Handle With Care - Book 4 in "What is Life" series

Chapter 10

June arrived quickly and I had barely spoken to my wife in the two weeks I'd been gone. I was heading back to the states with Jeff while Darry and Annie stayed back with his wife Sandi watching over them.

I knew things weren't ever going to be the same after what happened but I needed to know how things went. Did her heart belong to Tom? Will she ever forgive me?

Does she long for me? Or was she happy being with him.

I was not innocent in this. I really did find the bed of another woman.

We got there early the day before we were to all start the project and Jeff and I walked in to Tom's house.

"There are my band mates," he said happily.

Ethan ran up and gave me a hug. This meant Lauren wouldn't be too far.

She didn't walk out.

"You guys are early," Tom said and then noticed me looking around for Lauren.

"She isn't here," he said, "she's out with Linda."

So she has been getting out and seeing her old friends... and allowing for her to loosen her attachment to Ethan. This was good. This was a step in the right direction.

"Here, Ethan.... Show me the backyard... where you like to play," Jeff grabbed his hand and led him from the room.

He knew I needed to talk with Tom one on one and that this was the right opportunity.

"I take it he knows?" Tom asked.

I nodded, "and before you tell me anything of what's been happening.... I should tell you, I went home and slept with Pattie Boyd."

He looked annoyed, yet relived.

"I mean I should be happy. Now this isn't a ruse since you have been unfaithful for real now. I have been feeling like the lie that started this all made this all a fraud."

"How has she been?" I asked him but I really wanted to know their feelings for each other.

"I'm going to be honest, we have been sleeping together," he admitted, "and..."

He gulped.

"And...." I encouraged him to say it.

"I think I'm in love with her.... And it's insane because she's your wife and none of this should have ever happened."

Yet here we are. 

If they didn't want to be together in this way they would have not let this happen. Even if I was unfaithful they didn't have to be.

I pushed this to happen before it was going to happen anyway.

"Does she want nothing to do with me?" I asked him.

"She's just upset but here's the thing...." he said, "we need to be honest with her and then let her decide how to continue. You guys just got married a couple months ago."

"The kids are older now and they don't need us to care for them, and Ethan is your son as much as he is mine. You're his godfather and Glyn would have wanted this," I said to him.

"I hope this little charade changes nothing when it comes to us working together to make music. I want to just be with the guys tomorrow and for the next couple weeks and not have a care in the world."

"It changes nothing," I assured him.

Jeff came back in and Ethan went to the kitchen to do some coloring.