“Excuse me for a second. I need to use the ladies room.”
He nodded to her as she made her escape.
Ryan’s assistant appeared out of nowhere.
“What was that all about Ryan?”
“Nothing my wife and I can’t handle.”
She gave him a skeptical glance, “Well, make sure you do. Remember, someone is always watching. I don’t know what you said to her but I know her face drained of all color. Fix it.”
Ryan understood he’d taken it too far. Alicia was tough and she could handle a great many things but being unable to conceive was the one thing she couldn’t. Before all of the affairs and when he’d wanted to save the marriage, he tried to get her to understand she could still be a mother. They could adopt.
Alicia was excited about the idea until her father made it clear that under no uncertain terms, he would ever accept a child that wasn’t of his own blood.
The devil had a name and it was Alfred Foxworthy.
Chapter 25
Vicky slowly opened her eyes to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Just as she’d suspected Jason was already gone. She debated ignoring the knocks but thought better of it.
“Just a second.”
She reached for her robe and put it on.
“Come in.”
The door opened and it was Aunt Shirley with a big tray of food.
“Good morning sunshine. I thought I’d bring you up some breakfast.”
“You didn’t have to do that Aunt Shirley.”
“I know. But, I just wanted to do something special for you. I don’t have money like the Rutherford’s so I can’t buy you fancy stuff or hire lawyers but I can cook. And, I’m a good cook. So, eat up.”
Vicky sat back down on the bed with the tray and Aunt Shirley. She smiled warmly at the woman who shared her mother’s smile. Vicky’s appetite hadn’t fully come back yet but she didn’t want to disappoint her Aunt so she tried to eat a little something.
“This is really good Aunt Shirley.”
“Good. I’m glad you like it. I actually had another reason for wanting to bring you breakfast in bed. I was hoping you and I could have a little chat.”
Vicky finished a bit of her eggs before putting her fork down on her plate. She was hesitant because she could tell by the look in her Aunt’s eyes that this was going to be a serious conversation.
“Alright. What did you want to talk about?”
“You. How are you really doing?”
“I’m doing…I’m better.”
Aunt Shirley reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“And, you and Jason?”
Vicky couldn’t look her in the eyes, “We’re fine.”
“Are you sure? Because from what I can see you two have barely been in the same room with each other for any length of time.”
“Auntie…we’re both doing…the best that we can.”
“Don’t let the distance grow too much further.”
Vicky whispered, “I don’t know how to stop it. He won’t…he won’t talk to me.”
“Make him talk to you.”
“I’ve tried. I just hope with a little more time he’ll be able to forgive me for everything.”
“Forgive you? Forgive you for what child?”
Vicky couldn’t hold back the avalanche of tears “For so many things but mostly for losing his baby. He blames me, I know he does.”
“That’s silly talk.”
“No it isn’t! He won’t touch me and can’t even look at me. On top of everything he has to deal with all of my drama with Ryan. One minute I was the happiest I’d ever been in my life. The next, I’m living in a nightmare. Having my name dragged through the mud every day in the papers is horrible and it can’t be easy for him either. It would be too much to bear for anyone.”
“Yes. You and Jason are going through a lot. And, it’s a shame Ryan is using Angel as a pawn in his political game but in a marriage you can’t let anything or anyone come between you.”
Vicky reached for her phone, “I’m afraid maybe someone already has.”
“What are you talking about?”
She opened the photo that was sent to her the night before and showed it to her aunt. Shirley looked at the photo.
Vicky felt that sick to her stomach feeling again, “That was Bridget the woman I told you about. They dated for a long time before I came along.”
“Hmm.”
Vicky checked the phone to make sure her aunt was looking at the same photo she’d seen. “’Hmm’. That’s it? Are you looking at the same picture that I did? They were looking lovingly into each other’s eyes!”
“Yes. ‘Hmm’. Is that what you really see when you look at that photo? Because I don’t see Jason looking at her lovingly. He looks tired, exhausted even and sad. You and Jason have had to deal with an unspeakable tragedy. But, if it’s one thing I know is that man loves you. He’s hurting. Find a way to reach him. He doesn’t need space. He needs you. Love him through this pain.”
Shirley reached out to hug her niece. Vicky held onto her tightly. Shirley just hoped that something she said got through.
Chapter 26
Sandy left the house for an early morning run. She wanted to get her workout over with before Vicky woke up. She also needed the time to clear her mind. Never in a million years would she have thought she’d love Atlanta as much as she did. Even though it was so different from Minnesota, Sandy felt less burdened here considering her life was a mess.
Her job was no longer fulfilling and her love life was a disaster. Although she
