daughter begged me to come. At first, I really wanted to get out of it, but Gabriel insisted that I'd really get along with your wife. So, I asked a little bit more about this mystery couple, and when I figured out it was you, I knew I had to come." Her eyes soften, and for a second, I see the pain in them.

"Bri. You had to know this was a terrible idea." I sigh.

"Ugh. I know that, Spencer. It was reckless and irrational, but that's what you do to me. I had to see it for myself— you being married, starting a family."

I look over at my wife, who's helping Jace swing at his piñata in the backyard. I'm pretty sure she shouldn't be engaging in such strenuous activity at 30 weeks pregnant, but I'm the last person in this house she'll listen to right now, so it's better if I leave it alone. A smile forms at my lips as I watch her bend down and attack our son with kisses. He pretends he hates it, but I see the way he giggles louder than ever when she does it.

"If your husband doesn't kill us both, my wife definitely will. Did you even consider him when you decided on this ridiculous plan to show up at my home? What did you think was going to happen, Bri?" I palm my face in frustration.

"I already told you I wasn't thinking, Spencer." She sobs, and I do genuinely feel bad. A part of me feels the urge to comfort her, but I'm sure my wife already has my bags packed. I don't need to give her a reason to throw them out of the front door.

Bri and I met each other as two very broken people. To the majority, she's a well-regarded attorney who is among the best at her job. And, she is— but she hates it. I was 26 and a star athlete. On paper, there was no reason for me to be unhappy. Still, I was miserable. Together we found peace in our individual misery. If that's not a clear foreshadowing for what went down, I don't know what is.

"I said I'd leave him, Spencer. I just asked for time." She interrupts me from my thoughts.

"Bri. You and I both know that was never going to happen." I respond pointedly.

"Because of you, Spencer," she slightly raises her voice. "We had a plan. I was going to rip my kids from their home. Did that mean nothing to you?" She attempts to close the space between us, but I retreat.

"Bri, do you hear yourself? It was a mess. And then there was another baby—"

"Who you told me you were excited about." She scoffs.

"He wasn't mine, Bri." I soften my tone.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the little boy outside isn't yours either, but it doesn't seem like that stopped you." Each word is more venomous as it leaves her lips.

"Tread lightly, Bri," I warn her, my jaw ticking slightly.

"I poured myself into you, and you let me." She stares down at the ground.

"Let's not rewrite history, Bri. I was just as inescapably involved in that situation as you were. You were a breath of fresh air. Imagine my surprise when I realized just how polluted that air was." I turn to walk to the fridge for a water bottle, no longer interested in this conversation.

"Polluted? Give me a break. You could've left when you found out. You didn't." She rolls her eyes, following me over to the fridge.

"No. I couldn't. I was irrationally, hopelessly, desperately in love with you. At least I thought I was." I respond honestly. I meant it when I told Liv I didn't know if I loved Bri. Sometimes I wonder if it was infatuation or love. I try to dedicate as little of my energy to thinking about that period of my life as possible.