I was up in the observation room when I heard a car pull into the cul-de-sac. I took a peek below and saw a black sedan had parked in the driveway. My heart did flips as Drake got out. His navy polo shirt and jeans clung to his body as if they were painted on. His hair was combed back and appeared a little shorter than usual. I watched him retrieve a duffle bag from the trunk, and then he stopped and stared at the house. My hands felt a little clammy—my mouth a little dry—as if I was waiting for him to pick me up for my first date.
I snuck down to the third floor and stood near the stairs, listening for someone to let him in. The bell rang. There were the sounds of greetings being exchanged between Malcolm and Drake. And then Becca said she would go find me.
Footsteps echoed from below. They were quick at first but grew more measured the closer the sound grew. I saw Becca round the last curve of the stairs, her head down.
"Hey, Becca."
"Daphne, hey!" She pressed her hand to her chest as she saw me waiting on the landing. "Drake's here."
"Oh, already?" I glanced over her shoulder. As if I expected him to be right behind her.
She followed my line of sight, which was basically at the wall from where she stood, and then pointed at her feet. "He's in the living room. Come on down."
I nodded and gave her a half smile as she squeezed my hand then turned around.
I followed, pausing on each step to take a deep breath in and letting it out before continuing. When I had finally reached the main floor, I stood frozen in the foyer. My breathing had become more labored rather than relaxed.
Malcolm found me gripping the intricately-carved railing. He softly coaxed me to let go. To follow him to my other favorite room in their house, the one with the most wonderful view of the ocean. I expected that we would be in the living room area, but I saw Becca sitting at the dining room table.
"Daphne." Drake rose from his seat across from Becca as I entered. "How are you?"
I stopped short, our eyes meeting. His gaze shifted to where Malcolm stood to my right, and he sat down again. I just nodded at my husband. Now that the moment was here, I wasn't so sure I could go through with this. Especially since we would be so close. But I took a seat next to Becca, and Malcolm sat across from me next to Drake. It felt odd not having Darryl here to complete our kinky intervention circle of five.
"Drake. Daphne." Malcolm tilted his head toward each of us as he spoke our names. "Can we skip the pleasantries for the moment and get right down to business?"
"Yes," both my husband and I answered.
"Good. We need to lay some ground rules before we continue. First and foremost, we want you both to know that you're more than welcome here. At any time. But you need to remember that you're still married. You have a special relationship like Becca and I have. We encourage you to nurture it, especially when you've hit a roadblock like this. It may seem like there's no way to repair it, but we have hope that you can. That you will."
Drake had his hands clasped on top of the table. I saw him move them forward slightly then he stopped. As if he wanted to reach out to me but had changed his mind.
"Daphne," Becca said, "you have expressed your concern about going back to California right now."
I nodded.
Malcolm cleared his throat. "I spoke with Drake earlier this week, Daphne. I told him our offer to let you stay with us until you've made a plan together. That he would be welcome to visit when he can."
"He has countered with his own," Becca said.
I blinked at her. Her mouth was a straight line. Stoic. So much for a sign of what she thought about this new offer. I slowly turned to Drake. My heart seemed to stop for a moment. I both wanted to hear his idea and feared that he was going to suggest a divorce. I suddenly realized it was the last thing I wanted. Yet if it was his desire, I would concede.
"Daphne." Drake did reach out now, but when I didn't reciprocate, he flattened his hands on the tabletop. "I can't imagine how this past week has been for you. I know I've said it so many times already that you may not believe me. But I'm sorry. I truly am. For all of it. I never meant to betray you. To push you away. I love you. I don't want to lose you."
It took a moment for his words to sink in. To realize he wanted to repair our marriage, not break it up. When he turned his hands over, I limply placed my right hand in his. He lightly rested his left hand over my fingertips. Both my diamond and his silver band glinted from the sunlight streaming in the window. The pose reminded me of a picture we'd had taken at our wedding.
'For better or worse.' The words echoed in my head. I let out a shaky breath. We were definitely dealing with the latter.
I wanted to tell him I loved him, because I really did. But I couldn't seem to form the words. A shudder ran through me as he squeezed my hand.
