Jason took a deep breath, “Sometimes love is not enough. Sometimes you need more than that.”
Franklin nodded, “Hmm…I think when you really know…love is all you need. My problem is I don’t think I’ve ever been in love so I’m not quite sure what it feels like. I’m done talking about my love life. Are you going to sign these or what? Otherwise, this is a wasted Saturday.”
Jason’s phone rang, “Hold on let me take this.”
“Hey.”
“Hi Jason! It’s Bridget. I was calling because I’m here with Michael and Wendy and Edward and Eliza. The gangs all here for Michael’s opening. Well, everybody except for you.”
He heard them in the background of her phone laughing and having a good time before screaming ‘hi Jason’.
He hadn’t spent any time with his old friends since Michael and Edward showed up at his house trying to convince him that he was making a mistake with Vicky. He happily left that life behind and had no desire to spend any time with them.
“Jason? Are you still there?”
“Oh..yeah. Sorry. I’m here.”
“Well, I thought it’d be like old times to get together with all of our friends to see the play Lilly on the Water tonight. I thought maybe it might take your mind off of things for a while.”
“Umm…Bridget that sounds like fun but I’ve got a lot of work to do. And, with everything that’s going on, I need to lay low from the press. Can I take a rain check?”
Bridget had miscalculated. She’d hoped being with his old friends might cause him to miss his old life. However, she hadn’t thought about the press still hounding him.
“Of course; I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I’m disappointed but yes. And, I’m going to hold you to that rain check. I’ll be here until the Monday morning. Maybe we can do dinner or something before you fly back to Atlanta.”
“That sounds good. Call me when you get back from the play.”
“I’ll make sure I do that. Talk to you soon.”
He disconnected the call and looked up into Franklin’s suspicious gaze.
Jason wouldn’t even look Franklin in the eye. He bent his head to review and sign the documents Franklin had given him earlier. “Remember, we’re not talking about our love lives.”
“MY love life, not yours. Bridget? What makes you think THAT is a good idea?”
“What makes you think April is a good idea?”
“Sandy is not my wife.”
“Look Franklin, it’s not what you think. We had dinner last night. It was innocent and it was nice.”
“You…had dinner with Bridget…last night?”
“Yes. I did. And, it felt good not to feel any pressure…and laugh. I enjoyed myself for the first time in a long time.”
“Jason, you do know that Bridget is dangerous territory.”
“She’s just a friend.”
“Since when? You were going to ask her to marry you.”
Jason was angry. “Franklin, John Rutherford is in Atlanta!”
“And so is Mrs. Jason Rutherford!”
“You don’t think I know that? That I don’t think about Vicky? Hell…I think about her all the time! That’s all I do. You have no idea what it’s like or what I’m going through right now?”
“Then tell me!”
Jason stood up and knocked everything off his desk, “Tell you what? Tell you that I don’t know if I can keep that bastard Ryan Carter from taking our daughter or tell you that when my son died a piece of me died with him? Or, that I don’t want to look into my wife’s eyes, knowing that she’s depending on me not to let her down again, and I can’t promise that I won’t. So, yes. Maybe it was wrong, but I spent a few hours with Bridget to escape the hell my life has turned into.”
Jason was fighting hard to keep it together and losing the battle. He fell back down into his chair exhausted.
“Did you know I only got to hold my son for about ten minutes before they took him away from me?” His voice broke “He was so small.”
“No, I didn’t. And, I’m sorry is insufficient. But Jason, Vicky doesn’t expect you to carry this load all by yourself. Share it with her. She lost a son too.”
Jason closed his eyes, “You couldn’t possibly understand.”
Franklin sat down too “Maybe I understand more than you think.”
Chapter 22
Vicky had just finished reading Angel a bedtime story when she received a text. Angel had fallen asleep. So, she put the book away, kissed her good night, and walked out of the room. However, she left the door slightly ajar.
It was disappointing that the text wasn’t from Jason. She hadn’t talked to him much since he’d been gone. Vicky didn’t recognize the number but answered it anyway. Her cell was private so it had to be from someone who knew her or Jason. They sent a photo with the caption ‘you might want to see this.’
The feeling of trepidation crept over her but the urge to see what the image was…was even stronger. She clicked on it. The imaged opened to a picture of Jason and Bridgette. Bridgette was looking lovingly into Jason’s eyes with her hand on his arm. Something was apparently funny since they were laughing. It was date stamped a couple of days ago…Saturday. The picture could be innocent but it still made her want to throw up.
Vicky hadn’t seen Jason really laugh or smile since their honeymoon. If she wasn’t sure before she was definitely sure now. He’d been distant because he blamed her for losing the baby. Probably no more than she blamed herself.
*****
The house was dark
