Life Of A Single Mom

Chapter 7

Micah was everything most women prayed for - patient, attentive, loyal, stable. The type of man that made you feel safe without even trying. But neither one of us rushed whatever it was between us. Some connections don't need pressure. We both understood that if the timing was ever right, we'd know.
So like always, we continued talking and texting until eventually life pulled us in different directions again and communication faded.
Then one day, out of nowhere, me and Will crossed paths again.
He asked if we could sit down and talk.
And for the first time in a long time, I agreed. Part of me needed answers. I needed to understand why somebody who claimed to love me could hurt me the way he did.
I told him I'd stop by later that evening.
But when the time came, I dragged my feet.
Truthfully, I wasn't ready.
I wasn't ready for the excuses. Wasn't ready to walk back into the house we built together. Wasn't ready to face memories I had been trying so hard to bury.
My heart had finally started healing, and here I was willingly reopening the wound.
I pulled up almost thirty minutes late, and instead of getting out the car, I just sat there staring at the house. So many emotions hit me at once that I almost drove away.
Eventually, Will noticed my car and came outside.
We sat on the porch talking for over an hour. No yelling. No drama. Just honesty for once. And honestly, hearing the pain in his voice softened me more than I wanted it to.
After a while, I finally agreed to go inside.
The smell of food instantly hit me.
Candles lit the kitchen. Wine was already poured. He had cooked dinner himself, and baby, one thing about me? Food will crack my attitude every time.
A good meal is definitely a shortcut to a woman's heart.
That night, for the first time in months, it felt familiar again. Comfortable. Like maybe the love between us wasn't fully dead after all.
And against my better judgment...
I forgave him.
Not completely, but enough to try again.
The kids and I eventually moved back in, but this time things were different. We took things slow. Me and the kids stayed on one side of the house while he stayed on the other. If he wanted me fully back, he had to earn my trust all over again.
And trust me, rebuilding trust is harder than falling in love.
Weeks passed before I finally started sleeping back in our room again.
By then, the distance between us had become unbearable.
One night after working a long twelve-hour shift, I came home exhausted mentally and physically. All I wanted to do was shower, clear my head, and have a serious conversation with him. But the second I walked through the door, I could tell his mind was somewhere completely different.
Meanwhile mine was focused on sleep.
Still, Will went out of his way to take care of everything before I even asked. The kids were fed, bathed, and already asleep. My bath water was running. The house smelled good. Soft music played in the background.
I already knew exactly where the night was headed.
I just wasn't about to make it easy for him.
And Lord... that man made sure he took his time with me. From the massage to the way he touched me, everything felt intentional - like he was trying to apologize through actions instead of words. He loved on my body like he was afraid to lose me again.
But even while he was holding me...
my mind was somewhere else entirely.
There was something I needed to tell him.
Something heavy.
Something that had been eating at me ever since I found out.
But like always, exhaustion won in the end. The moment my body relaxed, I was knocked out cold. One thing about me? I can go from emotional to asleep in record time.
The next morning, after sending the kids off to school, I cooked breakfast so me and Will could finally have the conversation I'd been avoiding.
I sat there staring at him, trying to figure out how to say the words.
Because how do you casually tell somebody that your ex is getting out of prison...
and that he's dangerous enough to kill over you?
John wasn't somebody people played with.
His name alone made grown men nervous.
And the scary part?
I was the only person who had ever been able to calm that beast down.