The Boy I Married [hold]

24 | I'll Be Damned

Justin

"How are things progressing with you and Brooklynn? Kelly and I are wondering how long you plan to sleep in the guest bedroom when your wife is a few doors down the hall," Joey utters, as we make it back to his truck from our stop at Samaria's. "Especially being that she is pregnant with my grandchild."

His bluntness doesn't give me the same level of discomfort it once had, though I'm still reluctant to give an answer to his question, especially when I didn't know the answer myself. Things between Brooke and I were finally starting to look up, but I didn't think that simple fact was grounds for us to slip back into old routines when there was still trust that needed to be restored.

Joey doesn't start the car after I've gotten in and buckled myself in. Instead, he turns to the passenger side, eager to hear what my response might be, though my throat is clammed shut and I'm more than certain my answer won't be able to satisfy his expectations. I avoid his gaze, pulled away by the sound of squealing that echoes a few feet behind the truck as a group of girls approach Samaria's. No doubt a result of the picture I uploaded to my socials.

"You might want to head out. I have a feeling the lot is about to get crowded. Soon. I doubt Brooke wants to return to find me swarmed with fans, stealing the attention from her sales."

It's not hard to miss the distaste that rushes over Joey, though I know he's aware of what truth my statement brings because he doesn't try to rebut my request. We make it to the next street over before Joey reiterates the question he'd ask.

"Hopefully soon," I tell him. It's the truth in its entirety. Of course, I wanted to be in the same bed as my wife, but it wasn't a matter of wanting to do something simply because it's what should be done as opposed to a matter of doing it because we mutually respected each other enough to make the call as a team. Now didn't feel like the right moment, so there was no need to forcing it. "I don't like that we've needed to put so much distance between ourselves being as there was already a huge amount of distance between us when I was touring, but space is what we both need as we work on regaining each other's trust again. I believe it is for the best."

As much as I hated to admit it considering I had already told Brooke that I had forgiven her for her mistake with Jacob, I can't deny the thought and the gut-wrenching ache that something could happened between them again. It was hypocritical and in a sense redundant to say the least, especially when we were actively working towards improving our relationship, yet there was something in me that couldn't overlook the idea of them working so closely together. I suppose that only furthered the rift between us. Our lack of communication was a reason issues started creeping into our marriage in the first place, but I couldn't ask her to give up her dream like that. Especially when she had been so understanding when it came to my schedule and touring.

Joey and I spend the latter half of the afternoon landscaping—an activity I now find quite enjoyable. Once we've finished our last project, the sun had gone down and there was nothing left to do besides head home. I anticipated asking Joey to drop me off at the brewery so I could hang around until Brooke got off, but I bite my tongue, aware of what my true intentions would be if i were to linger around. Instead of following Joey into the house, I let him know I'll be over a little later once I've gotten a chance to talk to Mom.

From the outside, the house was darkened as if empty or like she'd been asleep already which I determine is the latter once I've made it inside and peeked into her bedroom. There's no point in sticking around much longer since I didn't want to wake her up with my nonsense, so I wasted no time making my way back to my in-laws.

Brooke's room door is closed once I make it up to the second floor and when I let myself in, the bed is still perfectly made—a rarity for her once she made it home and decompressed from the day, especially a day like today when I know it remained busy until closing. Despite Joey's strict rules forbidding our cell phones during our shift, it didn't prevent me from peaking a look at my phone every time I needed to use the restroom or when things were slow. When I checked my socials earlier, there had already been over a hundred thousand likes on the post about Samaria's. Since then, a decent amount of time had managed to slip away so when I settle into my bed, I found myself scrolling through again, amazed that it had now reached over a million likes, and hundreds of thousands of comments.