Love Survives (BWWM)

My Man

That morning, I woke up alone in Aaron's bed. I'd spent the night silently crying while he snored and slept like a baby. I was so hurt. I needed him to make me feel better, to comfort me. He hadn't done that, and I was angry.

I was probably overreacting, but his mother's words cut deep. I'd prepared myself for the worst, and when it came, I realized that I wasn't ready, and it all fell apart.

I got up and showered thinking of Aaron the entire time. I made myself look presentable and went downstairs to make some pancakes for the girls.

In the afternoon, after the girls and I ate breakfast, I waited for Aaron to text me or call me. I refused to be the first one to break.

Iris and Bianca went out with friends, so I stayed home with Brielle. She wanted to play games for a while until she got bored and crashed on the floor of her room.

I went around the house looking for something to occupy my mind when I saw a big, cardboard box of photos sitting on the floor.

Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I picked up the box and sat down with it, setting it on the couch next to me.

I lifted the first photo and smiled. It was a picture of Aaron and the girls at the beach. Brielle was in Aaron's arms while Iris and Bianca stood in front of him. Their smiles were wide and genuine, and they looked happy.

The next few pictures were of him, the girls and his ex-wife. As the girls got older, the light in Aaron's eyes seemed to get dimmer and dimmer. His smile never reached his eyes anymore. He looked sad and distant. He wasn't all there sometimes.

It made me wonder what happened between him and Viviana. Why did she make him so unhappy? Viviana appeared to be as happy as the girls were, and it was odd.

There were only a few pictures left at the bottom of the box. I'd have to ask him about it when he came home.

After placing the photos back into the box, I set it on the floor where I'd found it as my phone began to ring.

Aaron was calling.

I tried to ignore it, but I thought better of it remembering that I was watching his kids, and he might want to check on them.

I answered it and waited for him to speak first.

"Kyra?"

"What?"

He sighed. "Can you come to the gym? Bring the girls."

"Sure."

There was a long pause before he spoke. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Text me the address, and I'll be there."

"Kyra—"

"Bye, Aaron."

***

I walked into the gym holding Brielle's hand. As soon as she saw her dad standing at the front desk, she ran over to him and attacked him from behind. He whirled around and lifted her up tickling her sides.

He set her down when he saw me. His smile faded. "Go find Uncle Cam. He's around here somewhere."

She turned on her heel and ran off.

Taking my hand in his, Aaron led me through the gym. It was a pretty big space with a ton of ellipticals and treadmills all over the place. Some weights and other variations of exercise equipment in the back of the gym with a giant mirror along the entire back wall.

I was naturally skinny, so I never had to work out much, but fitness was clearly important to Aaron.

There was a door at the back of the gym. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door then let me walk in first. It was his office.