I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 10

Life at the Edgerton house was a tense situation. Joel was obviously trying to make a better effort with his family, but he wasn't trying nearly as hard as before. He knew he changed back from his old self to the way Cassie hates once again. This made Cassie think that his epiphany was just another way to get laid.

Today, while she was trying to write up her new book, she got a text from Ben. She figured it would be him asking her out to lunch before picking up the boys, or another invitation to host dinner at his place. Ever since Thanksgiving, he's been inviting them over as his way of repaying. Of course, he didn't need to do that.

Usually, his texts were silly or sweet, but something about this one struck her as odd. It simply said, 'Can we talk?' She sighed and looked to her barely started book, then back to her phone. She responded, 'I'm working at the moment. Can you come here? I'll make coffee.'

He answered, 'On my way.'

About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. She jogged over and swung it open to Ben. He didn't seem to be his usually peppy self. He looked almost sad. "Hey," she said, "come on in." He thanked her, then followed her into the kitchen. She handed him a cup of coffee, but he simply put it to the side.

"What's up?" She asked. She was getting concerned now. Sighing, he leaned his elbows on the counter and looked up at her. "I'm sorry," he said, "I just...I need to tell someone this. I don't have many friends here except you and all my friends back home are...well, that's a long story."

She leaned towards him and covered her hands with his. "What is it?" She softly asked. He looked her in the eyes and gave her hands a squeeze. "Eleanore's cheating on me. She has been for some time now and I suspected it. I'm just not the type of man to accuse her or anyone of something like that until I have the facts."

Cassie was stunned. Absolutely stunned. She couldn't imagine being cheated on, especially by her own spouse. "Ben," she whispered, "I am...so sorry. How did you find out?" He sighed a put his head down. It took him a moment to gather himself.

"He called the house," he said with a slight laugh. "Apparently, they had a row and she wasn't answering her phone. So, he thought he could reach her at the house. Cillian answered the call and gave it to me because Eleanore was in the shower. I pretended to be a friend of hers because I had a hunch. Unfortunately, I was right."

He grunted in frustration, then shook his head in disbelief. "She didn't even deny it," he painfully said with a laugh. They squeezed each other's hands as he took a moment to get himself together. "Anyways," he continued, "I told her I wanted a divorce. I wasn't going to, but then she admitted that the only reason she took this job and moved us, her family, here was to be closer to him. They met at a work conference a year ago and that's when it started. An entire bloody year."

"I still don't know how to tell Cillian," he admitted. "He already has so many problems with his head and this is just going to wreck him." He sighed then took his hands out of hers to take a sip of his coffee. "If you need anything," Cassie sincerely told him, "and I mean anything, do not hesitate to ask. I'll be here for you whenever you need me, Ben."

He gave her a warm smile, then said, "Thank you, Cassie. You are truly the kindest, purest person I have ever met. I suppose I should get out of your hair since you're working. I'm sorry if I distracted you." He started to walk out of the kitchen, but Cassie said, "Please, stay. I'll order us some lunch, then we can go pick up the kids together."

It seemed like he was debating with himself, but he eventually accepted her offer by simply nodding his head. While she ordered their food, he wandered around her living room, looking at the books on the shelves. He noticed that the majority of them were written by her, but they looked like manuscripts.

"What are these?" He asked as she came in with fresh cups of coffee. "Oh, those are nothing," she told him. "They're either books I never finished or could never get published." He then started looking at the obviously published ones. "You're more than welcome to take one," she said. "I know reading distracts me when I'm going through stuff. Actually, that's how I got into writing."

He accepted the coffee from her, then asked, "What do you mean?" They sat down on the couch and Cassie put her coffee to the side. "I, uh...I went through some stuff when I was younger. In my twenties, I got diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder. My escape from it was writing. Not only did it help me escape, but I thought it might help others."

Ben could tell this was a touchy subject, but he wanted to know more. "If you don't mind me asking...did you get help for it? Professional help, I mean?" She nodded, then told him, "At one point it got to be too much and I accepted the fact that I needed help. It was the most nerve wracking moment of my life, but once I told my doctor, things only seemed to go up. Well, for a while it did."

He didn't want to ask, but she knew he wanted to know. So, she continued, "Taking medication for stuff like that, it messes with your reproductive system. Whether you're a man or a woman, it doesn't matter. Getting pregnant with Ethan was practically a miracle, even though we weren't trying. I had to make my way off of the medication when I found out I was pregnant because it could harm babies. That...unfortunately...led to me having Postpartum Depression."

This obviously came as a shock to hear. "I'm so sorry," he told her. "Obviously, you got better." She nodded, then said, "I did, once I got back on the pills. Unfortunately, I had problems getting pregnant again. I was put on a stronger dosage, which led to the reproductive system problems I was talking about. I wanted to keep trying, do what I had to do to give Ethan a sibling, but Joel got fed up. I think that's right when problems started, too."

Ben was about to say something, but she quickly told him, "Oh, God, I'm sorry! Sorry, I don't mean to lay everything out on you like this. It's just that you're so kind and so easy to talk to and I really don't have anyone to talk to about this stuff. When it does come up, it's hard to stop me."

She was mentally scolding herself for opening the gates like that! She was going to scare him off. Next thing she knew, his hand was over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it's alright," he softly chuckled. "You can tell me anything. I truly mean that."

They gazed at each other, never breaking their hands apart or even attempting to make this seem like less than what it was. When there was a knock on the door, they jumped. Cassie, seeming to realize what might have been happening, quickly retreated her hand. "Uh, um...that would be our lunch," she told him.

She rushed over to the door while Ben slumped back against the couch and mentally scolded himself. You twat, she's married! Just because your marriage fell apart, doesn't mean you can do that to her's! I know I like her and I know I've liked her since the moment I saw her, but I can't do this. It isn't right.

"Cassie," he called as he got up from the couch. He walked out and saw her pay the delivery guy before shutting the door. "Cass," he said, "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have done that, I—." She shushed him, then said, "It's okay. Come on, let's not have this get cold."

He gave her a warm smile and a nod, then followed her into the kitchen. During their lunch, they had pleasant conversations about her books, especially her "worst sellers" one. "I had to re-read it!" He told her. "It was just so...bad!" She couldn't stop laughing and was practically slumped over to her side because of it.

"I told you!" She laughed. "I still trust you not to parade it around." He chuckled, "Of course not. Wouldn't want anyone else suffering like I did." She scoffed and chucked a french fry at him. He caught it, then popped it into his mouth.

Once their laughter calmed, he said, "Thank you, Cass. Today was one of the worst days of my life, but you managed to make me forget about it. I hope I can do that for Cillian when the time comes. I'm not sure what I'll do." He seemed to have gotten lost in his own thoughts.

"You'll think of something," she assured. "It's a parental instinct that you'll never knew you had. And, hey, if at anytime you need time to yourself or anything like that, Cillian is more than welcome to stay here." Ben smiled at her and said, "Thank you. You have been too kind today. Let me make it up to you somehow."

She shook her head and told him, "Nope. You don't repay people for this kind of thing." He gave her a small smirk, then said, "Well, one of these days, I will."